Scream VI - Ghostface x Calm - The Shorty Awards

Objectives

In Scream VI, Ghostface arrives in NYC for the first time in franchise history.

But to make franchise history of our own, we knew a killer entrance wouldn't be enough. How could we create a campaign of jumpscares, when everyone knew we were coming?

The answer: do what Ghostface does best, hiding him right behind fans through unexpected digital partnerships, subversive activations, and unmissable collabs, stunts, and social.

Then, something dawned on us: instead of simply haunting fans' nightmares, what if Ghostface took it a step further, and put those fans to sleep? With New York City — "the city that never sleeps" — as our backdrop, we could take Ghostface's meta-embracing, fourth-wall-breaking habits to new heights.

In collaboration with Calm, we set out to develop a co-branded beat that would:

Embrace Ghostface’s trademark wit without losing sight of the fact that he is the last person you want to meet in a dark alley
Embrace the idea that Ghostface can find you on every platform, in every content format — he’s wherever you are
Leverage the full scope of Scream VI — its big city setting meant even bigger stakes, and an even bigger stage

Here's how we helped one of horror’s biggest stars settle into his new city with a campaign that unsettled everyone else.

Strategy and Execution

Could Ghostface's murderous voice be... soothing? We collaborated up with Calm to deliver the most terrifying "sleep story" in history — narrated by Ghostface himself.

Already beloved for their celebrity-voiced Sleep Stories, we approached the Calm App team with an idea: what if we made a Sleep Story so scary, it was deemed too terrifying for the app? With an original script voiced by Ghostface himself, our ASMR-inspired Sleep Story partnership drew fans into the deranged (and hilarious) mind of Ghostface, and into the scariest slumber of their lives.

Results

The results were anything but sleepy, as Ghostface’s collab with Calm generated 2 MM views and a murderous 14.7 MM in reach across both Scream and Calm App platforms — with additional earned reach through coverage by Collider and ScreenRant.

After amassing a new, franchise-best $100M at the box office, Ghostface doubled down on disc and digital, going on to become one of the top horror titles of the year across all channels. Not only did Scream VI outperform its projections to become a top title at-home, but it also set the stage for the next film, with fans clamoring for announcements for Scream VII during each content moment.