Chilling Photos Reveal Eerie Stories Of The Past

By | March 23, 2021

More often than not when we look back on history we're doing so through the lens of nostalgia. While we like to remember heartwarming moments of the past, it's also denying the existence of some truly chilling stories from the past that are as fascinating as they are dark.

When you take a closer look at history through rare photos and stories you'll see that not everything is as sunny as the history books portray. Even when a photo claims to show something that's beautiful, if you look closer you'll see how spine-tingling history really is.

Each of these uncovered photos from history shows a new side to old stories, but they're not suitable for all audiences. You've been warned, now are you ready to look closer?

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source: reddit

Shirley Temple may seem like the child star who lived a golden life, but there's a dark undercurrent to her career that shows just how harrowing it was for a young person in the entertainment industry before there were rules set in place for working with children.

Temple was only three years old in 1932, the year she signed her first Hollywood contract. Her first film was a hyper sexualized "comedy" called the Baby Burlesks that saw her dressed as a prostitute in an oversized diaper who trades kisses for lollipops. It's absolutely insane that this was a film someone wrote and filmed. On top of that, the working conditions were abysmal. Historian John Kassan explained how director Charles Lamont would punish his actors:

To threaten and punish uncooperative child actors, the director, Charles Lamont, kept a soundproof black box, six feet on each side, containing a block of ice. An offending child was locked within this dark, cramped interior and either stood uncomfortably in the cold, humid air or had to sit on the ice. Those who told their parents about this torture were threatened with further punishment.

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source: MGM

It's telling that out of all of Elvis' co-stars it's Ann-Margret who he had the best onscreen chemistry with. The two appeared onscreen with one another in Viva Las Vegas and by all accounts - including Ann-Margret's - they began a salacious relationship that they tried to keep under wraps to little avail.

The relationship began when the duo recorded their songs before the production got under way. By the time they were on set sparks were already flying. They made eyes at one another in camera and everyone could feel the heat even though Elvis was still married to Priscilla Presley. Ann-Margret said of the heat between the two them:

We experienced music in the same visceral way. Music ignited a fiery pent-up passion inside Elvis and inside me. It was an odd, embarrassing, funny, inspiring, and wonderful sensation. We looked at each other move and saw virtual mirror images. When Elvis thrust his pelvis, mine slammed forward too. When his shoulder dropped, I was down there with him. When he whirled, I was already on my heel.