Clip of Ghostly Figure Walking Into Campfire Gives Internet the Chills

Footage of a "ghost" walking into a campfire has received over 2.7 million views on TikTok.

The creepy clip was shared on January 17 by TikToker Erica Jestat Perri (@ericajestateperri). The video opens with her dog, Aliko, whose head turns as though following an unseen entity through the darkness.

Following Aliko's gaze with the camera, Perri films the seemingly empty hill. However, as the camera pans to the campfire, a translucent figure can be seen approaching. It appears to pass through the fire, going unnoticed by Perri's companion standing right next to it.

Captioned "I got chills watching this," the freaky footage has received almost 200,000 likes and more than 5,000 comments from spooked viewers.

How Many People Believe They've Seen a Ghost?

According to a 2021 poll by Ipsos, 36 percent of U.S. adults believe in ghosts.

Surveying 1,013 people, researchers discovered that America's belief in the supernatural has increased by 5 percent since 2007. They also found that women are more likely to believe in ghosts than men—41 percent to 32 percent—and were also more likely to be interested in spells and witchcraft.

One in 3 respondents claimed to have had a paranormal encounter, with 24 percent believing they've seen or been in the presence of a spirit.

However, a 2022 survey by YouGov America suggests the figure is much higher. Of the 1,000 U.S. adults polled, 37 percent said they'd felt "a presence or unknown energy," 33 percent reported hearing an "unexplained sound" or tune, while 29 percent said they'd heard an unknown voice, seemingly coming from nowhere.

Other commonly reported occurrences included rapid changes in temperature (28 percent), appliances turning on and off by themselves (25 percent), and doors opening and shutting without explanation (20 percent).

Person dressed up as a ghost
A stock photo of a person dressed up as a ghost, wearing a white sheet with black eye holes drawn on. According to a poll by Ipsos, 36 percent of American adults believe in ghosts.... FOTOKITA/iStock/Getty Images Plus

'Never Seen Anything Like That Before'

In Perri's video, she and a friend are standing by a campfire at the top of a snowy hill in the middle of the night. Her goldendoodle, Aliko, can be seen a short distance away.

Appearing on edge, the dog's head turns as it follows a seemingly invisible force up the hill in the direction of the fire. Using her camera to track her dog's eye line, a ghostly figure can be seen walking up the hill. As it reaches the campfire, it disappears into the smoke.

Perri quickly pans back to Aliko, who looks confused and disturbed by the experience.

"Is it just me, or did I catch a ghost walking up the hill into the fire?" Perri wrote in the video captions.

TikTok users were freaked out by the footage, with user 13MadMax66 writing: "I probably shouldn't have watched this before going to bed."

"Whoaa that was so clear!!" commented Danielle Touhey.

"Watched several times. Never seen anything like that before," said tammynelson8185.

"Your dog saw it before you did!" wrote 13MadMax66.

Flames rising from a campfire
A stock photo of the flames rising from a campfire. Believing she caught a ghost on camera, Erica Jestat Perri shared the spooky footage on TikTok. Waldemar Seehagen/iStock/Getty Images Plus

"The dog proved it was there to me," agreed Dakota B.

"As being Native American I was always taught not to record or take pics of a fire [because] of those exact reasons, fires help spirits on their Journey," said marweezy817.

"That made the hair on back of my neck stand up both times I watched it," commented Megan Fields.

However, other users weren't convinced, with Rose believing the "spirit" was a "light reflection from the fire."

"Just the lens, nothing to see here," agreed user5089591276300.

"That's just a camera flare," said jatalexander23young.

"It could be a slight change of wind moving the smoke," suggested jubeiblu15.

While Kayla commented: "Even if it was a glare, or smoke whatever it is neat."

Newsweek has reached out to Erica Jestat Perri for comment.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more

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