Horror story: 'The Face in the Film' — Chiang Mai, Thailand

I wasn't going to post this but here we go.

Back in 2014, a Korean tourist went missing in the outskirts of Chiang Mai. He'd been photographing rural mountain villages. The only thing they ever found was his old 35mm camera. A worker at the local photo lab said there was a photo with a person in it. Nobody actually saw the photo though.

I heard about this from a friend who went to Chiang Mai to film a documentary. Forgot about it for a while. Then a few months later I'm planning a Thailand trip and it all comes back. I ran a horror blog covering creepy real-life stories, so naturally I'm like. okay. content.

I ask my local guide about it, kind of casually. He sighs.

"People don't go on that mountain road. Locals avoid it. The man in the film... he wasn't holding a camera."

I didn't totally get what he meant but curiosity won obviously.

That same day at a cafe, some guy ends up sitting with me. Korean, young, had a camera bag. He smiles and goes, "Have you heard of a village called Hat Rat? Amazing spot for photography. Nobody goes because nobody knows about it."

Hat Rat. THE village. The exact one from the disappearance.

I hesitated for like two seconds and then decided to go with him. We left at dawn. The village was genuinely peaceful when we got there. A few cows grazing, a handful of wooden houses. That's it.

We headed up into the nearby hills. He kept recommending good spots and telling me to take pictures too.

Then things started getting weird.

First: he took a photo of me. There were clearly TWO of us standing there. The photo showed only me.

Second: while he stepped away to take a call, I took a photo of the view. Someone was standing behind me in the shot. And the back of their head... looked like him.

Third: I asked his name.

"Come to think of it... what did you say your name was?"

He smiled this strange smile and said "You'll find out soon" and just walked toward the mountain.

Right then my phone rang. International roaming number. Unknown. I picked up anyway.

"Don't go there. That man. He's the missing person."

Call dropped.

I looked back up. He was standing at the edge of a cliff. He raised his camera toward me.

And then he was gone.

I went back to the village and searched the whole area with local police. Nothing. When I showed them the photos, the officer just slowly shook his head.

"A few years ago... someone else came with photos just like yours. Strangely enough. They had the exact same face as you."

I didn't get what that meant at the time.

Back in Korea, I went through all the DSLR files. Everything was normal. Except for one photo taken on that mountain. The face in it wasn't mine.

And it was looking directly at the camera.

Smiling.