A video of a man dressed as Michael Myers surprising gym-goers with his own unique workout routine has left viewers in stitches.
Footage of online prankster Logan Chitwood dressed as the fictional masked killer made famous by the Halloween movies went viral after being shared to TikTok.
At the time of writing, the video, posted under the handle theloganchitwood, has been viewed 17 million times, and you can watch it here.
Myers is back in the public consciousness following the release of Halloween Ends, the 13th movie in the franchise spawned by John Carpenter and Debra Hill's 1978 original.
The first Halloween movie arguably sparked what became known as the slasher subgenre, with the decade that followed dominated by horror movies featuring masked assailants hunting and killing their victims.
These films were made all the more frightening because they became popular at a time when murders and serial killings regularly hit the headlines.
There may be some science behind why audiences were drawn to these kinds of films during that period, though.
According to Professor Marc Malmdorf Andersen from Denmark's Aarhus University, horror movies of this kind provide viewers with a chance to play out how they would react in these kinds of scenarios.
Malmdorf Anderson, whose research focuses around the cognitive processes involved in play and learning, told U.K. newspaper The Guardian: "Spending time in these fictional realms can almost be thought of as an opportunity to draft up your own instruction book for worst-case scenarios."
He added: "It is possible that recreational forms of fear in general can help improve emotion regulation and coping skills."
But while the theory suggests films such as Halloween prepare us best for how to react if confronted by a masked killer, that wasn't quite how things played out in Chitwood's video.
In the viral clip, fellow gym-goers can be seen reacting with a mix of shock and surprise to the sight of a man dressed as Myers attempting to work out.
Chitwood, to his credit, hams it up, even going as far as to practice his stabbing motion on a machine in the gym in one of the highlights of the video.
He also indulges in a few of Myers' trademark stare-downs with other gym-goers, who appear to see the funny side in it all, although that may well just be nervous laughter.
Confusion and fear appear to be the overriding emotions among many of those filmed on the video, with some seen exchanging quizzical looks while others stop dead in the tracks to simply stare at their out-of-place guest.
Their reactions were the source of much amusement on social media.
-Jess- commented: "I love how everyone is lowkey traumatized by this character," with cesarmix25 writing: "These days you never know if he playing or not so y'all see they scared."
User6660219261943 thought there were "nervous laughs all round" among those in the clip, while jaa_22220 commented: "I would actually leave the gym."
Elsewhere, Leonard Esquega couldn't resist making a pun, writing: "He's just trying to get a killer workout in!"
This isn't the first time Myers has made an unexpected appearance, with the fictional movie bogeyman also popping up on a New Hampshire property listing in early October.
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
Jack Beresford is a Newsweek Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter, based in London, UK. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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