How many faces do you see? Scary TikTok optical illusion can make you see faces that aren’t there - explained

A word of warning, don’t look at this optical illusion after dark.

Internet users have been reporting seeing freaky faces when they look at one of the latest optical illusions to captivate people.

The video simply asks people to say how many faces they see, but people have been reporting seeing some scary effects, as well as disputing how many faces they can actually see.

So, if you dare, take a look at the video below and tell us how many faces you see.

This is everything you need to know about an optical illusion from Tik Tok.

What does the video show?

The video shows several faces, some on the left and some on the right, with a cross symbol in the middle of the two.

Nick advised viewers to “focus your eyes in the middle of these two pictures”.

The cross symbol marks the spot where viewers should focus.

On each side of the focal point viewers then see rapidly-shifting videos of faces.

The faces on the left and right sides weren’t identical, but on a passing glance they look very similar.

Nick advised: "Your mind is going to try to combine them together.

"While you’re looking in the middle, the pictures on the sides are going to look really strange.”

How can I watch the video?

You can watch the video for yourself by visiting Hectic Nick’s Tik Tok channel.

Where has the video come from?

While the original source of the video is not clear, TikTok personality Hectic Nick shared the illusion online and it quickly went viral.

In fact, it racked up 28,400 views and over 500  comments - and that number is still growing.

Wearing his signature sunglasses, the mysterious content creator showed the image of multiple faces.

Hectic Nick is known on the social media platform Tik Tok for confusing his many viewers on a daily basis with a selection of illusions, brain teasers and fun facts.

He describes his channel as “videos that make you think”, but does not reveal any personal details relating to who he is or where he finds the material he posts.

His videos are extremely popular though and he has 3.9million followers.

What did Tik Tok users see?

TikTok users took to the comments section of Hectic Nick’s video to share their answers.

One person said: “They just get multiplied if I stare much longer.”

Another person said they could see three faces, while another person said they just saw one.

Another user commented “I don’t know if this was part of the illusion but I looked at it for a little bit longer and they started growing closer to each other.”

Another person simply said they thought the illusion was “amazing”.

Other commenters, however, reported seeing some scary images including bulging eyes, distended heads and necks, and even melting or sliding facial features.

One person also said they saw Voldemort, the villain of the Harry Potter franchise.

One viewer said they did not mind watching the video, but did wish they had watched it in the afternoon instead of late at night.

"I’m watching this at midnight and this is freaking me out," they wrote.

What is the answer?

Tik Tok user Hectic Nick has not revealed the answer to the question of how many faces are actually in the video, but you can certainly enjoy watching the video a few times to try to work out the answer.