Jordan Peele (Get Out, Nope) is combining his horror and comedy talents in his latest project, the reboot of the hidden camera prank series Scare Tactics, according to Deadline. The original show premiered in 2003 on NBCUniversal’s Syfy network for five seasons; however, the reboot has been greenlit through the USA Network.
With Peele behind the prank show, he is set to bring a fresh new take on the previous format of the show: dropping unsuspecting individuals into “twisted scenarios with fully immersive stories that blur the lines of reality, horror and comedy as they navigate one unreal decision after another” says Deadline. While the participant’s friends and family will secretly coordinate the stunts from the shadows, the name of the game is to capture real scares with faux monsters.
The show’s format is owned by Scott Hallock (Howie Do It, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers), who produced Scare Tactic’s original television run, as per Deadline. Hallock will return as an executive producer on this reboot through his production company, WMTI Productions. Joining Hallock as additional executive producers are Peele, Jamal Watson (PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton) and Win Rosenfeld (Candyman, Monkey Man) with Monkeypaw Productions. Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions is also producing the series hand-in-hand with Universal Television Alternative Studios (UTAS), the studio that produced Peele’s box office horror hits.
Serving as showrunner and executive producer for the Scare Tactics reboot is Elan Gale (Agnes, Midnight Mass), a producer and writer who has extensive experience in reality television via ten years with The Bachelor franchise, Deadline reports.
Rosenfeld, the President of Monkeypaw Productions, boasted “We’re so grateful at Monkeypaw to help reimagine one of our all-time favorite hidden-camera shows. Working with showrunner Elan Gale, one of the most creative and mischievous minds in unscripted television, and Scott Hallock, the brilliant creator of the original Scare Tactics, has been an absolute blast. It’s cathartic and hilarious to watch people get a little scared, and the scenarios we cooked up for this season are really wild. We can’t wait to share a little light-hearted schadenfreude with audiences soon” via Deadline.
Toby Gorman (American Idol, Hollywood Game Night), the President of UTAS, added more suspense for the show’s premiere, saying, “What do you get when you combine Jordan Peele, hidden cameras, unsuspecting people and horror-movie scenarios? You’re about to find out” via Deadline.
Scare Tactics will be available to watch on the USA Network and is scheduled to launch in Fall 2024.