Scream Queens, Ghost Hunters & 6 of the best horror reality shows

2. Scare Tactics

Scare Tactics was basically like the Punk’d of horror reality TV. This hidden camera show put victims in situations where they would face off against terrifying creatures or just in a scary situation. Often, the show would use movie magic to create thrilling effects to make the scares look more real.

By the end, the victim would usually be totally terrified, and then it was ultimately revealed that they were on a reality prank show. Generally, the victims would be placed in cliché horror movie situations, and it was pretty fun to watch, especially since sometimes they would obviously figure it out before the big reveal. Blumhouse Television has said they have plans to revive the show, but so far, nothing has come of it.

1. Scream Queens

And no, we’re not talking about the campy Ryan Murphy show. Scream Queens was a short-lived VH1 reality show that almost definitely would not fly today. The series has many problems with glorifying the worst aspects of the horror genre (oversexualizing women, for a start), but that said, it was such a unique premise and a blast to watch.

The series featured several unknown actresses competing for a role in the new Saw film, Saw VI. The first season actually featured James Gunn as a director through most of the challenges and Amanda Young herself, Shawnee Smith, as a mentor.

The series featured weird challenges like directing the ladies to eat fruit…seductively? And more entertaining ones like filming with cockroaches, practicing camp, and even reenacting a scene from Saw III. Season 2 has a similar premise, except the women were competing to star in Saw 3D.

The winners, Tanedra Howard and Gabby West, did indeed go on to appear in the films. While Scream Queens would need to nix its more misogynistic elements if it were to return, I’d love to see another horror reality show where contestants compete to appear in a new horror film.

Which horror reality TV shows are your favorite? Are there any we didn’t include that you enjoy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!