Boo To You

There's a video that's been hanging around on the internet for the last few years and it popped up on my Facebook feed not long ago. I hadn't seen it before, and it's intriguing because it subverts expectations.

Take a look.

The video is only 17 seconds, but it's more effective than many 120-minute horror films. Why?

Because even though there's no dialogue, there is a moment that is pure misdirection-almost exactly what magicians do when constructing an illusion. The first time you watch it, it's almost too obvious that the guy under the sheet walks into the table, looks down, then continues around it-but that moment is what makes you think there's a person under the sheet. Think about it. If Mr. Ghost had made a genuine mistake, they simply would have shot the video a second time without him accidentally bumping into the table. But if he didn't bump the table, you wouldn't assume it was some yutz under a sheet.

Now you want to know how it's done. Could it be CGI? No, because it looks like someone made this for about 10 cents. Then what is it? A magic trick that depends upon a secret that is 150 years old. But since it's not presented as an illusion by a magician, it has fooled everyone. And that's its best secret.