Burger King Gets Ghostly for Halloween Horror Short

Burger King has launched two Ghostly menu innovations in honour of Halloween – the Ghost Pepper Whopper and Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries. To keep the Halloween fun going and in celebration of these Ghost Pepper menu additions, Burger King dropped a 60-second short horror movie on Friday the 13th.

Created in partnership with the brand's agency partner, Dentsu Creative, Burger King tapped production company Wild Gift Content and director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon - known for The Current War, his Sundance Grand Jury-winning indie film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Emmy-nominated work on 'American Horror Story: Coven' - to achieve the right mix of spooky and spice for the film.

When asked about the project, Mr. Gomez-Rejon commented, “I love short films and I love horror, so I jumped at the chance to team up with Burger King and Dentsu Creative on the Ghost Pepper Whopper Halloween campaign. I had a blast revisiting the genre for the first time since my AHS days, and directing a horror short starring the Ghost Pepper Whopper.”

'The Call' was shot in one day on the same California set location used to film 'Jeepers Creepers,' and the car being driven was featured in 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'

“We shot the car interior inside a barn on location, which had bats flying around overhead all evening,” adds Dentsu Creative ACD Andrew Pattee. “This inspired the addition of the crow in the film.”

The short film will be available for streaming online via YouTube starting on Friday, October 13th. Burger King fans and horror genre enthusiasts can also catch the 60-second film in select movie theatres the same day prior to the start of their feature presentation.

“Horror as a genre has incredible ability to flex,” shares Dentsu Creative ACD Andrew Pattee. “It can be dialled up to pure terror and dialled down to fun campiness. Alfonso’s a master at giving a wink of camp while leaning into the classic horror tropes we all love.”   

According to Dentsu Creative Social Creative Lab ECD, Bridget Jewell, the Burger King “You Rule” positioning is all about putting customers first, so the creative had to have an audience-first lens and beats of 'now-stalgia.'

“We don’t want Burger King fans to just watch the story–we want them to experience it for themselves. So we’re spreading the scare by daring fans to answer the call IRL.”

“For years, Burger King has brought our Guests exciting and delicious ways to celebrate Halloween. While our menu innovations are at the forefront of these efforts – like Ghost Pepper Whopper and Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries – we are always looking for new ways to make spooky season even more fun and memorable at BK. Our horror brand film is the perfect example of this and brings these menu innovations to life in a unique and creative way while also engaging our fans in some playful fun - will you answer the call? We’re excited to share the collaboration between renowned director Alfonso Gómez-Rejón and the team at Dentsu Creative with our Guests.” said Zahra Nurani, vice president of marketing communications for Burger King North America.