Far more of your friends have a profound interest in true crime, conspiracy theories, and disturbing real-life tales than you’d think. Behind the gentle smiles and innocuous small-talk lie busy minds and guarded hearts that have a deep-rooted fascination with mystery, weirdness, and the darker aspects of what it means to be a human being.

That’s where the ‘Con Spiracy’ Instagram page comes in. Part of a massively popular brand, the page showcases some of the most bizarre and disturbing things that have happened (or are rumored to have been true). We’re featuring some of the most entrancing strange and morbid facts that the creator of the project has shared with his fans.

Scroll down if you want to be intrigued and spooked, dear Pandas. Upvote the facts that unsettled and weirded you out the most, and share your honest thoughts about them in the comments. Yes, sometimes, real life is far more frightening than the movies we watch and the books we read: you won’t be able to look at some things the same way after this article.

Connor, the founder of ‘Con Spiracy,’ was kind enough to tell Bored Panda all about the inspiration behind the social media project, what kind of morbid content resonates the most with his audience, as well as why people are so fascinated with the weird and deeply dark aspects of humankind.

“As conscious beings, we cannot simply ignore the negative aspects of history and everyday life. Not all roses are red; there are dark realities beyond those familiar to us, and while some prefer to turn their heads away, many of us can’t help but look, and I think it’s important to look. This morbid curiosity exists within all of us in some form or another, and I think that embracing it makes us more interesting and understanding as collective individuals.” Read on for the full interview.

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“I grew up in a part of Connecticut that’s always been filled with a dark and mysterious allure. Whether it was Ed and Loraine Warren’s paranormal museum right down the road, local urban legends like the cannibalistic melon heads, or the dozens of abandoned mental hospitals in the area, the morbid curiosity was inescapable for me, and I found myself naturally drawn to it,” Connor, the creator of the ‘Con Spiracy’ project, shared with Bored Panda.

“Once I randomly decided to present my passion to the world and discovered there was an audience that shared my fascination, it became an instant obsession for me. Not only could I explore my interests, but I now had the ability to evoke these experiences and feelings of “holy s***, WTF?!” in other people, and that’s a really awesome feeling.”

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According to the founder of ‘Con Spiracy,’ there’s “no true formula” to the stories and facts that he chooses to share with his audience.

“If something makes my jaw drop or gives me goosebumps, I know thousands of others will likely feel the same way. From my experience, I think the most resonating content is that which seems so alien to people: stories of the past and present involving people or situations that we simply cannot fathom going through ourselves. Lobotomies, genocides, inbreeding, serial killers, torture methods, you name it,” he mentioned some of the darkest, most disturbing topics.

“They all seem so incredibly difficult to comprehend, but real people, good or bad, have found themselves in these very real scenarios time and time again. There is something about the most inconceivable aspects of life, history, and human nature that appears to be the most captivating to people.”

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Connor noted that, “in a strange way, learning about these dark facts and stories in a comfortable setting allows us to turn something negative into a thrilling experience.”

It’s not necessarily about ‘enjoying’ morbid content, so much as being drawn to it. “Perhaps it allows us to appreciate the safe and secure lifestyles we are accustomed to, which we would otherwise take for granted. I personally believe it’s important to be aware of all aspects of the human condition: some bright and beautiful, others dark and horrific,” he told Bored Panda.

The ‘Con Spiracy’ brand features a wide range of weird and morbid facts alongside conspiracies, and has a huge following online. On TikTok alone, the project has a jaw-dropping 4.3 million followers.

Add to that the 121k YouTube subscribers, nearly 80k Instagram fans, 43k followers on Facebook, as well as the whopping 1.3 million people who follow the Twitter account, and you’ve got a major powerhouse when it comes to spooky content. Content that’s both completely real and deeply steeped in guesswork. We’ll be focusing on the former today.

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People are huge fans of the more unsavory aspects of humankind. And Bored Panda found out why during a couple of interviews earlier. For instance, during our chat with Lyndsey Williams, who shares true crime memes on Instagram, we learned that the genre is extremely popular with women.

“My audience is 96% women which I find extremely interesting! I can’t speak for everyone, but in my opinion, the reason I and so many other women are so drawn to the genre is that we can almost get into the mind of the perpetrator. How can I avoid people like the perp, and how did the victim get caught in a situation where such a heinous crime was committed and what can I do so that this never happens to me? It has honestly made me much more cautious and aware of my surroundings,” Lyndsey told us earlier what makes the genre so appealing.

Meanwhile, psychologist Lee Chambers told Bored Panda that our fascination with true crime and disturbing stories is intrinsically tied to our evolutionary survival instincts.

“When considering why the darker side of humanity and entertainment are so compelling, we have to first look at our evolutionary journey as human beings. For the majority of our existence, we were prey and always hyperaware of threats to our safety, which created a negativity bias that we are drawn towards,” he said

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“But in today’s safe and often sanitized world, we are rarely threatened significantly, and the ability to explore evil, frightening and gruesome entertainment is one of the few ways we can visit this part of humanity while remaining safe and comfortable,” Lee told Bored Panda during an interview, earlier.

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“There is a level of novelty to it, it removes boredom quickly, and it helps us to discover our emotional limits while understanding the minds of those who go beyond social norms and potentially gaining knowledge of how we might avoid being victims ourselves. They also offer closure, with many stories ending with the mystery being solved, and the criminal being brought to a level of justice,” the psychology expert noted why these stories are so compelling.

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What’s more, many people even find true crime and similar stories comforting: all of the evil things we see and hear about are far removed from us; they’re happening to someone else, not us.

“It can take us on an emotional rollercoaster, have us trying to solve the puzzle and test our fear in a controlled way. The permission to explore evil is powerful, as we so rarely get the chance elsewhere, and in itself, it is healthy and normal in moderation,” Lee told Bored Panda.

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That’s not to say that consuming this sort of content is without its own particular brand of consequences. We need moderate how much we’re exposed to such stories. Otherwise, it can numb us emotionally, and affect our lives in a profoundly negative way.

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“The challenge we face is the fact that consuming too much of this can desensitize us, and cause us to become less empathetic to the suffering of others, more fearful of our own environment, and potentially be more likely to use aggression ourselves. It can also cause us to be triggered by our own previous adverse experiences, make it harder to manage our own emotional balance, and increase our stress levels, so moderating our consumption is something we should have front of mind, even when we get embroiled in the latest series that is pulling us in.”

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Which of these facts shocked you the most, Pandas? Were there any that you were actually aware of before reading this article? Do you have any other completely true morbid facts to share with the crowd? Share your thoughts and insights in the comments.