Already one of the most unsettling Pokémon, Gastly has been given an even more unsettling makeover in a new TikTok video. Although many more Ghost Pokémon have been introduced since 1996, Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar are well-known for being the first spooky spectres to appear in a lighthearted series. Aside from the eerie clay sculptures depicting Gengar emerging from its own Pokémon trade card like the devil from one’s greatest nightmare, fans have also made remarkably well-crafted 3D latte art inspired by the Gastly-Haunter-Gengar arc. Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar were reinvented in disturbing photorealism by one sculptor, revealing exactly how terrifying they would be in real life.
Some have speculated on what Gastly and Haunter might look like in real life if they were to appear in the next Detective Pikachu movie, which features Gengar in live-action. In a video uploaded by Dexerto, a TikTok user known as the revival has shared an eerie depiction of an unfortunate Pokémon Trainer’s encounter with a photo-realistic CGI Gastly. First-person footage shows the trainer attempting to sneak past the Gastly in order to grab a Potion from a dark and ominous home, only to be assaulted from behind by the hovering ghost.
Pokémon TikTok videos featuring Therevival’s equally-realized renditions of iconic characters like Metapod, Onyx, and the notorious virtual Pokémon Porygon have gone popular. However, their new Gastly video, which has a spooky found-footage-like ambience and a dramatic jump scare, is particularly interesting. There has been a lot of hype surrounding the Pokémon series recently owing to the 25th-anniversary festivities in 2021 and the release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Nintendo’s long-running monster-wrangling paradigm has been shaken up in many unexpected ways by the latest edition in the Pokémon series, which allows players to roam an open-world area populated with wild Pokémon that can attack them at any time. These wild Pokémon have previously been seen by players, and the trailer for Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ Zoroark and Zorua versions bears an uncanny resemblance to the revival’s Gastly film. Given their ties to the eerie history of Lavender Town and its unique abilities, the Lavender Town Ghost Pokémon were already disturbing enough as it was, but the revival’s new Gastly video ups the suspense factor even more. This Gastly’s haunting domain would make even the boldest Pokémon Trainer think twice before attempting to steal any of the goods that are scattered around.