TV Review: Scare Tactics (2003)

Scare Tactics (2003)

Hosted by Shannon Doherty
Sci-Fi Network Fridays at 10 and 10:30pm

Review by Alex Mestas 5/26/2003

More info: Sci-Fi

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The Beast and...

Scare Tactics lives up to its name. The show allows victims to be setup by their so called friends in a bid to scare the living bejesus out of them. Usually, this involves something supernatural or over the top horrific. Scare Tactics is a show that really isn't afraid of going all out to get that wonderful, completely scared reaction from the usually young subjects. You name it, they do it: axe murders attacking a cabin in the woods, seeing your friend getting buried alive, stabbed, shot or worse, all in front of your face. And the cameras are all there to capture your priceless reaction. And that's the thing about these setups...they actually are scary. Frightening (not to me of course, I'm a real man).

Let me give you an example: A comet crash lands into a trailer (really just some smoke and people pushing the trailer). The comet affects the actor who "breaks out" into a horrific rash. The X-File inspired "FBI" come and shoot the man in the head, right out of range of the Scare Tactics victim. They threaten to do the same thing to him. He's scared. Naturally.

The reason it's funny is that the situations are so unbelievably over the top that you can't imagine anybody falling for it. Seeing Friday the 13th's Jason in a cabin at night in the woods? Really? But fall for it they do, to great effect. Host Shannon Doherty also gets in on the action a bit too. She's usually herself, playing up her "bitchy celebrity status." In front of victims she's been killed by an axe wielding psycho and abducted by a fugitive taxi driver. The girl is certainly game to get down and dirty. Hell, it almost makes me like her.

...the Reaction.

You'd never fool me with any of these absurd stunts (please, that's not an invitation to try....), but I have a great amount of fun watching other people falling for ever popular evil aliens and werewolves trick. Sci-Fi is one of the fewer watched networks, but with Mystery Science Theater repeats, cheesy-ass movies and now Scare Tactics, it's turned into something worth tuning into. One more thing before I grade. My favorite line from all the episodes so far has been, "Monkey with a gun! Monkey with a gun!" Funny stuff.

TV Grade: A