Scream 6: the film’s marketing campaign creates a little psychosis in the United States – Actus Ciné

If you live in the United States and you see a masked murderer wielding a knife lurking in your town, fear not… it’s all part of the marketing campaign to promote the upcoming “Scream VI”!

For years dressing up as Ghostface has been a mainstay of Halloween and it’s still quite common today to see someone wearing a black cape and white mask with sunken eyes and a screaming mouth at the around October. However, in March…

We are 4 days away from the release of Scream VI and for the past few days, the famous slasher from the franchise created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven has been spotted in various American cities, including Sonoma (the counterpart of the fictional town of Woodsboro), New Orleans and St. Louis. Given the state of the world and these sightings of demonic clowns in 2016, it’s no surprise that the seemingly random presence of a costumed killer prompted locals to call 911!

But as Variety and Slashfilm report: That’s just marketing! Paramount Pictures has developed a viral campaign that scares people enough to call for help. The Sonoma Police Department in California said multiple 911 calls were made Monday morning about an individual wearing the iconic costume, standing ominously on the street.

This person was contacted and hired by a company through Paramount to promote the new Scream movie.

This is what we can read on the Facebook page of the city police.

The New York Post, meanwhile, reported that NBC Bay Area obtained video of the incident, which shows the character staring at anyone crossing the intersection.

While Paramount Pictures declined to comment, the official Ghostface Twitter account joined in the fun, replying: “I was just minding my business” et “I’m looking at you” in the face of the chilling photos from the webcams that captured his travels across the country.

NOT THE FIRST TIME

Paramount had done a similar stunt with Smile, creating an immersive viral marketing campaign to promote the psychological horror film. Prior to its theatrical release, the studio hired actors to smile disturbingly during televised MLB games. Smile became a surprise box office hit, earning over $200 million worldwide.

Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere and Courteney Cox will return in this new installment which follows the residents of Woodsboro perpetually targeted in New York this time, where they are hunted by a new Ghostface killer.

See you this Wednesday, March 8, 2023 to discover Scream VI at the cinema!