cracked:

In 1986, an expedition descended on Mount Owen in New Zealand with the intention of exploring the vast network of caves that dwell deep beneath the mountain.

Huh.

Ominous setting, isolated expedition, vast network of unexplored caves. Yep, sounds like somebody’s filming a sequel to The Descent, all right. And true to horror cliche form, the team was excavating a path between two caves when they found something … disturbing:

A pile of strange bones.

Still connected to shredded fragments of skin, as though fresh.

And attached to that thing in the picture.

Imagine peering through the darkness, with only the tiny, wavering beam of your flashlight picking out the world in front of you, when you’re confronted by that: a very large, very claw-happy foot from some sort of hell-beast that looks like it probably died recently. And you’re down there, trapped in an underground cave system, not knowing whether its bloodthirsty relatives are nearby. We mean, best case scenario, it’s going to grant you four ironically cursed wishes that will ultimately kill you, right?

The 7 Most Terrifying Archaeological Discoveries