8 Cursed Objects Still Haunting the World Today

Sometimes people leave behind memories, legacies, and occasionally… nightmare-fuel objects that ruin lives. You’d think that if something brings disaster, illness, hauntings, or death, humans would immediately destroy it.

But no. We keep them. We display them. And sometimes we even buy them on purpose.

Below are some of the creepiest cursed objects that are still sitting around in museums, vaults, and basements today, because apparently, we’re all much braver (or dumber?) than our ancestors.

1. Thomas Busby’s Deadly Chair

Do you have a favorite chair? A cozy spot at home or your go-to seat at a café? Would you ever love that chair so much that you’d curse it before execution so no one else could sit on it?

Well, that’s exactly what Thomas Busby did in 1702, right before being hanged for killing his father-in-law, for the enormous crime of sitting in his chair.

Busby cursed the wooden pub chair, declaring that anyone who sat on it would die a horrible death. Over time, daredevils tried their luck, especially during World War II, and many who sat in it never returned from battle. Even a cleaning woman who accidentally fell into the chair died shortly after.

Today, the chair hangs five feet in the air at a museum in North Yorkshire, so no one’s butt ever touches it again.

Smart choice.

2. The Crying Boy Painting

In the 1950s, an Italian artist painted a portrait of a boy crying, because apparently, a sad, haunted-looking child was exactly the interior décor everyone wanted.

The problem? Wherever this painting hung, fires broke out. And every single time, one thing survived untouched:

The painting.

Dozens of cases reported the same strange outcome, from house fires to entire rooms burning down, but the crying boy never even singed.

Some experts suggested the prints were treated with fire-resistant varnish… except no other varnished art survived flames like this. So either the painting is supernatural, or the kid in the picture simply refuses to leave.

Honestly, why would anyone want this tear-soaked terror staring at them from the wall?

3. The Dybbuk Box

In 2001, Kevin Mannis bought a wine cabinet on eBay, a harmless enough purchase… until nightmares, unexplained terror, and illness followed.

His mother suffered a stroke the same day he gifted it to her. Later owners reported health issues, hallucinations, and sheer dread.

The box was eventually linked to a Holocaust survivor, and many believe it contains a dybbuk, a malicious spirit from Jewish folklore known for possessing the living.

The final owner had the rabbi seal the entity inside the box before hiding it away.

Why he didn’t simply toss it into a bonfire, I’ll never understand.

4. James Dean’s “Little Bastard” Porsche

James Dean’s rare silver Porsche Spyder already gave off “bad omen” vibes before the tragic crash that killed him in 1955.

But the curse didn’t stop there.

Parts of the wreck were sold, and:

• A driver using the car’s engine died instantly in a race.
• Another driver using parts from the Porsche was severely injured.
• Tires from the same car blew out simultaneously, causing a terrible accident.
• A thief trying to steal parts was seriously wounded.
• A garage storing the wreckage burned down, yet the car’s remains survived.

Even transport trucks hauling the wreck were involved in fatal accidents.

If cars had personalities, this one would definitely be plotting.

5. The Cursed Gem of Kanpur

Stolen from a temple in 1857, this gemstone has tormented nearly everyone who touched it.

Its first known owner lost his wealth and health. His son faced a similar misfortune. A friend who inherited it committed suicide. A singer temporarily given the gem lost her voice.

Eventually, the owner locked it in a vault with instructions not to open it until three years after his death. When it was finally retrieved, his daughter, who wanted no part of its drama, donated it straight to a museum with a warning.

It now remains locked away, which is exactly where it belongs.

6. Māori Warrior Masks

Beautiful, historic, and spiritually powerful, the Māori warrior masks of New Zealand hold deep cultural significance. According to Māori belief, a warrior who dies in battle leaves his spirit within the mask.

Over time, museums noticed a disturbing trend:

Pregnant women who approached the masks experienced complications or distress.

Today, museums display the masks alongside warnings advising expectant mothers to keep their distance.

Some spirits clearly still take their job seriously.

7. Ötzi the Iceman

Discovered in the Italian Alps in 1991, Ötzi is a 5,000-year-old naturally mummified man whose remains were incredibly well preserved.

What wasn’t preserved?

The lives of those connected to him.

At least seven people tied to Ötzi’s discovery or study died under tragic or unusual circumstances, including a mountaineer who helped recover the body and a forensic expert killed in a car crash en route to give a lecture about him.

Maybe Ötzi just didn’t appreciate being taken out of the glacier.

8. The Anguished Man Painting

As a kid, Shaun Robinson always felt strangely drawn to a disturbing painting hidden in his grandmother’s basement. Years later, he inherited it, against his wife’s very obvious protests, and hung it in his home.

Immediately, chaos followed:

Night screams, doors slamming at odd hours, and violent nightmares shared by the entire family.

When Shaun finally researched it, he discovered the artist had mixed his own blood into the paint before dying by suicide.

The painting now sits locked away in Shaun’s basement, because nothing says “problem solved” like storing a cursed object in the darkest part of the house.

Final Thoughts

For ancient civilizations, “cursed” meant to destroy it immediately. Today, we say:

“Let’s put it in a museum so everyone can look at it!”

Maybe humanity is courageous now… or maybe we’ve just watched too many horror movies.

Would you ever keep something if you suspected it was cursed?

Let me know, and maybe keep a little distance from any mysterious chairs, paintings, or antique boxes.