A sign outside a store in Shiga prefecture, Japan, which featured a photo of a baby, has turned into something out of a horror movie as the ink melted due to intense heat in recent years.

Many people have since stopped outside the store, Hangai Nagahama, to take pictures of the ghastly sign, the store owner told Japanese media FNN in 2023.

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The black ink used for the baby’s eyes and mouth melted and spread across the sign, smudging the baby’s features into something more sinister.

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The owner, Masanao Itaya, said the summer heat likely melted the sign, which has been up at the storefront for almost a decade.

He told FNN in 2023 that he failed to notice the deteriorated state of his “favourite sign” until then, adding that he had never seen the sign melt so fast.

“I noticed it at the beginning of August and thought some people might find it creepy, so I thought about changing it,” he told Japanese media.

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“I thought I’d leave it as it is for a while, so that people can enjoy it as a summer horror experience,” he added.

Here is how it progressed: