If you saw a knife-wielding masked murderer lurking around your town, fear not… it’s all part of the marketing campaign to promote the upcoming “Scream VI,” sources close to the the film confirmed to Variety.
In the weeks leading up to its release on March 10, the franchise’s notorious slasher Ghostface has been spotted in various U.S. cities, including Sonoma (the stand-in for the franchise’s fictional town of Woodsboro), New Orleans and St. Louis. Given the state of the world, and those demonic clown sightings in 2016, it’s hardly surprising that the seemingly random presence of a costumed killer has reportedly prompted 911 calls from disturbed bystanders.
Paramount Pictures declined to comment.
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However, Ghostface’s official Twitter account has joined in the fun by responding “I was just minding my business” and “I’m watching you” to creepy webcams photos that have been capturing his travels around the country.
Paramount pulled a similar stunt with “Smile,” creating an immersive viral marketing campaign to promote the psychological horror movie. Prior to its theatrical release, the studio hired actors to sit behind home plate while flashing unsettling grins at televised MLB games. “Smile” became a surprise box office smash, earning more than $200 million globally.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed “Scream VI” from a script by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. It’s the first chapter in the long-running slasher series without its protagonist Sidney Prescott because actor Neve Campbell departed the film over a pay dispute.
Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere and Courteney Cox star in “Scream VI,” which follows the perpetually targeted residents of Woodsboro to New York City, where they are hunted by a new Ghostface killer.
Wes Craven created the genre-blending franchise nearly 30 years ago and directed its first four installments, 1996’s “Scream,” 1997’s “Scream 2,” 2000’s “Scream 3″ and 2011’s “Scream 4.” Paramount and Spyglass rebooted the property with 2022’s “Scream,” (which inexplicably dropped the roman numeral). The R-rated thriller made a killing at the box office with nearly $140 million globally.
