WATCH: ‘Sadako’ TV prank spooks shoppers inside electronics store

Movie promotions usually come in forms of brief teaser trailers, but the creators of the upcoming supernatural horror film “Rings” has opted for a more unconventional  “realistic” approach.

A short clip of an ingenious prank has gone viral on Facebook, showing spooked real-life customers inside an appliance store.

Released by Paramount Pictures on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), the video starts off with a few shoppers viewing the trailer of the film through a bunch of high-resolution, flat-screen TVs.

Much to their horror, a woman dressed as the pop-culture icon Samara (a.k.a. Sadako) comes crab-walking through the screens in one of the displays and goes after each shopper.

Others shrieked in fright, as the stringy-haired entity sneaked from behind and grabbed them out of nowhere.

The video also revealed the set up for the elaborate prank, which involved a fake display wall inside a real-life New York electronics store, which allowed the costumed actress to crawl out undetected.

Hilarity ensued, as the terrifying scenario produced priceless reactions from their targets, as most them—even the males—bolted out the exit as fast as they could.

Meanwhile, the man behind the mischievous act, Michael Krivicka, said that the video was not staged and used real customers, not actors.

“Once customers realized they were being pranked, they laughed out loud and happily signed the release forms afterwards,” he was quoted as saying in a Cnet report.

The prankster added that no one was hurt during the shoot and shared his experience in the field.

“I have been doing these things for a few years now and the key is to prank people you think would take it well,” he said.

As of writing time, the viral clip has reached over 10 million views and has undoubtedly generated quite a buzz for the third installment of the American Ring franchise.

Set 13 years after the events of the first chapters of the horror franchise, “Rings” is slated for a February 3 release, with director F. Javier Guttierez at the helm. Khristian Ibarrola

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