A woman's peaceful hike through a dramatic US landscape turned into a scene from a horror film after she made a chilling discovery hidden beneath the rocks.
The 'Creepy' Feeling on the Trail
TikTok user Tiffany was exploring the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho when she was overcome by an unnerving sensation. She described persistently feeling as if she was being watched during her walk through the park's vast lava flows and sagebrush plains.
Acting on this instinct, she began recording a video for the social media platform. "POV: You're on a hike and feel like someone's watching you," she wrote, setting the stage for the unsettling revelation that was to follow.
The Ominous Discovery in the Cave
The video footage starts innocently, panning across a typical section of the rocky, mountainous terrain. Tiffany then slowly zooms in on a dark, shadowy opening at the base of a large rock formation.
As her camera light adjusts to illuminate the small cave, the source of her anxiety becomes terrifyingly clear. Staring back from the darkness was what appeared to be a pale white face with dark eyes and lips, fixed in an ominous, unnatural smile.
The image was just blurry enough to make it impossible to determine if it was a person, an animal, or something else entirely, leaving Tiffany and her future viewers in a state of fearful uncertainty.
Internet Erupts with Theories
After she shared her experience online, the video quickly went viral, amassing thousands of comments from viewers attempting to identify the mysterious figure.
Theories ranged from the plausible to the paranormal. Some suggested it was a bear, while others were convinced it was a demonic presence or even The Babadook, the monster from the 2014 horror film.
"Why the literal babadook chilling in a hole," one viewer commented, capturing the surreal fear many felt. Another wrote, "I can’t tell if it’s a demon or a bear nose," highlighting the widespread confusion.
A third person added a chilling perspective, stating, "I thought it was going to be a mountain lion. That would’ve been more comforting."
Other, more rational users proposed that it could simply be a rock formation creating a pareidolia effect—where the brain sees a familiar pattern, like a face, in a random object—or that someone had placed a mask in the crevice as a prank.
Adding another layer to the mystery, one commenter revealed they had seen the exact same thing. "I took a picture of that exact same thing last time I was there," they shared. "Creeped me out." This confirmation suggests that Tiffany's eerie encounter was not an isolated incident, leaving the true nature of the smiling face under the rock an unsolved and deeply unsettling mystery.
