BONUS: The Thing Mimicry/RickRolling

John Carpenter's 'The Thing' is a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film of the same name.  As part of the promotional effort for the film they've launched an interesting Youtube viral prank campaign that brings something unexpected to users who click on various videos with enticing or audience pleasing names.  They've created a series of teaser videos with titles such as 'HOT Girl, Tiny Bikini' or 'Cute Baby Goes Nuts Over Food.'  Users who click on the videos (or who receive the link shared from a friend) get 7-10 seconds of video before the screen shatters with the volume cranked up and The Thing snapping out of the Youtube channel.  They've created nine scare videos and users are encouraged to 'Share The Scare.'  It's a clever Rickrolling type tactic, though to be honest the actual flash execution leaves something to be desired.  That said, it's a nice way to a) provide something unexpected to the audience and b) play off video names/categories that a large number of users tend to watch.  Send your own prank by checking out the Youtube channel.

Supporting Articles: Launch