Scare Tactics premiered on Syfy on April 4, 2003. Set up by friends and loved ones, unsuspecting victims are placed into elaborately staged scary situations involving film-quality special effects, makeup and stunts. The horror hoaxes are skillfully designed to tap into the wildest fears of the prank's prey. Viewers laugh along with the hilarious reactions of the show's "stars" as they are caught off-guard and on-camera.