A quiet evening in a suburban Virginia neighborhood turned into a scene straight out of a slasher flick when three masked figures in Halloween garb showed up at a widow’s doorstep, pounding on the door and shouting death threats captured on chilling doorbell footage.

The incident unfolded around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at a home on South Iris Street in Alexandria, just a few miles south of Washington, D.C. Shayla Whiteside, who was visiting her recently widowed mother, initially dismissed the visitors as overzealous trick-or-treaters getting an early start on the holiday spirit. Peering at the Ring camera feed, she spotted the trio: one in a garish clown mask with exaggerated features, another cloaked in a sinister nun’s habit, and the third sporting the iconic white-masked face of Michael Myers, the relentless killer from the “Halloween” film franchise.

“Happy Halloween,” Whiteside quipped through the intercom, hoping to defuse what she thought was a harmless prank. But the response was anything but festive. The group erupted in aggression, with the nun-costumed figure slamming her fists against the door and bellowing, “It’s your worst nightmare. Open the f— up!” The Michael Myers impersonator joined in, his voice muffled but menacing: “It’s either you coming out or we coming in.” As the pounding intensified, threats escalated to promises of violence, including vows to “kill” everyone inside and smash through the door with a chair if they didn’t comply.

Heart pounding, Whiteside barricaded the family inside and dialed 911. The intruders didn’t stop at the front porch. Footage shows them circling the property, tugging at the door handle, and eventually breaching a wooden fence to prowl the backyard. They slashed open deck screens, peering into windows in a bid to gain entry, before finally fleeing the scene—possibly in a waiting vehicle after shedding their disguises, according to investigators.

By the time officers arrived, the suspects had vanished into the night, leaving behind a traumatized family and a viral video that’s since racked up millions of views across social media. Whiteside’s mother, still grieving her husband’s recent passing, is now too frightened to stay in the house alone. “She doesn’t want to be there by herself,” Whiteside told local reporters, her voice cracking. “My heart dropped when they said they were gonna take a chair and break down the door. That is just too much.”

Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire didn’t mince words during a Thursday press conference, labeling the ordeal a “very serious matter” and vowing a full-scale hunt for the perpetrators. “They began to make threatening and alarming comments to the family,” McGuire said. “Specifically, they said, ‘If you do not come out, we will come in,’ and also threatened to do bodily harm, stating that they would ultimately kill them.” Under Virginia law, the actions could amount to attempted burglary, with potential charges including criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct, and terroristic threats if the suspects are identified.

The department is poring over the crystal-clear Ring footage, which captures the suspects’ movements in stark detail—the clown’s erratic gestures, the nun’s deliberate bangs on the door, and Myers’ looming silhouette against the porch light. Detectives are canvassing neighbors for additional surveillance clips or eyewitness accounts, and they’ve urged anyone with information to come forward anonymously via tips lines. “We’re treating this as a criminal investigation, not some misguided Halloween gag,” McGuire emphasized. “People’s lives aren’t a game.”

The timing adds an eerie layer to the nightmare: Halloween was still two weeks away, yet the costumes evoked classic horror tropes that have long blurred the line between fun and fright. Social media erupted with comparisons to “The Purge,” the dystopian film series where annual nights of lawlessness unleash societal chaos. “Literally The Purge IRL,” one X user posted alongside the video, while another warned, “They’re lucky they didn’t get shot—homeowners have rights.” The clip, first shared by Whiteside’s family, has sparked debates on everything from the perils of early holiday pranks to the rising trend of “creepypasta”-inspired stunts gone wrong.

This isn’t the first time Virginia has seen Halloween-adjacent scares spill into real danger. Just last year in Fairfax County, a group of teens in zombie makeup triggered a SWAT standoff after a homeowner mistook their antics for an armed intrusion. And across the U.S., doorbell cams have become unwitting stars in a wave of bizarre home invasion attempts, from masked “porch pirates” to costumed flash mobs that cross into criminal territory. Experts say the anonymity of masks—paired with the viral allure of going viral—emboldens bad actors, turning innocent neighborhoods into unwitting sets for amateur horror reels.

In Alexandria, a city already on edge from a spate of recent property crimes, the incident has residents double-checking locks and upgrading security. Local leaders are pushing for community watch programs, while police remind folks that what starts as a “joke” can end in felony charges. “We understand the spirit of the season, but threats of violence have no place in it,” McGuire added.

For the Whiteside family, the psychological toll lingers. Shayla described huddling with her mother and relatives as the intruders roamed outside, whispers of “worst nightmare” echoing through the speakers. “We were frozen,” she recounted. Now, with the video circulating widely, they’re hoping it leads to swift arrests—but at what cost to their sense of safety? “I just want them caught so no one else has to go through this,” Whiteside said.

As the investigation presses on, authorities are appealing to the public: Did you see a suspicious vehicle near South Iris Street that night? Spot anyone ditching clown makeup or a nun’s veil? The trio’s bold choice of costumes might be their undoing—after all, in a city full of cameras, even ghosts leave footprints.

Alexandria PD hasn’t released suspect descriptions beyond the outfits, but tips can be submitted to (703) 838-5000 or online. In the meantime, as jack-o’-lanterns begin to glow across the region, one thing’s clear: This Halloween, the real monsters might not be make-believe.