14 most shocking torture devices of all time (15 photos)

During the Middle Ages, criminals and the falsely accused were often not given the chance to stand trial, and if they did, there was, of course, no right to appeal. Instead, the accused were tortured with horrific instruments. Here are 14 of the most terrifying.





14. Bath



The victim was forced into the bath so that only the head was sticking out. After which honey was poured on the head, to which angry bees immediately flew. The bees continued to attack the victim until... well, you can imagine.

13. Chinese Torture



It would seem that this is just a drop of water. But, although this torture may be considered the most painless, mentally it is definitely the most terrible of all. The victim was chained to a chair or the floor, and water began to gradually drip onto his head. These drops of water did not allow the victim to fall asleep, and eventually he died from sleep deprivation or went crazy.

12. Tongue Puller



Do you remember how as a child your mother always threatened to wash your mouth with soap? Obviously, this threat worked, but this torture device is much more effective. It includes two devices - the first opens the mouth, and the second, made of iron, tears or tears out the tongue entirely. A visit to the dentist does not seem so scary anymore, right?

11. Guillotine



This classic method of execution, oddly enough, is considered one of the most humane - in comparison with other tortures, of course. A sharp blade would fall on the victim, decapitating them. This death is considered instant and painless, although of course it all depends on who is sharpening the blade. It would be terrible to end up on the guillotine when this guy is having a bad day…

10. Crucifixion



The guillotine is certainly a classic, but it cannot be surpassed by this torture, which leads to an incredibly slow and painful death. The victim is nailed to a cross and left to hang there until death, which can take days. The worst part is that in some countries this type of execution is still considered legal.

9. The Coffin



Has Quentin Tarantino used this in his movies yet? If not, we should definitely expect it from him in the future. This type of execution was very popular in the Middle Ages. The name says it all – a person is locked in a metal coffin, which is sometimes hung from a tree, and left to die. Those who were larger were deliberately placed in smaller coffins to increase their suffering.

8. The Head Clamp



We’ve all seen gangster movies where people’s hands are put in a vice – can you imagine the same thing with their heads? Hopefully not. Anyway, this is the way this torture device worked - metal plates were placed on the top and bottom of the head and gradually squeezed. The jaw, facial and other bones of the skull were slowly crushed under the pressure of the "vice", and the eyes were bulging out of their sockets. Sometimes the executioners stopped halfway so that the victim would remain alive, but lose his jaw.

7. Thumb Vice



This torture device usually does not result in the death of the victim, but they still experience excruciating pain. Again, a vice is used for this torture, but this time it squeezes the thumbs of the victim. The screw is slowly screwed in until the fingertips are severed and there is massive blood loss. The possibilities didn't stop there - this perverted torture device could also be used on toes and even ears.

6. Saw



The most surprising thing about this torture is how it was performed. Many people imagine something like a magic trick with sawing in half. In reality, the victim was hung upside down by the legs, after which they were sawed in half, starting from the crotch and gradually descending to the head. Often, the executioners stopped at the stomach to prolong the agony of the victim and let him bleed to death.

5. Chair



If you think drowning is the most inhumane torture, you won't like this one. This torture device was often used to force people to talk or confess to crimes. It's an iron chair covered in about 1,500 spikes. It also came with tight straps that held the victim down, and sometimes a heating device was installed underneath to heat the iron. It was nicknamed the "Judas Chair" - as if "spiked chair" wasn't scary enough.

4. Chastity Belt



Chastity belts had several uses. Some were used to keep a girl a virgin, others were used to keep wives waiting faithfully for their husbands to return from war. Question: What happened if the husbands didn't return? Was there a spare key? Research has also shown that many men tried to trespass on the forbidden, and received deep cuts from the sharp edges of the belt.

3. Torture by drinking



In this form of torture, the victim was forced to swallow water... and then more and more. The water was poured in so that the victim had no choice but to swallow it, and eventually this led to cerebral edema, which led to excruciating pain and death.

2. Impalement



You might think that crucifixion is worse, but at least in this situation you are hanging. Vlad III the Impaler, aka the Impaler, got his nickname for his love of impaling people. It is said that he used this method of execution on 20,000 victims. The stake was placed vertically, and the victim gradually slid down it using his own body weight. It could take up to three days for the victim to die from this torture.

1. Rats



And now we come to the first point. It's worth noting that if you can't stand rats, you'll probably have nightmares today. This torture involved tying the victim to a horizontal surface and placing a cage of rats on their stomach. The rats had only one way to escape the cage - by gnawing their way through the victim's stomach. Yes, organs, intestines... the rats ate everything clean or at least gnawed them. There's a suspicion that the victims of this torture would have preferred the stake if they had been given a choice.