Tracy Morgan and Scott Hallock talk Scare Tactics
Tracy Morgan is a busy man. Along with his role on the NBC comedy 30 Rock, now entering its third season, Tracy is also taking on the reigns of host of the SciFi Channel program Scare Tactics, also in its third season. Premiering on July 9th, Scare Tactics is a hidden-camera, reality-comedy hybrid that allows friends and loved ones to set up unsuspecting victims into a series of horror hoaxes that are staged with movie-style special effects and makeup.
Earlier this week, Tracy, who is the third host of the program after Shannen Doherty and Stephen Baldwin hosted the first two seasons, joined Tactics’ Executive Producer Scott Hallock on a conference call to talk about this upcoming season.
How did Tracy get involved with the series?: Tracy has been a fan of Scare Tactics since the show began. He sites his favorite episode of the series as one involving a wood chipper because it was one of the most honest reactions someone would have to that particular horror. Tracy said that once the reveal was made to the victim it was like watching him breathe in a gulp of fresh air.
Tracy was excited when the producers of Scare Tactics asked him to host the show … it allowed him to do his own rendition of Rod Sterling. As host, Tracy gets to watch others be pranked rather than having others prank on him. And, because the victims don’t see the pranks coming it makes Tactics funny.
How did the show’s premise come about?: According to Scott Hallock, Scare Tactics came about while he was working on the NBC hidden-camera series Spy TV. The concept they came up with was similar to Spy, but infused with horror. As Hallock put it, he wanted to have a show that featured four mini-horror movie segments, complete with special effects and makeup.
Why mix horror and comedy?: Comedy and horror are really close, said Hallock, which made them a perfect match for the show. The program doesn’t go for the meanness factor when it comes to pranking the victims. When things are getting a bit too serious the reveal is made to lighten things up a bit.
How do they maximize safety on the show so no one really gets hurt?: “We take safety really seriously on our sets,” said Hallock. “When the bit is at its height is when we do the reveal.” The Tactics’ producer added that they sweep the area for anything that could be used as a weapon prior to the beginning of the prank. If it looks like the victim is ready to fight, then the reveal is made immediately.
Has anyone not signed the release form to air their segment?: It is very rare that someone decides not to sign the waiver, said Hallock. This season everyone signed the release notices. The only time that someone didn’t sign a release notice was when they were running for office and feared that airing their segment on the show would hurt his chances in the polls.
What makes a good victim: According to Hallock, a good victim is one who is expressive, who will react, get involved in the story and say what is on their mind. Also entertaining are those who take the leadership roles during these scary moments. As an example of a good victim, Hallock mentioned the victim from the this season’s premiere of Scare Tactics. “It was the greatest reaction I have ever seen,” said the show’s producer.
The crew for Scare Tactics: Hallock mentioned that Scare Tactics has one of the larger staffs for a reality-based program. More than 60 people. This doesn’t include the makeup and special effects personnel that are hired for many of the segments. The amount of people are integral in making Scare Tactics the big, cinematic show it is, said Hallock.
Have there been any complicated bits or bits that haven’t gotten on the air?: Hallock said the most complicated bit was the season three premiere “Satan’s Baby.” That’s because you needed the victim to believe that someone was giving birth to a 28-inch spawn of Satan. Hallock and his team have been very lucky that they have had little resistance to their ideas for the show. If anything, ideas have been pulled back if Hallock and his team didn’t think they would work out. Despite that luck, the show is still a bit of a hassle for the network’s legal department. Said Hallock, “The legal department…that’s another story. This is a very scary show for lawyers.”
Do family members ever contribute to prank ideas?: The writers will pass ideas to the family and friends to see if it will work for the victim. They will also take suggestions from friends and family as well. However, they won’t take an idea that will be harmful to the victim. In the example Hallock gave, if the victim is deathly afraid of spiders, they will not put him or her in a room full of them.
Last but not least…
What should Tracy’s prank be if he was a victim on Scare Tactics: The IRS coming to his house to collect taxes.
VH1 gives Scream Queens the green light
This is news that leaves me somewhat torn. On the one hand, I really like horror movies, and by extension, I’m pretty fond of scream queens. On the other hand, just hearing about this show calls to mind the train wreck that was E!’s Kill Reality, and that isn’t a happy memory. I suppose it also sounds a lot like Joel Silver’s Next Action Star, which wasn’t all bad. But then, I might just be trying to talk myself into liking it because that picture of Lexa Doig (Jason X) is staring at me.
The new show will gather ten unknown actresses to compete for a role in a horror movie from Lionsgate Films. The contestants will compete in challenges and be judged by an as yet unnamed director. I’m guessing there will be blood, and possibly chainsaws. The drawback is that it’s not on HBO or Showtime, so despite having an acting coach on hand, these girls are all going to be cheated out of that valuable topless-in-the-steamy-locker-room training. I feel for them.
The series is set to premiere in the fall and play out over eight hour long episodes. My expectations are low, but there is just enough there to get me to tune in at least once.
Lindsay Lohan Cleans Up at 2008 Razzies
Lindsay Lohan Cleans Up at 2008 Razzies
Lindsay Lohan cleaned up at the 28th Golden Raspberry Awards on Saturday night, with her horror-suspense movie “I Know Who Killed Me” setting a new record for the most Razzies in one year.
At the ceremony, which honors the worst in film, “I Know Who Killed Me” beat out the previous Razzie record-holder, Showgirls, by “rounding up eight awards including worst actress and worst screen couple for Lohan (she plays two people) and worst picture.”
Joining LiLo as the year’s worst was Eddie Murphy, who nabbed the worst actor and worst supporting actor trophies for his performance in “Norbit” .
Following is a list of this year’s Razzie winners:
Worst Actor: Murphy in “Norbit”
Worst Actress (tie): Lohan as twin sisters Aubrey and Dakota in “I Know Who Killed Me”
Worst Supporting Actress: Murphy in “Norbit”
Worst Supporting Actor: Murphy in “Norbit”
Worst Screen Couple: Lohan & Lohan in “I Know Who Killed Me”
Worst Remake or Rip-off: “I Know Who Killed Me,” based on several films
Worst Prequel or Sequel: “Daddy Day Camp”
Worst Director: Chris Siverston for “I Know Who Killed Me”
Worst Screenplay: Jeffrey Hammond for “I Know Who Killed Me”
Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie (New Category): “I Know Who Killed Me.”
South Park: Britney’s New Look
(S12E02) The thing that makes South Park stand out above all other television shows is the creators’ ability to take an old idea and put a new spin on it with depth and good reasoning. This episode is a perfect example of that.
Britney Spears tries to escape her fame by hiding out in Colorado. Sadly, the paparazzi follow her and through a confluence of events, she blows her own head off with a shotgun. Fortunately, this is South Park and such things aren’t fatal here.
There were a tremendous number of horror movie references in this episode. I caught Children of the Corn, The Omen and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I remember them doing similar ominous music during the first season episode “Damian” which was a more direct parody of “The Omen”. I’m certain I missed a few references. If you caught any others, please mention them in the comments as I (along with all the other readers) would be interested in knowing them.
Of course the first observation that Trey Parker and Matt Stone make in their satire is how Britney Spears news seems to overwhelm important news such as the Presidential debates. I did love Hillary’s line when they returned to the debates after going to Britney Watch: “And spearchuckers.”
It seemed out of character when Cartman ran out of the room after Britney put the shotgun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. I would have thought he would have tried to snap some pictures so he could collect $100,000 or more from the media (”That’s enough to buy slaves”).
South Park has always had its shock moments and Britney’s suicide was definitely one of them. And then she was STILL ALIVE (albeit as a body without most of its head). It’s a testament to the creators that they can make that funny.
The episode exemplified the tendency of the media (and, by extension, the American public) to tear down celebrities in an attempt to make ourselves feel better, such as labeling Britney’s suicide attempt as a “crazy no-top-of-the-head look”. And then, to make matters worse, they point out deficiencies in her body, her mind, her voice and her camel toe (”a slap in the face to camels everywhere”).
I did catch a pastiche of “Frosty the Snowman” for the narration during Stan and Britney’s train ride to the North Pole. I found this unusual in an episode that had so many horror references and it seemed to detract slightly.
The core of this episode is how we treat celebrities. I love how they compare it to the human sacrifices of ages past. Those sacrifices were also done to make individuals feel better about their lives (by appeasing whatever deities they worshipped). We raise up and tear down media icons nowadays for much the same reasons.
Going back to my opening statement in this review, South Park has always stood above other programs by its willingness to pursue meaningful satire rather than immediate laugh-out-loud humor (although this episode had both). This was exemplified at the end of the episode where Britney’s death led to a good harvest (they killed Britney for a good corn crop?) and the mention at the end that Miley Cyrus will be the next teen icon and therefore the next sacrifice. If Matt and Trey are right, we’ll be reading about Miley’s self-destruction in about ten years.
It wasn’t their best episode, but it was far from their worst. On a scale of “poor” to “excellent,” I’d rate it as a “very good”.