Scare Tactics is an American comedy horror hidden camera television show created by Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey and aired on Syfy from April 4, 2003, to October 28, 2013. The first season of the show was hosted by Shannen Doherty and then Stephen Baldwin took her place in the middle of the second season. At the beginning of the third season, the show was hosted by Tracy Morgan.
In July 2024, it was announced that USA Network would bring the show back with Jordan Peele as the show's executive producer. The show returned on October 4.
Format
Scare Tactics is a hidden camera prank show that puts victims into terrifying situations, usually involving movie-style special effects and makeup that recreates horror movie clichés. The victims, generally four per episode, are set up by friends/family in tandem with producers.
Unlike other hidden camera shows, Scare Tactics was shot and edited in a cinematic style intended to give each piece the look and feel of a horror movie.
There are some instances where the victims are lured into the pranks on the promise of being on a fake reality show called "Fear Antics" which plays off like a show similar to MTV's Jackass but end with dire consequences. In "Fear Antics", the victim is led to believe that they are the prankster, when in fact the joke is on them. Sometimes, the victim of "Fear Antics" will attempt keeping calm and rationally try keeping the situation from getting out of control (from their perspective).
The pranks end when the victim is completely terrified and an actor would ask them, "Are you scared?" to which they usually reply in the affirmative. They then get the reply, "You shouldn’t be! You're on Scare Tactics!" or "I'll have to/I'm gonna put you on Scare Tactics!". Alternately, at times when a victim almost ran for their lives, the actors would immediately announce the same thing. Rarely, a victim assaulted an actor playing an antagonist in a moment of courage; forcing the crew to end the charade. There were only two occasions where a victim realized they were on Scare Tactics.
Guest stars Matt Hardy (Season 3, Episode 15) Judah Friedlander Brooke Hogan (Season 5, Episode 1) Lauren Ash Eric Stonestreet (Season 3, Episode 17) Marc Evan Jackson Dot-Marie Jones
Production Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, which premiered on July 9, 2008. The fourth season premiered on October 4, 2010. On July 17, 2017, it was announced that Blumhouse Television was going to produce a new season of the show. On July 25, 2024, USA Network announced that it would reboot Scare Tactics with Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions and Universal Television Alternative Studio set to produce.
Lawsuit In February 2003, two months before the show premiered, Kara Blanc (a target of a prank on the show) sued Sci-Fi Channel, the producers of the show, one actor (Travis Draft) and the friend who set her up (Mathew Mertha). Her suit claimed emotional damages and that she had to be hospitalized multiple times due to the incident. In November 2004, the parties reached a mutually satisfactory settlement.
List of Scare Tactics episodes Season 1 101: UFO Abduction, Firing Range, Buried Alive, Camp Killer 102: Bigfoot Attacks, Where's Shannen?, Flatline, Psycho Hitchhiker 103: Organ Harvest, Monster in the Closet, Disappearing Stripper, Limo in Area 51 104: Clone Attack, Orgy from Hell, Repo Man, Monkey Trouble 105: Meteor Man, Date with the Devil, Barbershop of Blood, Taxi Cab Carnage 106: Lab Spill, Haunted Babysitter, Serial Killer, Hellride 107: Tanning Salon Terror, Cable Killers, Little Girl Psychic, Runaway Corpse 108: Ghost Train, Body in Trunk, Dominatrix for a Day, Desert Monster 109: UFO Trailer Attack, The Cannibal Family, Séance from Hell, Driving the Dead 110: Harsh Reality, Dr. Werewolf, Boy in a Bubble, Virgin Sacrifice 111: Chupacabra Attack, Deadly Secret, Lights Out, Black Magic 112: Hazmat Hell, Surgery Nightmare, Death Lunch, Bad Seed 113: Laboratory Meltdown, Eye Witness, Unborn Clones, Silo Scare 114: Deadly Feast, Fear in the Box, Fear Antics: Psycho, Maniac Cop 115: Killer Clown, Lethal Conversation, Caught on Camera, Demonic Duel 116: Chainsaw Attack, Beastly Breakout, Deadly Hicks, Alien Returns 117: Dangerous Obsession, Web of Evil, Laboratory of Blood, Repo from Hell 118: Security Breach, Taste for Blood, Zombie Grandma, Killer Car 119: Bad Medicine, Killer Queen, Dead Alive, Alien Hunters 120: Massacre Under the House, Unholy Ground, Video Victim, Mask of Death 121: Lethal Touch, Showgirl's Revenge, Terror Next Door, Bigfoot Returns 122: Home Invasion, Demonic Possession, Fatal Beauty, The Hunted 123 Special: The Bloody Mirror, Camp Killer, Deadly Infestation, Harsh Reality, Voodoo Resurrection, Psycho Hitchhiker
Season 2 201 (24): Rage from the Cage, Killer Bees, Bring Out the Gimp, Grave Robbers 202 (25): Street Justice, That's Not Santa, Freaks Come Out at Night, Possessed Office 203 (26): Gorilla with a Fist, Regression Aggression, Fear Antics: Mandroid's Revenge, Flowers for My Lady 204 (27): What's in the Box?, Stakeout, Shocker, Radio Daze 205 (28): Brother's Keeper, Cult Compound Crackdown, Revenge of the Switchhiker, Drug Ring Sting 206 (29): Toilet Full of Scary, Desert Cult Trailer Attack, Wrath of the Mummy, Juvenile Justice 207 (30): Slaughterhouse of Horror, Porn Dorm Massacre, Desert Ritual, Walk-in Portal 208 (31): Wired for Revenge, Shave and a Headcut, Summon the Demon, Fear Antics: Hotel Hell 209 (32): Motor Psychos, Attack of the Rat Monster, I Me Minefield, There Are Men Coming Here to Kill Me 210 (33): Piranhas in the Pond, Chambermaid of Horror, Shotgun Wedding, Critters 211 (34): If I Only Had Your Brain, Open the Pod Bay Door, Wired, Fear Antics: Room with a View 212 (35): Power Outrage, License to Drive, Wolfman Tells Campfire Stories, The Bagman 213 (36): Backwoods Booby Trap, Demon's List, Newest Mental Patient, Mob Morgue 214 (37): For Whom the Bridge Trolls, Party Forever (Parts 1 & 2), Burned Alive 215 (38): Drone Helicopter, Fed-Execution, Girl in a Blood-Soaked Dress, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 216 (39): Unsafe, Eye of the Beholder, Tastes Like Chicken, Meet My Psycho Girlfriend 217 (40): Bedridden but Deadly, The Set Up (Parts 1 & 2), Lost and Found 218 (41): Pond Creature, Carface, Moonshine Mountain, Rubbed the Wrong Way 219 (42): Car Wash, Fear Antics: Running Man, Gimme a Hand, Spa of Death 220 (43): The Blob, Road Rage, Strip Club, Man of the Haunted House 221 (44): Alien House Call, Hackman Attacks, Final Entry, Hannah's Abduction 222 (45): Moms Crazy
Season 3 301 (46): Satan's Baby, Wood Chipper, Psychic, Black Project 302 (47): 3:10 to Hell, Patient's Rage, Fire Starter, Affection 303 (48): Genie in a Beer Bottle, Vampire Spa, Escaped Mental Patient, Alien Eggs 304 (49): Psycho in a Box, Cheaters of Death, Welcome to the Neighborhood, Ice Man 305 (50): When White Noise Attacks, Phantom Power, Walled Off, Paralyzed with Fear 306 (51): The Screaming Room, Death Bed and Breakfast, Little Person, Big Kill, Welcome to the Dollhouse 307 (52): Frankenstein's Basement of Terror, Who's Your Dead Daddy?, Wired for Fear, Pool of Blood 308 (53): Taxi Cab Carnage, Alien Consortium, Double Trouble Clone, Junkyard Showdown 309 (54): Home Video Horror, Last Will and Testament, Voodoo Vixen, Assassin's Apprentice 310 (55): When the Larvae Breaks, To Catch a Predator, Curse of the Samurai, Pickled to Death 311 (56): Big Scoop of Scary, Home Invasion, Healer/Killer, Coffin Refill 312 (57): Blood Bath, Meteor Virus, Carmageddon, Welcome to the Dollhouse 2 313 (58): Satan's Baby Returns, Screaming Room 2, Barbershop of Blood 2, Junkyard Showdown 2 314 (59): Basket Case, Human Stew, Web of Lies, Breakdown 315 (60): Ghoul Bus, Criminal's Rage, Killer's Hideout, Psycho Kid 316 (61): Channeling the Dead, Black Project 2, Zombie Testing, A Quick Bite 317 (62): 28 Minutes Later, Nightmare Session, Zig the Clown, Paranormal Radio Show 318 (63): Ranger Danger, Mistaken Identity (Parts 1 & 2), The Doctor's Trip 319 (64): The Collector, Cleansing the House, Finding the Truth, Psycho Dance 320 (65): Toxic Shock, The Pimp, Female Serial Killer, Can I Have a Kiss? 321 (66): Tow Truck Killers, Radioactive Tanning, Mental Patient's Drug Overdose, Cannibal Party 322 (67): Ghoul Bus 2, Wrong Identity, Nightmare Motel, Criminal's Second Rage 323 (68): Dying to Kill!, Big Phantom Power, Re-hatched Alien Eggs, Old Man of Death 324 (69): Desert Cult Trailer Attack 325 (70): Satan's Baby Returns
Best of Scare Tactics season 901 - 922 (22 total half-hour episodes)
Scare Tactics International episodes 327 - 329 (3 total half-hour episodes)
Season 4 401 (71): It's My Party, The Squatters, Fear Antics: Check Yourself, Crop Circle Showdown 402 (72): No Pain No Brain, Communicating with the Ghosts, The Freak Show, Blood on the Cosmos 403 (73): Killing Rosemary's Baby, Human Auction, Look in the Sky, Show and Hell 404 (74): Vampire Stakeout, Mind Killer, Wine to Die For, Grandpa Has Returned 405 (75): Life's a Witch, Revenge of the Werewolf, Alien Babysitter, Organ Harvesting Facility 406 (76): Alien Road Block, Lend Me a Hand, Black OPTS, Murderer Still at Large 407 (77): Valet Violence, Cursed Book, Possessed Farm, Demon Doll 408 (78): Tracy the Tour Guide, Into the Mist, Horror on the Horror Set, Death from Above 409 (79): Uh Oh! It's Maggots, Ultimate Alien Fighter, Fountain of Youth, He Shoots He Spores 410 (80): If These Walls Could Bleed, Size Splatters, Zombie Town, Truthisodes 411 (81): Chill Out, Reptile Creature Revolt, Gang Green Thumb, Scary Development 412 (82): Hot Under the Collar, Insanity Virus, No Asylum, Voo Doo You Love? 413 (83): Buzz Kill, Electrocutie, Ouija Sitter, Snakes in a Drain
Season 5 501 (84): Driver's Dead, 2 Guys 1 Suit, The Brand, Human Doll Party 502 (85): Pregnant with a Mutant, Work Your Skin Off, Elite Bodyguard Firm, Alien in a Box 503 (86): Blown to Green Pieces, Farm Troll, Welcome to the Psych Ward, Monsterious Waste 504 (87): Bicentennialien, Waste of Talent, Human Blood Drive, All Puzzled 505 (88): Barnacle Boy, Reviving Your Fate, Deadly Sibling Rivalry, Lost Your Hand 506 (89): Touched by an E.T., Human Clothing, Vampire Child, Nightmare Therapy 507 (90): The Happening Again, Don't Mess with the Boss, Fried Girl, The Missing Link 508 (91): Party 'Til You Nuke, The Enigma, Fear Antics: Hospital, Polterheist 509 (92): The Corpse Whisperer, Date from Hell, Carnivorous Flies, Send in the Clowns 510 (93): Alien Car Crash, Morgue Woman, El Scareiachi, Coma Killer 511 (94): Gnome Sweet Gnome, Fear Antics: Mailbox Killer, Baby Trauma, Secret of Survival 512 (95): Fright at the End of the Tunnel, Look Who's Laughing, Wonderful Knife, Conjoin Me for Dinner 513 (96): Twilight My Fire, Crystal Myth, Double Cross Dress, Killer Performance
Season 6 601 (97): Dearly Bedeviled, Death's Table 602 (98): Hospital Hell!, Prized Possession, Thrill Ride 603 (99): Mutant Theme Park, TBA 604 (100): The Cursed Collection, TBA 605 (101): Root of All Evil, TBA 606 (102): Fear Kitty, Kitty!, TBA 607 (103): Selling Sasquatch, TBA 608 (104): False Prophet, TBA 609 (105): Killer Couture, TBA 610 (106): Art of Darkness, TBA
International broadcast