20 years ago today, SyFy (still known as the SciFi Channel) premiered a hidden camera prank show called Scare tactics. The premise of the series was to put real people in terrifying, often paranormal or bizarre situations and then observe their reactions. I loved this show when I was younger. And I’m so elated that this Halloween season, Scare tactics returns with a seemingly bigger budget and under the supervision of horror master Jordan Peele.
This recent season Scare tactics introduces some changes to the format. This time the show is hosted by Flip, not a random celebrity like Shanon Doherty or Tracy Morgan. Flip described as “a ghostly teenager obsessed with horror movies and fascinated by human fear.” I’m not sure Flip, with his giant TV head and off-brand Crypt Keeper vibe, really works, but that doesn’t matter either. Scare tactics has seen numerous host changes and various visual rebrands over the last two decades, which has never detracted from the true joy of the show: watching random people thrown into terrifying and spooky situations and seeing what happens. And luckily this recent version Scare tactics it doesn’t interfere with this aspect of the formula at all.
First episode Scare tacticswhich is now available (along with the second episode) on YouTube, it’s the perfect return for a recent series because it shows that this version of the show can pull off some crazy, paranormal pranks as well as more tense, slower-paced ones.
In the first joke, a man becomes a witness to a wedding attended by a pregnant woman and her husband. But it slowly becomes clear that these people are probably part of some devil-worshipping sect and that her child is not human. Another joke in the first episode Scare tactics depicts a man who has been invited to a sumptuous dinner consisting of exotic dishes. Eventually the meal takes a different turn and he serves what he thinks is human meat. The suspense of whether, like the actors who trick him, he will eat it or not is wonderful.
This is the second episode of the show featuring WWE stars and a scary doll that leads someone to a deadly clown.
Of course, every joke ends with someone revealing the truth to the victim and allowing him to relax and laugh about what just happened. It’s always fun to watch people change instantly when their brains realize they’re not in danger, but they’re actually in a prank show. The mix of anger, relief and joy always makes me giggle.
Scare tactics it’s a great show to watch Halloween (vol senior jokes are also available on YouTube) because it feels like an anthology collection of horror films spanning multiple genres, but featuring real people who have real and diverse reactions to the terrible events surrounding them.
Scare tactics is the perfect show to watch with friends as a palette cleanser between movies for a horror movie marathon. It will have you laughing and arguing about who in your group would be most horrified by a certain joke. It’s like Hidden camerabut with more devil children and blood. And I’m so glad it’s back just in time for Halloween.
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