Broadcast | |
MTV: 9/21/2000 - 4/28/2002 | |
Packager | |
MTV Networks |
Fear (not to be confused with Fear Factor although a version of this was remade on the network hosted by Ludacris in 2017) was a short-lived reality show where it followed a group of five or more contestants being left at an allegedly haunted location and led them on a series of dares over two nights to explore and confirm whether or not the place is haunted.
Premise[]
Contestants are blindfolded and led by guides to the supposedly haunted area. They were then instructed to remove their blindfolds after a predetermined amount of time, allowing the guides to slip out unseen. The area where they are taken is known as the "safe house", usually a large room somewhere within the location where no hauntings are reported to have taken place. This location serves as the group's base and is the only part of the haunted location with lighting. Every member of the group chooses a color at random from a predefined list. During daylight hours, the group is allowed to sleep and eat, as dares only take place at night. Once night arrives, a computer terminal will usually pick one or two colors and assign a dare. This computer also provides the group with background information about the area. A member of the group, not assigned to the current dare, provides instructions from the computer via two-ways radios.
Each contestants is given the option, at any time during the dare, to abort. However, doing so will cause the contestant to forfeit his or her share of the winnings and to leave the group. Another contestant will then be chosen by the computer to complete the dare. After two nights, any contestants remaining in the game are directed to the location of their monetary prize, and each collects $5,000.
NOTE: In the pilot episode, the survivors only received $3,000 each.
The dares themselves range in difficulty. often starting out easy and close to the safe house, eventually getting more difficult and further from the group's base. While most rely on simple observation (i.e. radio silence, EMF/Electromagnetic Field detector) some of the dares rely on specific re-enactments of haunting events, and a few even dabble in occult or paranormal possession (i.e. seance, automatic drawing, spirit channeling).
Rating[]
Music[]
Voodoo by Godsmack main theme.
First Day of Nowhere by Sinnisstar end theme used in the second and final season of the series.
Trivia[]
The series was originally titled as Dare.
The series was also known as MTV's Fear.
The show was inspired by the 1973 horror film The Legend of Hell House.
Similar Shows[]
Scaredy Camp
Paranormal Challenge
Merchandise[]
A DVD called Inside Fear was released on November 6, 2001.
Link[]
Official Website
Alone in the Dark: An Oral History of MTV's Fear