“Scare Tactics” Exclusive: Co-Creator Scott Hallock Talks Prank Show Reboot From Jordan Peele’s MonkeyPaw Productions

The classic comedy-horror prank show Scare Tactics makes its return with all-new episodes, a new network, and a new big name in the horror genre. Nearly a decade after its initial SYFY run spanning six seasons and 119 episodes, Jordan Peele’s MonkeyPaw Productions brings the highly-addicting series back to the screen in a reboot for USA Network.

We haven’t been this excited about a show’s return in such a long time. Not only is Scare Tactics back, but it’s bigger, bolder, and better than before! And we’re just excited as the creators of the series for you to experience what’s in store.

PopWire recently had the huge honor of speaking with Co-Creator and Executive Producer Scott Hallock, where he spoke about how his OG horror prank show differentiates itself from those that came after it, his ultimate secret weapon, and how he managed to bring one of the most in-demand creatives to board his train.

Hallock’s Scare Tactics was the first of its kind, we’ll even go as far to say it was ahead of its time. Since its debut, there have been numerous shows that tried to capture the same humor and horror, but nothing else was comparable.

“We think what sets Scare Tactics apart from other prank shows is it’s kind of cinematic quality, because we are merging horror and comedy,” Hallock tells us. “We’re not gonna scare the viewers, probably. We’re gonna maybe startle you. We might get a couple of jump scares out of people, but we’re gonna scare one person who’s the ‘hero’ who’s a protagonist in the story.

“And then the audience is gonna hopefully enjoy being in on the joke,” he continues. “They’re part of the prank in that way and they kind of they may not know what’s coming, but they know that this person doesn’t know what’s coming and as it gets revealed, they kind of get to take joy in watching the prank unfold.”

Unlike other prank shows seen on television or even social media, the beauty of Scare Tactics is that they don’t go straight into the scares. You can’t just have an random alien pop out and scare your targets. Sure, they will jump and scream, but then after that initial reaction, they’ll quickly realize it’s a fake alien.

What the series does is build up to the scares. It takes the targets — or “Heroes” as Hallock says — to a night party in the desert, and along the way they see a flash of light crash into the ground nearby. After telling the heroes that there have been rumors of alien activity in the area, that sets the seed. When the alien then unexpectedly bangs on their window, the target does believe that aliens do exist.

“You gotta have that slow build to get them in the mood,” Hallock explains, “get them in the moment because Scare Tactics really is at its best when we get people to believe the unbelievable. And to do that, you have to set their reality for them and have to get them believing that this could happen.”

Throughout the entire series, there has been one standout performer who has been killing it each time they appear on screen. We were excited to hear that that same performer returns in the USA Network series. Gabriel Pimentel is back to do what he does best — freak the eff out of people!

“He’s the nicest guy in the world, but there’s something about Gabriel that is just otherworldly,” he says. “He has been our secret weapon for Scare Tactics throughout the years. A lot of people know the rat monster bit, that was Gabriel, half man, half rat. He’s not only a great actor and a great kind of good luck charm for us, but he loves the show. He’s one of our biggest fans.”

What Hallock didn’t expect, however, is to find a big fan in Academy Award winner Jordan Peele. When the Scare Tactics Co-Creator took control of the franchise and looked for partners to bring the show back in a big way, Peele was a “dream scenario,” and believed that there was no way Jordan would be interested in the pitch to bring the prank show back to the screen.

After reaching out to MonkeyPaw Productions who was receptive to the idea, Hallock hadn’t heard back for a while. An opportunity to speak with Jordan Peele, himself, arose when the Executive Producer noticed that the Get Out and US creator was holding a screening and reception for a Netflix project. With the help of his daughter, Hallock approached Peele and was met with surprise.

“[Jordan] stopped me right there, and he goes, ‘Well, then I have to thank you for hours of entertainment!’ And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he goes, ‘I have been a huge fan of your show.’ And then he listed off a bunch of his favorite bits. And I said, ‘I’d love to reimagine the show with you and your company.’ He goes,’That sounds amazing; Let’s let’s do it!’ And so we teamed up and with NBC Universal and USA, we reimagined a modern version of Scare Tactics.”

This modern, re-imagining of the fan-favorite franchise raises the bar to a whole other level. And whether you’re fans of the original or have never seen a single episode, if you love horror, comedy and prank shows, this reboot will be your next obsession.

“We’ve done something this season that we haven’t done before and really adds to the cinematic feel of the show,” Scott Hallock says on why viewers should check out the show. “I think the music, the effects, the look of the show is so much better. We had an amazing writing staff coming up with these bits. So I think people are going to really lean into the creativity and the cinematic quality of this season and hopefully original fans will love it and hopefully we’ll grab a bunch of new fans, too.”

Scare Tactics airs Fridays at 10/9c on USA with the premiere on October 4 also airing simultaneously across Bravo, SYFY, & E!.