Giant spider 'attacks' US cop

It's like something out of a Hollywood horror movie - a huge creature stalking its unsuspecting prey.

Except that's not exactly how it played out.

At first glance, an enormous spider appears to have been caught on camera scampering across the road towards an officer in the US, during a routine traffic stop.

The arachnid, which looks to be as large as the unsuspecting policeman, moves towards him as he stands at the driver's window.

However, as the Fulshear Police put it, it is "at best, an optical illusion". Thank God.

The spider – tiny in real life - was actually captured on the patrol car's dashcam crawling across the windscreen, making it appear much larger than it actually is.

Despite this, it gave the officer "quite the Halloween scare" when he watched the tape back.