How Sony used a cloaked hookman to stalk NYC and promote a horror reboot

Sony took an old-school, low-fi approach to marketing its new I Know What You Did Last Summer legacy sequel by unleashing a silent, cloaked figure armed with a hook into the real world and letting TikTok do the rest.

In the days leading up to the film’s July 18 release, the mysterious “Hookman” was spotted riding the Staten Island Ferry, lurking around the High Line, and even trailing pedestrians through Midtown. The sightings quickly went viral, with posts on X and TikTok.

Sony never confirmed the stunt publicly. That was the point. It felt unbranded, real, and menacing inviting speculation, conversation, and fear.

🕵️‍♂️ Suspense over spend: How ambiguity drove buzz

Unlike traditional horror campaigns that lean on trailers and influencer reactions, Last Summer focused on planting unease in everyday life. Tactics included:

• Unbranded sightings: No logos. No QR codes. Just a robed figure with a hook, silently trailing civilians across NYC.

• Guerrilla placement: Appearances at high-traffic areas like the Staten Island Ferry, subway platforms, and the East River piers - places where casual encounters turned into viral clips.

• Social escalation: User-generated videos spread on TikTok and Instagram with captions like “WTF did I just see”, drawing millions of views without a single paid placement.

• Delayed reveal: Days later, eagle-eyed fans connected the dots to Sony’s upcoming horror reboot, just in time for its theatrical debut.

🌐 Cross-platform fear and familiarity

While the street-level stunt was the most visceral element, Sony layered on traditional campaign pieces, including:

• A nostalgia-forward trailer using Jennifer Love Hewitt’s original scream

• Collabs with horror influencers like @SpookyMeg and @DeadMeatJames to amplify theories and “react” to the sightings

• Paid takeovers on genre-specific streamers like Shudder, AMC+, and Peacock’s horror hub

• Late-night TV bits referencing the hookman campaign to broaden reach without undermining the stunt’s seriousness

Despite a modest marketing budget compared to other summer releases, I Know What You Did Last Summer debuted to $32M domestic opening weekend - its strongest performance since the original franchise peak in the late '90s.

💀 Why analog scares still work

This campaign is a reminder that not all theatrical marketing needs to be digital-first. In fact, the opposite may now stand out more. When everyone’s chasing virality with filters and paid collabs, fear that feels real cuts deeper.

Here’s what marketers can learn from Last Summer’s stalk-and-scare rollout:

• Mystery > overexposure: Don’t always explain. Give the audience room to wonder and talk.

• Use cities like stages: Urban environments can become immersive marketing canvases, especially for horror and thriller genres.

• Low-fi doesn’t mean low-impact: The scariest part of this campaign was the unknowing. That suspense created word-of-mouth trailers you can’t buy.

🎯 How films can build on this horror playbook

The Last Summer campaign offers a clear path for future horror titles and psychological thrillers looking to break out:

• City-specific scares: Custom stunts in key markets tied to local landmarks or myths

• Live horror experiences: Partnering with public spaces or pop-ups for short, actor-led scares

• Time-staggered teases: Releasing coordinated “sightings” across multiple cities over several weeks

• Misinformation as a feature: Letting the internet build the mythology for you then stepping in with confirmation just before the premiere

🎥 Movie marketing intel: This week in trends

BRAND PARTNERSHIPS 🏎️ F1: The Movie borrows Barbie’s marketing blueprint (Marketing Brew)
Apple and Warner Bros. launched a yearlong omni-channel campaign for F1: The Movie, featuring early teaser drops at the British Grand Prix, surprise Brad Pitt cameos, push notifications, haptic trailers, and high-fashion brand partners like Tommy Hilfiger and IWC. Think Barbie, but with carbon fiber and Rolexes.

SCENTED SCREENING 👃 Scentbird adds aroma to movie marketing (Glossy)
To promote Trap (M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller), Scentbird created a themed fragrance and distributed scent-infused movie posters and samples via digital orders. The multi-sensory campaign reinforced key story elements while adding a fresh (literally) layer to experiential marketing.