“Scare Tactics: Season 3, Part 1″-Own it on DVD October 6, 2009
- Release Date: October 6, 2009
- Publisher: Warner Home Video
- Price: $21.99 on Amazon.com
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 284 minutes
- Special Features: “Tracy Morgan’s Frighteningly Funny Bloopers and Outtakes,” “Flesh Flash!” Never-Before-Seen Footage
- Starring: Tracy Morgan
- Genre: Comedy, Reality
Ah, the prank show. A longtime staple of television that can either be downright hilarious or incredibly stupid depending on the episode. “Scare Tactics” ranks as one of the better prank shows I’ve seen but it’s still just as inconsistent as every other show in the genre. It’s worth watching but I doubt anyone needs a DVD of a prank show.
The Plot: “Scare Tactics” is a prank show that puts victims into a plot of a horror or sci-fi movie in an attempt to scare the crap out of them. Sample plots include a medical clinic assistant helping deliver the “spawn of Satan,” a young woman discovering a nest of alien pods, and a woman accidentally “killing” a person with pickles (and yes, I’m serious about that last one).
Pros: The show is one of the funniest prank shows I’ve seen. Most episodes have at least one laugh-out-loud plot that makes it worth wading through the lame pranks in order to get to the good stuff. Also, even though he only gets a few lines each week, Tracy Morgan is hilarious as the host. He just introduces each prank and makes a joke at the conclusion of it but I laugh at almost everything he says.
Cons: Even though “Scare Tactics” is generally pretty funny, there are a few negatives. First of all some of the pranks are incredibly cheesy, lame, and not very well done. The aforementioned pickle death is one example. It’s probably pretty hard to come up with three or four sci-fi or horror themed plots per week but I’m sure there are better ideas out there then some of the ones in these episodes.
Also, like all prank shows “Scare Tactics” is very inconsistent. One episode can have three funny pranks with great reactions from the victims while another will have just one good prank and three terrible ones.
Finally, I have no idea why anyone would have a need for this DVD. The show is worth watching especially if you are a fan of the genre but it has little to no replay value. I just can’t see anyone watching this show multiple times so unless you don’t mind buying DVDs that you’ll just watch once or you are very interested in the bonus features, I probably wouldn’t buy “Scare Tactics: Season 3, Part 1.”
Video and Audio Quality: “Scare Tactics” is a very low-budget cable reality show so I doubt anyone expects it to look or sound perfect on DVD. That’s good because it doesn’t. The picture isn’t terrible by any means but there is more noise than I had hoped. The audio is slightly better but at times it is hard to hear what’s being said. One positive for some viewers (not including me) is that all of the bleeps and blurs have been taken out. Personally I would prefer that shows remain censored when they are released on DVD since I think bleeps are funnier than the actual words but I know most viewers prefer uncensored DVDs.
Bonus Features:
- Flesh Flashes-These are deleted scenes that didn’t make it to air because they contain nudity. They aren’t bad but aren’t exactly must-watch scenes either.
- Tracy Morgan’s Frighteningly Funny Bloopers and Outtakes-Blooper reels are way too common on DVDs and most of them are completely unfunny. This one is actually pretty good thanks to Tracy Morgan.
Recommendations: While inconsistent, “Scare Tactics” is definitely an entertaining prank show that deserves to be watched. I just don’t see why anyone would need it on DVD. I would recommend the show itself but unless you want to see the so-so bonus features or the uncensored audio and video, I probably wouldn’t purchase the DVD.
