Jordan Peele is using his “Master of Horror” title to bring a classic 2000s hidden camera prank show back from the dead.
USA Network gave a greenlight to a reimagining of “Scare Tactics” from the director’s Monkeypaw Productions on Thursday, set to air this fall.
The reboot promises to “turn unsuspecting individuals into the main characters of their very own horror movies” when their loved ones secretly nominate them to unwittingly take part in “hilariously twisted scenarios,” per the official press release.
“As one of the most visionary creators of the day, there is nothing Jordan Peele can’t do. We’re honored to be making our first unscripted series together,” executive vice president of unscripted content at NBCUniversal Entertainment Corie Henson said in a statement. “This brilliant reimagining of the classic ‘Scare Tactics’ has it all — laughs, jump scares and outrageous moments. In the hands of Jordan and Monkeypaw, you never know what’s coming next!”
“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,” Monkeypaw president Win Rosenfeld added. “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.”
“Reimagining ‘Scare Tactics’ with Jordan, Monkeypaw and UTAS has been a dream come true,” Hallock noted. “Fans have been asking us to bring ‘Scare Tactics’ back for years, and working with this team was an amazing opportunity. There’s no one better at horror and comedy than Jordan and Monkeypaw.”
The original series ran for over 100 episodes across five seasons from 2003 to 2013 on Syfy, with various hiatuses in between. Additionally, Shannen Doherty, Stephen Baldwin and Tracy Morgan all hosted at different points.
Since his comedy days on “Mad TV” and “Key & Peele,” Peele has become most famous for his work in horror as the filmmaker behind “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope.” Up next, he’s set to produce “HIM” for Universal coming September 2025, with his fourth movie as writer-director scheduled for Halloween 2026.
“Scare Tactics” returns this fall on USA Network.
