©Dimension Films/courtesy Everett Collection
If you’ve seen a knife-wielding masked killer lurking in your town, fear not… it’s all part of the marketing campaign to promote the upcoming Scream VI, sources close to the film confirmed to Variety.
In the weeks leading up to its March 10 release, the franchise’s infamous slasher Ghostface was spotted in various US cities, including Sonoma (the franchise’s 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 little wonder that the seemingly accidental presence of a costumed killer has reportedly sparked 911 calls from distraught bystanders.
Paramount Pictures declined to comment.
However, Ghostface’s official Twitter account has joined in the fun by replying, “I was just minding my business” and “I’m watching you,” to creepy webcam photos capturing his travels across the country. .
Paramount pulled a similar trick with Smile, creating an immersive viral marketing campaign to promote the psychological horror film. Prior to its theatrical release, the studio hired actors to sit behind home plate and flash unsettling grins during televised MLB games. “Smile” was a surprise box office hit, grossing more than $200 million worldwide.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed Scream VI from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. It is the first chapter of the long-running slasher series without its protagonist Sidney Prescott because actor Neve Campbell left the film over a salary dispute.
Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere and Courteney Cox star in “Scream VI,” which follows the perpetually assaulted residents of Woodsboro to New York City, where they are being hunted by a new Ghostface killer.
Wes Craven created the genre-bending franchise nearly 30 years ago and directed the first four installments, 1996’s Scream, 1997’s Scream 2, 2000’s Scream 3, and 2011’s Scream 4. Paramount and Spyglass have rebooted the property with 2022’s “Scream” (inexplicably dropping the Roman numeral). The R-rated thriller has earned nearly $140 million at the box office worldwide.