New York
The Met’s 20 Scariest Artworks: Can You Find Them?
For this Halloween scavenger hunt, we scoured this encyclopedic museum for the most haunting works, bloody details and hidden meanings.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has long been heralded as a temple of beauty; a labyrinth of marble gods, shimmering Impressionist landscapes and silken kimonos that promises an orderly march of human history. But in October, as the shadows begin pooling against the walls and the hushed footsteps of visitors echo through the halls, another museum reveals itself: a theater of phantoms.
Here are 20 of the scariest artworks — ancient, medieval, modern — that tell a story of saints and sinners, monsters and myths. Follow their trail and the Met Museum starts to feel like a haunted house, where art keeps vigil over humanity’s deepest anxieties. Tap the screaming icon to create a list of your five favorites at the bottom of this page.
In the words of the poet Edgar Allan Poe, “The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague.” On this scavenger hunt through the museum, those shadows linger longest in the galleries.
Save artworks to your list to see them here.
new video loaded: The Democracy of The Dive Bar
By Anna Kodé, Gabriel Blanco, Haimy Assefa and Laura Salaberry
June 19, 2026
“It’s been 53 years. I’ve been waiting that long.” “It’s been a very long time, a long time coming. And I’m so excited that my Knicks finally brought a championship home.” “Let’s go Knicks.” “I had to wake up at six o’clock.” “Knicks in five.” “Let’s go, Knicks.” “Let’s go, Knicks!” “We just moved to D.C. a few years ago, but we’re so happy to be back in New York, celebrating. Once we won we were like — we’re absolutely coming home. So, we had to bring Chester with us. I mean, he’s the biggest puppy Knicks fan there is. Chester, can you say Knicks in 5? Knicks in five.” “I got hurt a couple weeks ago, but this is the first time they’ve been to the finals since I was a year old. And so to be able to be here, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.” “My man’s out here with a boot and a Josh Hart jersey. My man’s got heart.” “It feels so overwhelming but overwhelming in a good way, where, like, I want to be — I want to, like, shoot some balls. I want to, like, just vibe with everyone because everyone’s here for one purpose, and that’s celebrating the Knicks.” “This has been like a uniting situation for New Yorkers, and I just can’t wait to feel the love from everybody.” “I think it’s a great equalizer, right? It brings everyone together. It doesn’t matter if you make $900,000 a year, if you make $50,000 a year. You’re united because of the Knicks.” “So often when this city comes together, it is because we are forced to by a moment of tragedy or adversity. What a gift it is to be brought together by pure, unfiltered joy.” “Most importantly, thank you to the fans. I’m not going to lie though, y’all all are some pretty hard critics, but we appreciate it. At least I do, appreciate it a lot.”
By Stefanos Chen, Maria Cramer, Christopher Maag, Wm. Ferguson, Sutton Raphael and Laura Salaberry
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