With Him releasing next month, and the recent cast confirmations for Scary Movie 6, Marlon Wayans has been a trending name in horror. That trend continues with recent word from Wayans that he and frequent collaborator Rick Alvarez plan to adapt the popular South Korean game show Midnight Horror Story for US audiences through their company Ugly Baby Productions.
Midnight Horror Story, now in its fifth season, comes from Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC). It features actors circled around a table who each select a story submitted from viewers and narrate them while they are reenacted. After the story, the unseen “spirit” audience decides if it was scary enough by illuminating candles. Each candle represents a spirit that found it terrifying, and the story teller at the end with the most lit candles wins. The spirit audience combines virtual spectators with live in-studio audience members.
There are currently several clips from Midnight Horror Story available on YouTube that showcase the chilling stories submitted by viewers, as well as the the actors' aptitude for narration. The clips are provided by KOCOWA, a US-based service that streams shows from MBC, KBS, and SBS—three major Korean broadcast networks.
According to Deadline, the adaptation from Wayans and Alvarez will feature a similar format as the original, but with stories that have a comedic twist. This keeps with their traditional blending of horror and humor, having worked together on the A Haunted House series and the Netflix hit The Curse of Bridge Hollow.
While the contestants in the South Korean game show frequently joke and keep a lighthearted commentary, the subjects of the stories are terrifying—sleep paralysis demons and crazed, mournful grandmothers among them. It will be interesting to see how frightening the US adaptation will be, especially with the stories carrying a comical side.
Wayans and Alvarez will be working with Smart Dog Media to deliver the US adaptation, marking the second time Smart Dog Media has collaborated with MBC to bring one of their shows to the US, having adapted King of Mask Singer into The Masked Singer.
While we wait for the premiere date to be announced, we don’t have to wait long to see Wayans in Him, which is releasing September 19. He’ll also be working with Alvarez again as a co-producer of Scary Movie 6, which begins filming in October with a script Wayans wrote with his brothers. He’ll also be reprising his role in the film as Shorty, the irreverent stoner and brother to Regina Hall’s character Brenda.
Watch Marlon Wayans in Him September 19.