There’s something rather unsettling about the things we leave abandoned. And by we, I mean the human race. The objects we leave strewn about here and there tell a story all their own and most times, those stories can be as mysterious as the unanswered questions lingering around from long before we were born and bred.

But perhaps the most unsettling of all the things that can be abandoned are the buildings and homes we’ve left forlorn somewhere, immense spaces just left to fester in time. Perhaps this is why so many stories have been written about haunted homes or buildings.

And coming in second on that list of creepiest things left abandoned are probably vehicles. Let’s face it, there’s just something really unsettling about cars left to fend for themselves. You know what I mean. You’re walking on some deserted road and the last thing you want to see (among not ever wanting to see a headless rider coming at you with a flaming axe), is probably an abandoned car with dark windows and rust growing all around its frame like some infection that’s spreading fast. Cue the creepy horror music!

And if getting freaked out and scared is your thing, no matter what the season, then you’re all in for a treat, dear readers, because we’ve got some epic shots of abandoned buildings and abandoned cars that’ll have those chills running up and down your spines in no time. So, pull up that collar around your neck and let’s boldly go where few dare to venture.

25 ABANDONED MACHINERY

via reddit.com

And, perhaps, another great find for gearheads in general is the machinery that can be found in old factories left to abandonment. This machinery was at one time capable of churning out massive amounts of product, whatever that product may have been. To see it sitting there unused makes an impression on anyone looking. Machines were built to be used, after all. We wonder if anyone has ever tried to start up any of these old machines just to witness how they may have worked. It is possible, especially considering the number of buildings left abandoned and the number of machines left behind.

24 A PERFECT PLACE TO SIT AND RELAX ... REALLY!?

via Contrastly

Now, you may not be the brooding type. After all, the type of brooding human that likes to sit and reflect in abandoned buildings is reserved for Hollywood lore, but you may be surprised. Did you ever hear stories about the weird guy spotted at the old abandoned factory on the skirts of town? We did. In fact, almost every town has a guy like this. He can often be seen at the windows or sitting deep within the darkness of the factory. Is this person necessarily up to no good? Probably not, as it's probably just a loner trying to sift through some life issues, but we wouldn't go looking for a handshake and a nice conversation if we were you.

23 SHOULD BE A HOLLYWOOD SET

via ncnguyana.com

Maybe it's the movies we've seen and maybe it's the album covers we've been shown over the years, but an abandoned car in the woods, especially a classic car sitting there among the trees and leaves and drying grass, with the sun hitting the hood just perfectly, there's something there that just screams with Hollywood aesthetic value. Now, usually, when we see sets that look like this in films or on album covers, it took a team of set decorators to put it together, but sometimes, when you're walking around out there, the chips just fall where they may and if you've got a camera, you may be able to snap a shot just like this one.

22 AND ANOTHER THING ABOUT THAT LONER HIDING IN THE BUILDING ...

via yomadic.com

We've all assumed something, at one time, about the town loner, at some point or another, and these assumptions are either far-fetched or not. But have we ever stopped to think what it is about that particular building that has them so enamored with it that they are willing to spend so much time there among the rubble, walking the hallways, touching the old machinery, perhaps even talking to themselves as the sun goes down? If we could venture a guess, maybe we can assume that they worked there at one point, or someone they loved did. We all know what assuming could lead to, though, there's no use spelling it out. So, maybe, we should leave the town loner be. After all, only they know about their woes.

21 STAPLES OF THE COMMUNITY

via Pinterest

There are many municipalities that refuse to tear down some of these buildings. The reasons for this are probably linked to the fact that these buildings signify some sort of historical importance. Now usually, the historical societies of many towns would preserve such buildings, so that many could visit, but what of the towns that have no budget to speak of? These towns, in particular, would have no money to restore the old factories that helped make the town what it now is and the buildings are left abandoned as they decay through time. The only thing that differentiates them from others is that they are regarded with a little more respect and probably have a few deputies patrolling around them every now and again.

20 NUCLEAR DISASTER

via Abandoned Hudson Valley

This is the stuff of post-apocalyptic films. Indeed, nuclear disasters have been depicted in many ways in film and television over the years and the post-apocalyptic film, or rather story, was unleashed out of a fear of such a turn of events. The prospect in theatrical form is quite entertaining and popular but in real life, this is no laughing matter. It's actually happened. In Chernobyl, a nuclear incident occurred and when it did, the town was evacuated and is still empty to this day. Essentially, that town was decimated by the incident that occurred, leaving many homeless.

19 SOMEBODY CALL TIM BURTON

via Finding the Universe

This photo just screams Tim Burton. If you're unfamiliar with his work, think Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and other such classics. In his films can be felt a tinge of light within the realm of horror and darkness; the backdrop is often middle-class families living very simple lives. It's like John Waters meets Wes Craven or Citizen Kane meets Jason Vorhees. Regardless, he's a cinematic genius and the photo here inspired us to speak of the director solely because of the fact that the image would be the perfect place to shoot a scene for one of his films. In it, we can see his brand of comedy, bleak nothingness, and nostalgia, all in one.

18 ACTUAL CAR FACTORIES

via Pinterest

Now it's one thing to come across a factory that manufactured cushions or Q-Tips, but to actually come across a factory that fabricated vehicles is pretty special, especially for motorheads and gearheads. Can anyone say: kid in a candy store? To see where cars went, from the design floor to becoming actual hunks of metal with powerful engines, is pretty cool. To see the assembly line tracks and even some of the material left behind is even cooler. Note to all aspiring mechanics out there: it's also a great way to learn about how cars are built through the stages of progression.

17 THE PERFECT PLANTER

via valsdarkroom.com

No, it isn't James Bond's car, although it definitely could have been. What's amazing here, as we've alluded to in the past, is that this isn't your run-of-the-mill type of car. It's a sports car and a sports car shouldn't find an end such as this one. A sports car of any standing should be kept at the back of the garage even long after it's stopped working, covered by a tarpaulin, uncovered every now and again to look at and remember better days. Not like this! And despite your wife constantly screaming at you that she's sick and tired of paying insurance on a car that doesn't run, you stand fast. After all, the bond you share with this beast is special.

16 A LITTLE BIT OF BRIGHTNESS

via Huffington Post Australia

And as we can see here, these abandoned buildings and factories aren't always the dark and foreboding figures that we make them out to be. Sometimes, they can be pretty brightly-colored by graffiti and a lot of light may shine through (in the day, at least). This is probably because the roof has been ripped off but albeit, these are a little more fun to walk through, especially if they're safe. These, too, would be the perfect setting for a film, but rather a film from a different era. Think West Side Story or maybe even The Warriors. Imagine a rumble in a place like the one pictured here?

15 HAUNTING

via Reddit

We've mentioned the creepiness of these buildings, these factories left to age and ruin. But we've failed to mention that many of these factories have been labeled haunted by some of the most important and reputable paranormal investigators working in the field today. The places can and are known to be haunted by former workers who met an unjust end and are left behind to seek revenge. Sounds like another movie? Maybe, but some investigators will solemnly swear that these places are infested by supernatural beings.

14 GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY

via Iocchelli.com

At the end of the day, these photographs are the only obituary these machines and factories have; the only proof of their existence. Well, the photos and the words I've scrawled to go along with them, that is. And the masterful photographs we've located and come across are expertly snapped, capturing not only the true essence of the abandoned subject in the pictures but the ambiance surrounding them as well. After all, what other emotions can we feel when we look upon them but those of abandonment, blight, and maybe some nostalgia for that vehicle we left behind at some point, or even that building we pass every day.

13 THE FALL EQUALS THE PERFECT SETTING

via Pinterest

The northern cities are currently enjoying, or struggling through (depending on how you look at it), a pretty temperamental winter season. Every winter season brings with it snow storms and conditions that pale in comparison to the last. Some years bring great amounts of snow while others carry with them a promise of icy roads and deep freezes you'd have thought were brought on by some supervillain with an agenda. But, alas, you can still see some abandoned cars out there hidden under the snow, maybe a headlight poking out from underneath. But in actual fact, the perfect setting for an abandoned car, especially a creepy one, is definitely in the fall. There's just something about that collection of leaves covering the rusting frame.

12 DO YOU DARE ENTER?

via Urban Ghosts Media

You're on that drive coming back from a business trip. This time around you opted to drive, as it would only be three hours, and you didn't really feel like flying this time. But you didn't count on the meeting going late and as you drive down that lonely road, dusk slowly starts to fall, and you find yourself wishing you would have paid for that plane ticket instead. You suddenly see a sign by the road. It says: Road Closed. You ask yourself how that could be? It was open when I passed through a few hours ago! Regardless, you're sent on a detour and you find yourself driving through an abandoned industrial ghost town. All around you are abandoned buildings like the one pictured here and as you hear the audible gulp in the confines of your car, you solemnly swear to never, ever step foot in one of those creepy buildings.

11 WHAT IS IT ABOUT AN ABANDONED BUILDING?

via The Spaces

Is it the emptiness of it all? The vastness of the space? Perhaps it's the desolation at such a large scale? All possibilities are possible. What shocks many is that these buildings were once teeming with hundreds of people running around and working hard, day to day, to get the job done, whatever it may have been. To see a space like this, empty and forgotten, has an effect and oftentimes, a creepy one at that. How many accidents occurred on site? And how many of those accidents were fatal? And if such things did happen, how many of us believe that those people who befell such fates still linger on the premises?

10 WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED?

via Auto Express

This is often a question that comes up at the sight of a car or vehicle like this. It's been stranded and forgotten and for many years, it seems. And not only that, it seems to have suffered through quite the ordeal at the end of its life as a vehicle, carrying its owner from place to place. What could have happened? Was it an accident, or was it abandoned and then destroyed after being stripped of parts? And, on the seedier side of things, sometimes when these cars were used and abandoned, their former owners didn't really want them to be found; these vehicles are often set ablaze to hide any trace of where the former owner might have skipped off to.

9 JUST A MAMMOTH WASTING AWAY

via PCMag.com

Many cities have a lot of these locations just wasting away in time. It's sad but at the same time, there's something beautiful about a building withering away and decaying as time goes on. As we've said, these buildings were once heavily populated and thriving establishments that provided goods and services for one and all, but because of an unknown reason, they have now been relegated to being but a backdrop for a town that has moved on without them. But these buildings that topple over and loom in the distance add character and history to some cities. And the longer they stand, the stronger their presence becomes.

8 A TYPICAL SIGHT TO SEE

via Reddit

City officials didn't work as diligently in the past as they do now. Indeed, there are still many cities that have a pretty bad case of urban blight, in which a city falls to decay. Unfortunately, the beautiful city of Detroit has fallen to such conditions as of late, but urban blight was very common in the eighties and early nineties before communities started banding together for change and requesting better conditions for their cities. And sights like the one pictured here were indeed quite common. Abandoned cars, abandoned buildings, and a little kid playing amongst it all. A perfect example of beauty and innocence amidst the chaos, eh?

7 A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION

via That Oregon Life

In many of these circumstances, the very reason for abandonment could be a nuclear reaction or disaster of some sort. That was the very case in Chernobyl—a well-documented incident in which a whole town was evacuated because of a nuclear explosion at a plant—and other similar incidents may have occurred at many other plants, although probably not at such a large scale. Many of these locations work and function at a dangerous level, dealing with the producing or shipping of dangerous matter and as such, risks are high, and we hope that the proper precautions are taken nowadays. But many still befall a bad fate, and the result is total abandonment.

6 A GREAT SETTING FOR ART

via That Eric Alper

There are actually a great number of abandoned buildings that are used as the perfect canvas. Maybe it's the empty walls or the way things were left behind, but many artists flock to these buildings to make their artistic contributions to the world. Many of these buildings feature some great graffiti art, should you dare to venture inward. And paintings or spray painted murals aren't the only art that abandoned factories inspire, as musicians are known to meet up in some of these buildings for the ultimate of jam sessions.