Impractical Jokers with a Halloween flair
Gaten Matarazzo is well known for his portrayal of Dustin on the Netflix series, Stranger Things. In that role, he is always reacting. Sometimes that is to bullies who mock his speech impediment. Other times, he’s reacting to supernatural evolutions. He rarely gets to lead the conversation or the course of action. As the man in charge of Prank Encounters, Matarazzo completely flips the script. He runs the show, and Halloween look out for the victims in his sights.
Prank Encounters is a hidden camera show that follows unwitting subjects as they enter a feigned scenario. These are non-actors who answer job postings or volunteer gigs, only to find themselves center stage, surrounded by actors supporting the story. In this series, that means they witness some unreal happenings meant to frighten and terrorize them until Gaten brings in the big reveal.
The show’s premise takes absolutely no time to hit the ground running, as Episode One, “Teddy Scare”, pits a temp babysitter and a would-be charity worker against the paranormal behavior of a murderous teddy bear.
The set design and art are completely immersive. The victims never question that their situations are legitimate. The details of the pranks are very thorough, from timed phone calls to lights flickering on and off. There is altered video footage, puppetry, and tons of props. The directors do a wonderful job of coordinating the timing of the scares between both victims of each story.
Cast standouts include Mary Gallagher (who is almost every episode), Julian Gant, Opal Littleton, Henry Dittman, and Olivia DeLaurentis.”The Guild” veteran Jeffis shows up as a character in one episode.
Prank shows have been popular for years, but this series leans hard into a few differentiating factors. First, the host is a young and upcoming actor already tied to the horror/supernatural genre on this network. Second, the internet of everything has made hidden camera shows easier than ever to film. Third, the multiple victims angle gives this a gimmick that hasn’t been tried before.
Prank Encounters is very well produced and shot. Matarazzo gets to basically play the emcee while a range of actors and crew get to do the heavy lifting. The result is a slick show that will leave the victims terrified and the viewers in stitches.