How two brothers tricked the internet: Student who captured faceless ghost in viral Snapchat video reveals it was all FAKE

  • Ryan, 26, and Alec, 17, shared a series of Snapchat videos
  • A faceless ghost appeared to be in the window and video quickly went viral
  • Alec has admitted it was all fiction and simply himself at the window

By BIANCA LONDON FOR MAILONLINE

Published: | Updated:

The brothers who saw their spooky Snapchat video of a faceless ghost at the window go viral overnight have revealed the entire thing was pure fiction.

Ryan, 26, and Alec, 17, from Australia, shared a series of Snapchat videos on Alec's Reddit account, skinna555, seemingly showing a ghostly character in the background.

But now, Alec has revealed that it was actually just him standing outside with some cleverly positioned lighting shining on his face.

Ryan, who starred as the protagonist in the video, explained that he had returned to his childhood home where he used to suffer from sleep paralysis and have visions of a faceless man.

Ryan, 26, and Alec, 17, shared a series of Snapchat videos on Alec's Reddit account, skinna555, seemingly showing a ghostly character in the background, circled, right, but it was actually just Alec standing outside with some cleverly positioned lighting shining on him

Ryan, 26, and Alec, 17, shared a series of Snapchat videos on Alec's Reddit account, skinna555, seemingly showing a ghostly character in the background, circled, right, but it was actually just Alec standing outside with some cleverly positioned lighting shining on him

After sharing some Snapchats, viewers quickly noted that there was a spooky figure in the window in the background.

Ryan claimed it was the exact same figure he saw when he suffered sleep paralysis in the very same house eight years ago. 

He said: ‘On the 3rd of 4th watch, I saw what he was talking about and my stomach sank and I almost started to have a panic attack, and I am still pretty shaken up.

‘At roughly age 14, things really took a turn, and I started to hear and see things during maybe one in ten of my episodes (also pretty common for people who experience sleep paralysis) .

‘The things I heard were never too crazy and over the top – and were usually just thuds and creaks.

‘However, when it came to SEEING things – there was always one recurring thing: A faceless person looking into my bedroom window with their hands cupped to the glass. For the course of a one to ten minute episode, this person would just stand there and look at me.’ 

However, the video, which has been shared hundreds of thousands of times, is a complete spoof masterminded by fledgling film maker, Alec.

After sharing some Snapchats, viewers quickly noted that there was a spooky figure in the window in the background

After sharing some Snapchats, viewers quickly noted that there was a spooky figure in the window in the background

Speaking to FEMAIL about the inspiration behind the video, Alec said: 'I have always liked to visit a page called reddit.com/r/nosleep, as it provides a place where people can creatively tell fictional and non-fiction scary stories in a creative environment where people cannot outright say anything isn't real. 

'Since I have been frequenting the page, I have always wanted to post a story that wasn't just a story, but was inclusive of the community and had realistic evidence and supporting material to enhance believability and cause controversy among the user base. I think a creepy video is great - but when backed up with a backstory - can be much creepier.'

Taking inspiration from a documentary called The Nightmare about sleep paralysis - and what people see when they are experiencing it - Alec thought it would be really creepy if for one of these people, the nightmare didn't end upon waking. 

Ryan claimed it was the exact same figure he saw when he suffered sleep paralysis in the very same house eight years ago - but actually, it was just clever lighting 

Ryan claimed it was the exact same figure he saw when he suffered sleep paralysis in the very same house eight years ago - but actually, it was just clever lighting 

So he asked his brother Ryan for some help to quickly film a few 7-8 second videos as though he was filming Snapchats and got to work writing a short story to be released around Halloween. 

So how did he do it? 'My brother filmed himself, taking care to keep the door in frame on the way across the room. I set up the lighting in both the room and the backyard so that harsh light was on my sides, and my back (via phone flashlights) - but only soft light was on my face (from the room). 

'Alongside the poor Snapchat video quality, the result was something that had depth but no details. The video itself is not creepy at all, but alongside the story, it obviously was.'

Alec, who is a high school student looking to pursue a career in film editing or game creation, said he was expecting the video to have a couple of hundred views.

When he woke up in the morning and checked on the video, it had 150,000 views and was averaging 15,000 views an hour. 

 

 

 

 

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