00:00 When I first saw it, my heart skipped a beat because I thought, "Is that a really good
00:03 photo of a young Squatch?"
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most frightening and
00:09 strangest images ever caught on a trail camera that will leave you avoiding the woods at
00:14 night.
00:15 It frightens people, especially children.
00:18 Number 20.
00:19 The Wyoming Ghoul In 2023, there was a strange occurrence going
00:23 on in Evansville, Wyoming.
00:25 Animal bodies and huge paw prints had appeared, seemingly pointing at a rogue mountain lion
00:29 stalking the area.
00:31 So the local police put up a trail camera to find the elusive creature and released
00:35 the images on social media.
00:37 But instead of the big feline, alongside various wildlife photos, the device captured a very
00:42 unsettling snapshot of a ghoul menacingly confronting the camera.
00:47 Resembling Batman villain the Scarecrow, the creepy series of pictures left folks unsettled
00:52 with its bony fingers.
00:54 But before residents of Evansville could pack up and leave, it turned out to be a joke by
00:58 the police chief, Mike Thompson, who was promoting their Halloween event early.
01:03 Number 19.
01:04 Flying Doom Imagine being a deer at night.
01:08 You find a pile of apples to munch on and have a great time in the woods.
01:12 But then you hear sticks snapping.
01:15 Already startled, you glance up to see some outstretched creature with glowing eyes descending
01:20 from the skies towards you.
01:22 You'd be as freaked out as the poor deer who darted away from danger, leaving its free
01:26 meal behind.
01:28 Sadly for the deer, the creature is likely a flying squirrel, probably just hoping to
01:32 share the apples.
01:33 But in the darkness, the big mammal might have thought it was a bird of prey or a demon,
01:38 and we don't blame it.
01:39 The result is these incredibly long leaps at speeds of up to 20 miles an hour.
01:45 Number 18.
01:46 Photo Bombing Witch Coyotes can be a problem.
01:50 Stay tuned for more on them later.
01:52 As such, some folks put up cameras to see if an area houses any of them.
01:56 But in 2012, one concerned citizen discovered something more unsettling than the carnivores.
02:02 At the side of the image, a hooded creature with a white face and dark hair stares at
02:08 the camera and into our souls.
02:11 Seemingly a witch with only half its body visible had been photographed.
02:15 Could this be proof of the occult presence in the forest under the cover of darkness?
02:19 Or is it a simple Photoshop job to mess with us?
02:22 Let us know your thoughts below!
02:24 Number 17.
02:26 Howling at the Moon It's depicted in countless movies and media,
02:29 but it's even eerier hearing the actual thing.
02:32 This trail cam spied on a group of coyotes howling at each other in the moonlight, though
02:36 not actually at the moon, as it turns out that concept is a myth.
02:40 There are several reasons why pack animals howl, such as hunting or navigational purposes.
02:46 But that doesn't make them sound any less unsettling.
02:50 [Howling]
02:56 These particular cries begin with a single pooch that sets off a disquieting chain reaction.
03:02 The calls morph into deafening screams that could shake your spinal cord if you can stand
03:07 to listen.
03:08 It's even creepier when the yelping stops and the unnerving silence returns.
03:13 Don't play this loudly around your pets, or they might join in too.
03:17 [Howling]
03:22 Number 16.
03:23 Woodwalker The US state of Michigan already has a load
03:27 of urban legends to scare and entice tourists and local residents.
03:31 After all, there's the mysterious Dogman, the human-wolf hybrid creature, the hobgoblin
03:37 Nain Rouge, and the haunted Hell's Bridge.
03:40 But now we can add this creepy ghost man to the list.
03:43 According to articles online, someone set up their camera to be motion activated.
03:48 Yet when this chap appeared, only one image was taken.
03:51 Seemingly he appeared, then vanished like a specter or some kind of supernatural recluse.
03:57 It even looks like he was simply standing in place, making the situation scarier somehow.
04:03 Yikes!
04:04 Number 15.
04:05 The Cloaked Creature In 2012, this unsettling image appeared online.
04:10 Originally taken in the state of Wisconsin, the photo seems to depict a cloaked creature
04:14 walking off into the darkness, probably to cause some mayhem or shenanigans.
04:19 People have speculated that it might be a zombie, one of the cryptids, a ghost, or some
04:23 other supernatural being.
04:25 It also looks like it could be Gore the God Butcher staggering off to find Thor.
04:29 But there are more natural theories.
04:31 One person theorized it could simply be the back half of an elk, as the rest is hidden
04:35 by shadow.
04:37 Others believe it could be bird poop on the camera's lens, or a human playing a joke.
04:42 Number 14.
04:43 Child of the Corn Children are one of the creepiest entities
04:47 around, with their never-ending energy and sticky fingers.
04:50 Just making eye contact with one is enough to send shivers down your spine.
04:57 So imagine how the owner of this camera felt when they looked at the pictures taken during
05:01 the night on their trail camera in 2009 and found a boy staring at the lens with glowing
05:07 eyes.
05:08 Eerie.
05:09 Is this proof that the Children of the Corn are real, or that the urban legend of the
05:12 black-eyed children exists?
05:14 Yet perhaps it's just a kid that went sleepwalking and then woke up in his next-door forest.
05:19 Hopefully it's the latter.
05:22 Number 13.
05:23 Forest Girl In 2017, the residents of Cambridge, New York
05:26 were in for a scare when an image taken from the local woods' trail cam circulated.
05:31 It showed a blurry black-and-white photo of a young girl walking through the streets,
05:35 seemingly imitating Salt Bay, which somehow makes it even more disturbing.
05:40 Locals were so concerned that they immediately speculated that this was a ghost.
05:50 But before they could strap on their proton pack and sprint into the woods, the truth
05:55 of the image came out.
05:56 A local man called the police and informed them that it was his granddaughter in the
06:00 picture.
06:01 The two had gone for a stroll through the forest.
06:03 No spectre shenanigans here.
06:06 Unless that's what the ghostly girl wants us to think.
06:13 Number 12.
06:14 The Tall Being Do you ever get that feeling that you're
06:16 being watched, but when you look up and no one's there, you feel a little silly?
06:20 Well, that might be because you didn't have a trail camera with night vision to look for
06:24 ghouls in the darkness.
06:26 This camera discovered a tall woman in a long nightgown watching behind a bunch of branches.
06:31 Was she a lost human lady looking to return home after a nighttime wander, or was something
06:36 more supernatural going on?
06:38 It's difficult to know for sure.
06:40 Even Snopes had trouble finding the truth here, but they believe it might be connected
06:44 to another infamous incident that you'll see later.
06:48 Number 11.
06:49 Coyotes and Deer Real-life nature can be beautiful, sure, but
06:53 it can also be brutal and terrifying.
06:56 In 2011, believed to be in the state of Montana, locals set up cameras to keep an eye on the
07:00 coyote population.
07:02 On top of seeing the furry friends, the cam also saw the destruction of a deer.
07:07 A buck was ganged up on by two coyotes, one appearing to have glowing eyes thanks to camera
07:12 trickery, making it seem more demonic.
07:15 In a series of images that were taken, the buck is unfortunately ended by the attack.
07:20 Number 10.
07:21 Deer-Chasing Demon While it's widely known that deer spook
07:24 easily, we really can't blame this one for running for its life.
07:28 This trail camera still image captures the moment an unexplained creature is giving this
07:33 poor deer the chase of its life.
07:35 While most who see this image believe it's a hoax or a really strange angle of a natural
07:39 predator such as a cougar, others believe this could be proof of the elusive yet infamous
07:43 Jersey Devil.
07:54 No matter what it is, we are definitely on the same page as this deer.
07:58 We do not want to run into this creature in the middle of the night.
08:01 Number 9.
08:02 Grim Reaper Doesn't matter what Blue Oyster Cult said,
08:06 we are still going to fear this one.
08:13 While the Grim Reaper is usually seen as a bad omen, maybe this particular one was just
08:17 trying to help a forest creature pass over to the other side.
08:21 Considering the date stamp, it is possible that this was simply one of those people who
08:24 celebrate Halloween for the entire month of October.
08:27 Then again, even the most dedicated Halloween lover has to draw the line at being out in
08:32 the middle of the night in freezing temperatures.
08:34 Whatever the case, seeing this on your trail camera is pretty terrifying no matter the
08:38 time of year.
08:40 Number 8.
08:41 Ghostly Hunter Sure, venison is delicious, but can ghosts
08:45 even eat it?
08:46 Maybe this particular Pennsylvania hunter is trying to find out.
08:49 There are two creepy aspects of this photo.
08:51 Of course, the ghostly hunter is spooky, but this could simply be a case of the camera
08:55 distorting either a human subject or a water reflection.
08:59 After all, trail cameras aren't exactly the best quality and this photo was taken
09:03 at night.
09:04 The truly creepy and worrisome part of this picture is how the buck staring into the camera
09:08 doesn't even seem to know it might be being watched from behind.
09:12 The most likely explanation to this mysterious visitor is of course that it's a hoax.
09:17 So maybe the deer's oblivious nature isn't so bad.
09:20 Number 7.
09:21 Nightgown Wanderer Even the frights are bigger in Texas.
09:25 This grainy image appears to capture a nighttime wanderer on the trail.
09:29 A similar but clearer image that might show the same figure was posted on a hunting forum
09:33 in 2015, taken near a cemetery in Liberty, Texas.
09:37 Now it could simply be a person out and about for a stroll in their nightgown or someone
09:42 chasing after their dog.
09:43 However, the proximity to a graveyard and the fact that it was two miles from any houses
09:47 is a bit spooky, as is the fact that bare footprints were allegedly found in the spot.
09:53 Number 6.
09:54 Finding Sasquatch Maybe you've heard that Virginia is for
09:57 lovers, but have you heard that Virginia is for baby Bigfoot, too?
10:01 When outdoorsman Roger Williams captured this photo in 2013 in the mountains of southwest
10:05 Virginia, he submitted the strange image to a local newspaper.
10:09 In no time, the picture circulated around cryptozoologist circles and quickly drew similarities
10:15 to the famous Jacob's photo taken in 2007 in northwest Pennsylvania.
10:19 Williams also disclosed to the Finding Bigfoot team that one of his neighbors heard strange
10:24 sounds a few miles from where the photo was taken.
10:41 As Williams himself said when he first published the photo, "the mystery remains."
10:46 Number 5.
10:48 Zombies Virginia seems to be a hotspot for bizarre
10:51 trail camera photos.
10:53 This image first started circulating around October 2012, and it just gets creepier the
10:58 longer you look at it.
10:59 At first, it looks like two out-of-sorts figures wandering the woods late at night.
11:03 However, a closer look reveals that the figure in the front is missing some flesh exposing
11:08 its rib cage.
11:09 While it could be an indication that the dead roam Virginia, it's more likely to be a
11:13 hoax or another case of October-long Halloween enthusiasts.
11:17 No matter the case, the image is unsettling.
11:20 Number 4.
11:22 Goatman Eating Deliciously
11:23 This creepy creature took being the goat too seriously.
11:27 In the small town of Bowie, Maryland, legends and rumors about the mysterious Goatman have
11:31 circulated for decades.
11:33 According to the stories, a scientist at Beltsville Research Agricultural Center conducted experiments
11:39 combining goat DNA and human DNA.
11:42 Of course, something went horribly wrong, resulting in the creation of the Goatman.
11:46 Soon, this creature was seen attacking cars with an axe along the Fletchertown Road in
11:52 Bowie.
11:53 It's said to be six feet tall, hairy, and walking upright on its hind leg.
12:00 This particular image has been tied to the legend, but it should actually be tied to
12:03 a Photoshop contest.
12:05 An artist who goes by Lou aka Fearhawked submitted the photo as part of a contest in 2011.
12:11 While they did not win the contest, their art has lived on, and countless proof of cryptids
12:16 exist compilations.
12:17 In fact, Fearhawked has called it their most stolen image.
12:21 Number 3.
12:23 Runaway These deer seem to be more freaked out by
12:25 the camera than by the little girl who is right next to them.
12:28 Could this child be part of their herd or a Disney princess in the making?
12:36 As it turns out, there's much more to this photo than meets the eye.
12:39 For starters, there are actually several more pictures of this magical girl and her deer
12:43 friends.
12:44 That's because this image is part of a series called "Following the Deer" by Illinois
12:48 artist William Harper.
12:49 The image was taken out of context and widely circulated around the internet, leading several
12:54 concerned citizens to wonder why this little girl was wandering in the woods.
12:59 Thankfully, the girl was never really lost, but this picture is still very spooky.
13:04 Number 2.
13:05 The Rake Accounts of an American cryptid known as the
13:08 Rake date back to the 1600s, when a mariner apparently fled back across the ocean to escape
13:14 the creature.
13:15 Well, if this photo is anything like what he saw, we can't blame him.
13:19 This particular image was allegedly recovered from a trail camera in a destroyed hunting
13:24 camp.
13:25 While this could be true and the creature could be responsible for the destruction,
13:28 the picture's murky origins leave room for doubt.
13:32 Is this the Rake of lore, or is it simply a spooky edit?
13:35 No matter the case, this image is probably the most relatable one on this list.
13:40 After all, who wants their picture taken unexpectedly at 1.44 AM?
13:56 We empathize with your frustration, mysterious creature.
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14:14 1.
14:17 Creepy Clown Back in 2016, there was a massive wave of
14:21 creepy clown sightings that spooked people in several cities.
14:25 However, it looks like someone was about seven years early to the circus-themed party.
14:36 These images were captured on a trail camera in the middle of the woods.
14:40 While this matches the latter clown's MO, this particular sighting occurred several
14:45 miles from the nearest town.
14:46 This could simply be a case of someone wanting to mess with the person who put out this camera,
14:51 but it is extremely creepy no matter the motive.
14:54 The bizarre eye contact definitely doesn't help either.
15:12 2.
15:22 (upbeat music)
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