What’s so scary about a cute little dog dressed up as a gigantic mutant spider?

A video uploaded to YouTube by SA Wardega provides the unexpected (but absolutely hilarious) answer.

The viral video, which was posted on Thursday, features what can only be described as an ingenious Halloween-themed prank.

At the beginning we see a man in a Halloween costume (looking like the love child of the Toxic Avenger and that mutated man-child from “The Goonies”) with what we know is a small dog.

But in four different scenarios, innocent strangers happen upon what they think is a man-eating monster.

First there is a man carrying bags who thinks nothing of leaving the items behind and dashing away when the costumed canine emerges unexpectedly when he opens a door.

This "Mutant Giant Spider Dog" Prank Will Scare The Sh*t Out Of You (video) http://t.co/eMuveCqRqW pic.twitter.com/Mpwsor10db

— 9GAG.TV (@9gagtv) September 6, 2014

Upping the ante, the next scare involves two young women, a not-so-dead-body and an elevator.

You can imagine what happens when the elevator door opens.

Since spiders are easily associated with spider webs, the next pranks play off the disturbing prospect of being made a meal of by a mutant spider.

A couple comes across a twitching victim bound to a tree. Later, a man finds body parts dangling from a garage opening.

Not long after making the “gruesome” discoveries, they see the supposed spider responsible and fight-or-flight impulses kick into high gear.

The whole thing is pretty funny to those of us who aren’t the victims of a rather well-planned-out prank, but was no doubt annoying to those who probably pulled muscles while fleeing for their lives.

Dog dressed as spider terrifies passers-by in Polish prank http://t.co/raShHeGbj7 pic.twitter.com/fLqcHzKyf3

— ITV News (@itvnews) September 5, 2014

Of course you’ll get the party-poopers who’ll inform us that it’s obvious that it was a dog in a spider costume or who will declare that they themselves would not have run away while screaming like a seven-year-old girl.

To these persons I can only say this:

What is obvious and not-so-scary during the day or while sitting at your laptop has a way of looking VERY different in the middle of the night. This is especially true when a “spiderdog” is happened upon in a time and place when not expected.

As for the video, it has amassed over 25,000,000 views in about two days.