SCREAMING MATCH: Richard Moll stars in “Ghost Shark,” which revolves around a seaside town terrorized by the demonic spirit of a shark. David Randolph-Mayhem Davis and Mackenzie Rosman (inset) co-star. (
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Syfy is hoping the spirit of viral sensation “Sharknado” will inhabit its second campy summer flick, “Ghost Shark,” about a dead shark that haunts humans.
“I think ‘Ghost Shark’ shares a lot of the same DNA of ‘Sharknado,’ ” says Michael Engleman, executive vice president of marketing, digital and global brand strategy of Syfy. “It’s fun escapism that doesn’t take itself too seriously.”
Engleman says the goal of “Ghost Shark” isn’t to merely match the ratings of “Sharknado,” but to exceed them — no small feat, as the audience for that movie grew with every telecast. Over its three airings, viewership numbers for “Sharknado” rose from 1.4 million to 1.9 million to 2.1 million.
“The great thing about momentum is an opportunity to build on this craze,” Engleman says. “I would love to see us exceed the total viewership of ‘Sharknado.’”
“Sharknado” mania shocked everyone — including the network. Syfy has been airing quirky original movies like “Arachnoquake” and “Sharktopus” for several years, but none ever caught on like “Sharknado,” about a storm that sweeps up killer sharks from the ocean and deposits them in LA. Stars include ’90s throwbacks Ian Zieiring and Tara Reid.
“Ghost Shark’s” plot is similarly absurd. A fisherman shoots a shark, which comes back from the dead for revenge on all humans. You just have to be wet to be attacked.
Engleman credits the “quirky casting,” funny title and dramatic “Sharknado” posters with planting the seed that sprouted into a social media frenzy. Syfy plans to take a note from that Twitter hysteria to create another hit with “Ghost Shark,” and will use pop-up prompts during the movie’s Thursday-night premiere to encourage fans to tweet (think a social media-driven version of “Pop Up Video”).
“We want people to tweet about the most shocking or the most hilarious moment. We’ll encourage fans to share their own shark stories or paranormal stories,” Engleman says, noting they’ll have between 24 and 30 prompts. Syfy will also have all-day shark programming leading up to the premiere (including another airing of “Sharknado”) and a surprise “shark stunt.”
But don’t expect another shark showing up on a subway. When a mysterious dead shark was photographed on the N train earlier this month, Engleman says Syfy was inundated with calls asking if it had planted it there for publicity.
(The mystery was later solved — a strap hanger found it at Coney Island and brought it on the subway.)
“The kinds of stunts that move the needle are much more organic,” Engleman says. “They happen on social platforms, not on subway platforms.”