Couple Exploring Remote Island Caught on Camera: 'Start of a Horror Movie'

A video of a couple enjoying a remote getaway on an island in Fiji, which allegedly doesn't even appear on Google Maps, has gone viral on TikTok, where it had received 1.8 million views at the time of writing. According to the video, shared by TikTok account @doctormyro, the couple decided to kayak to the tiny island after spotting it from their resort. An hour later, they arrived at the "private island," which the couple claimed they had "all to ourselves." A caption shared with the post read: "Island so small it's not even on the google map! [red frowning and sweating face emoji] #doctors #doctorsonvacation #adventure #kayak #fiji #islandlife #privateisland #medlife." The viral clip showed the couple blissfully swimming and snorkeling in the pristine turquoise green waters surrounding the island.

Several imaginative TikTokers said the video of the remote escape seemed like the unassuming quiet preamble to a horror movie. Fiji, an archipelago in the South Pacific is home to around 300 islands (only about a hundred of which are inhabited) and 540 islets across an area spanning about a million square miles. Intrepid travelers and social media influencers alike are always in search of the world's most remote, undiscovered islands to cross off their travel bucket list or bag the perfect "Instagrammable" island shot. But island getaways took on a whole new purpose in the COVID pandemic back in 2020, when people were reported to have hunted down remote places in a bid to escape the outbreak, such as in the islands of Scotland in the U.K. In a tweet in March 2020, Kate Forbes, Scotland's finance secretary and a member of Scottish parliament for the islands of Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch in the Highlands region, said: "If you live elsewhere, please don't use the Highlands as your means of self-isolation. People live here who are trying to follow government guidance and the continuing flow of campervans and other traffic who appear to be escaping the cities is not helping." Also in March 2020, the official Twitter account of the Isle of Barra, an island in Scotland's Outer Hebrides region, tweeted: "ISLANDS OF BARRA AND VATERSAY [another island in the Outer Hebrides] ARE CLOSED. Don't travel here, don't put unnecessary strain on our medical staff and limited resources..." However, not even the world's least densely populated place—Greenland, which has 0.03 people per square kilometer, based on data from the WorldAtlas—was completely protected from the outbreak. The country was reported to have had at least 13 COVID cases as of July 2020, the World Economic Forum reported at the time. TikTok user thedamn_damm claimed they had visited the same island in the latest viral video, noting: "I was there when I was 15, in 2003. We booked a guide who took us to the island by boat and picked us up a view hours later. Lovely!!!."

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The original poster replied: "Oh amazing! Was it just off Taveuni [the third-largest island in Fiji]?" Other users joked it felt like they were watching the unsuspecting peaceful start of a thriller film. In a comment that got 24,200 likes, user Greta42069 said: "I've seen a few movie thrillers start like that," to which the original poster replied simply with several wide-eyed, surprised face/half-smile emojis. In another comment, which got 15,400 likes, user rosesandBees wrote: "That's how horror movies start [teeth-showing smiley face emoji]." The original poster replied: "You know, as we were doing it, I did think that for a second.... Hmm. Ended up ok though! :)" User iamfafaraway wrote "There are two kinds of people...Those that think this is the start of a horror movie and those that are like 'this is magical find the mermaids!'" Josh Banks said: "Best horror movie intro," while Louisejaynexo said. "How horror movies are inspired [surprised face, crying laughing emojis]." Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment. The video hasn't been independently verified.