As a child, Halloween was acclaimed artist Gary Baseman’s favorite holiday—an extension of his love of otherworldly monsters and characters on TV and film. In the 1990s, he started his collection of more than 2,000 dark, playful, surreal vintage photographs of people in masks and costumes. Gathered primarily at flea markets, these images, taken by unknown photographers, represent intimate tributes to Halloween and American legacy. The photographs have long inspired Baseman to create not just paintings, but scores of costumes and masks of his own that he has used for photography, video, and performance art.

The photos compiled here speak a thousand words and inspire a thousand more questions. What might first appear scary will soon become endearing when you realize that the people under the ghoulish masks and macabre costumes are smiling and having fun. The combination of nightmares, childhood memories, and odd beauty found in these photos also makes each one a mesmerizing work of found art.

SPOOKY GIFT: This dark “family album” collects 300+ photographs of vintage photography plus 15 of the author’s Halloween-inspired signature paintings.

LYRICAL ESSAYS: In addition to Gary Baseman’s personal essays about his collection and his love of monsters and Halloween, artist Phyllis Galembo and scholar Catherine Zuromskis contribute essays about the history of Halloween costumes and photography.