These creepy sights will make you think twice about going into the woods. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most frightening and strangest images ever captured on a trail camera that will leave you avoiding the woods at night.
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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)