# 'Scare Tactics' is fake (funny, but fake) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999 "2003-04-16T02:10:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/21 "2003-04-17T23:36:08Z")
Sounds like an awful lot of trouble, **cmonidareya** , for what they end up with. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/22 "2003-04-22T10:52:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bad News Baboon \* > \*\*I saw that show too. I agree that the camera angles (we counted 5 in one scene) make it unbelivable. > > The one that really made me not believe it was the one with the gorilla escaping from its cage. You would have to be a complete and absolute moron to not think it was a man in a suit. \*\* Yeah, you gotta admit watching the prop fence fall as he jumped off of it was good for a laugh, though. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/23 "2003-04-22T10:56:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mangeorge \* > \*\*Sounds like an awful lot of trouble, **cmonidareya** , for what they end up with. \*\* Not really that much effort. Basically, they make a script for what the actors are supposed to do, then film the stuff the victim wouldn’t see off camera to get a good angle/etc. Ex: If some guy runs into the woods, he’s out of the sight of the ‘victims’, but the victims are supposed to think that a monster ate him, or whatever, and so the viewers are shown that for continuity purposes. Since there’s no reason it’s necesarily to do this ‘live’, since the victims can’t see it anyway, they might as well get the good shots with good cameras. As for being fake, I’m not sure. Some of the dialogue is awkward enough to seem real - actors trying to fit scripted lines into a situation where they don’t really fit. The actual cameras on the victims sometimes look a bit too good, but I figure small camera tech is getting pretty good - and you can fit a decent sized camera in a hidden location with good set design. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/24 "2003-04-22T14:36:52Z")
I would agree with the “it’s not fake” analysis. The gun-toting gorilla sequence had a shot that showed multiple portapotties with one-way mirrors on them. Also, wouldn’t they cast more attractive people to be fake victims? Some of the victim reactions were rather dull… an actor would produce much better responses. Also, many of the scenes nearly fail. Is there any proof or cite that it is faked beyond the camera angles theory? ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/25 "2003-04-22T15:55:10Z")
Um… didn’t they get sued by one of the partiticipants? I haven’t seen the show, but that alone says it’s not fake to me. I don’t think even scifi would file a frivolous lawsuit against themselves for publiciity. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/26 "2003-04-22T17:00:11Z")
Getting sick of skeptics. Ok people the show is not fake. Now having said that many of the victims are friends of Shannon Dougherty and might get suspicious in some cases but they don’t know going into it that it’s a setup. In most of the cases the look of fear on the face of the victim couldn’t be made to look more real by Robert DeNiro. Did you see the guy who thought he gave the barber a heart attack or the guy crying in the back of the cab who thought the cabbie ran over someone? ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/27 "2003-04-22T17:02:38Z")
You’ll also notice that the victims are young and generally laidback. They are set up by friends (which helps with the lawsuit thing) and are chosen because they don’t seem like a litigious type. Of course, given the stuff they do to people on that show it’s a pretty big gamble. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/28 "2003-04-22T17:23:21Z")
The best (most scared) reaction I’ve seen yet is the guy who was sent to repo some property from a psycho. He went into the garage, opened the fridge and found a dismembered corpse. Instead of screaming and running about, the guy closed the door, then opened it again to check what he just saw…then, kind of slowly, began to sink to the ground and get sick. 🙂 I vote “real”. ---
**Author:** ![bridgebuilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de053/32.png) [@bridgebuilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bridgebuilder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/29 "2010-10-04T02:32:12Z")
At the beginning of each segment, they provide the city and state where this supposed real prank is happening. Try looking up the city and state. It does not exist! ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/30 "2010-10-04T02:39:12Z")
> [@bridgebuilder](#): > > At the beginning of each segment, they provide the city and state where this supposed real prank is happening. Try looking up the city and state. It does not exist! Oh oh, zombie thread! “He went into the garage, opened the fridge and found a dismembered corpse.” 😃 BB, you’re gonna get yelled at. So am I, now. Piece(s). ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/31 "2010-10-04T03:04:47Z")
Zombies are scary. But they don’t go in much for tactics; just kinda shamble along, twitching and groaning. Unless they’re Zombie 2.0. Those guys are _quick_. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/32 "2010-10-04T04:10:27Z")
This show is still on the air? ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/33 "2010-10-05T14:09:27Z")
> [@bridgebuilder](#): > > At the beginning of each segment, they provide the city and state where this supposed real prank is happening. Try looking up the city and state. It does not exist! Geez, are they still showing reruns of **Scare Tactics**? Anyway, I don’t know about your assertion in its entirety, but at least some of the places they gave as locations were real. I remember one of their “pranks” taking place in Henderson, Nevada. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/34 "2010-10-05T14:34:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > This show is still on the air? > [@chorpler](#): > > Geez, are they still showing reruns of **Scare Tactics**? Actually, it’s new episodes hosted by Tracy [del]Jordan[/del] Morgan. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/35 "2010-10-05T14:47:16Z")
> [@bridgebuilder](#): > > Try looking up the city and state. It does not exist! How can you fake a state? They’re quite well known. Tennissippi. Oklahio. Washifornia. East Dakota. New Wyoming. Doesn’t work. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/36 "2010-10-05T14:52:46Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > This show is still on the air? The commercials show a different ‘host’ so I think they resurrected it … [at least I think it is a different host, the name of this guy doesn’t sound like what I remember from way back when] mrAru’s comment was that if someone pulled one of those stunts on him, there would probably be a lawsuit on the part of the poor actor he did serious physical damage to by reflex … ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/37 "2010-10-05T17:11:33Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > This show is still on the air? > > > [@chorpler](#): > > > > Geez, are they still showing reruns of **Scare Tactics**? > > Actually, it’s new episodes hosted by Tracy [del]Jordan[/del] Morgan. Wow, that’s interesting. Although I always found Tracy Morgan annoying before 30 Rock came about … but hopefully I like him now. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/38 "2010-10-05T18:15:18Z")
Did we figure out if it was fake or not? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/39 "2010-10-07T01:10:56Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > This show is still on the air? > > > [@chorpler](#): > > > > Geez, are they still showing reruns of **Scare Tactics**? > > Actually, it’s new episodes hosted by Tracy [del]Jordan[/del] Morgan. Its his 2nd (or is it third? I think it’s 2nd) season as host, and during his first season, there were a bunch of eps mixed in that were just the same footage of pranks from the Shannen Doherty/Stephen Baldwin seasons with him doing new intros for them. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999/40 "2010-10-08T16:19:50Z")
I don’t usually watch this show, but I was watching one of the VHS “Greatest Reality TV Moments” and found my hero. It was set up something like a insane knife-wielding maniac had grabbed the lovely damsel and was threatening to kill her, while there were various body parts behind him to show he really meant it. A young guy, football player type, was watching in horror, then his face sort of contorts like he’s in pain, then he drops a shoulder and charges the maniac, taking him down and out through a door/wall or something. You could tell he really thought he was going to be really hurt or die, but by God, he was going to do something to save that girl. Cameramen came running from all directions, frantically screaming , “No!! It’s fake!! Don’t kill him!!” My hero. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scare-tactics-is-fake-funny-but-fake/168999.md?page=3)