Ghostface may be coming to a city near you.
As part of its promotion for the latest installment in the “Scream” franchise, Paramount Studios has seemingly hired actors dressed in the hooded black cloak and white mask of the iconic horror villain, strategically placing them in front of cameras in public areas in the United States posted.
The studio did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
But a verified Twitter account for Ghostface promoting “Scream VI” retweeted several screenshots of real-life performances in cities like Flagstaff, Ariz., and Cripple Creek, Colo.
“Watching you,” the account tweeted ominously. Other reported sightings in New Orleans and St Louis.
The iconic villain caused a stir in Sonoma on Monday, when one of the actors was spotted in costume at a downtown intersection near the popular Sonoma Plaza. The Visit Sonoma webcam livestream recorded the actor crossing the street and then standing motionless in front of a jewelry store, according to the local Bay Area NBC affiliate.
The Sonoma Police Department said they received multiple 911 calls about a person standing at 1st Street East and East Napa Street and “wearing a SCREAM costume.”
“This person was contacted and hired by a company through Paramount to promote the new SCREAM movie,” police said Monday. in a statement on Facebook.
The first 1996 “Scream” movie was filmed in Sonoma County, a stand-in for the fictional California town of Woodsboro. The Sonoma Community Center, a few blocks away from this week’s stunt, was shot as the movie’s high school.
A resident responded to the police statement on Facebook, reporting that they saw the actor in costume on their morning drive.
Some residents disapproved of the stunt, wishing it had been confined to the local movie theater. But others praised the cheeky nod to the original film.
“I mean, he was standing on the street where the original movie was shot,” said one user. “Not so weird or scary! Nostalgic!”
The publicity stunt echoed Paramount’s previous promotion of the 2022 horror film ‘Smile’, in which actors with a wide, frozen grin were seen in the crowd at Major League Baseball games.
“Scream 6” is scheduled for release on March 10. Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, who both starred in the fifth “Scream” movie, will reprise their roles, along with Courteney Cox, whose Gale Weathers, a reporter and author, has remained a main character throughout the franchise.
Neve Campbell, who carried the franchise as Sidney Prescott, will be notably absent. Campbell cited a pay dispute as the reason for her departure from the franchise. She said her gender played a role and Paramount’s offering “didn’t match the value I brought to the franchise.”
“As a woman in this industry,” she said told People in August, “I think it’s really important for us to be appreciated and to fight to be appreciated.”
