Marlon Wayans is bringing a spooky new competition series stateside. The comedian and actor is adapting Midnight Horror Story, a hit South Korean game show, for U.S. audiences alongside his producing partner Rick Alvarez through their company Ugly Baby Productions. They’re teaming with Craig and Clara Plestis of Smart Dog Media, the Emmy-winning producers behind The Masked Singer.
According to the official logline, the U.S. version will feature well-known actors who take center stage each episode to deliver chilling — and often comedic — stories. These tales will be brought to life with immersive, cinematic reenactments, with sets designed to surround the performers in the sights and sounds of their stories.
The twist? A hidden mystic audience of “spirits” (a mix of live and virtual participants) will determine just how frightening each tale truly is. Every time a story sends a shiver down their spine, they’ll light a candle. The celebrity who racks up the most candles by the end of the night will be crowned the winner.
Wayans says the format is right up his alley:
“With the success of Scary Movie and the A Haunted House franchise, Rick and I have always had an affinity for the mash-up of horror and comedy. This project fits perfectly in our wheelhouse,” he shared.
Midnight Horror Story premiered in Korea on MBC with strong ratings and is now in its fifth season. The show quickly became a digital sensation, with 79 of its clips surpassing 1 million views on YouTube and its most popular hitting nearly 4 million. Hosted by Shin Dong-yup, Kim Sook, Park Na-rae, Hwang Je-seong, and Heo Anna, the format mixes audience-submitted ghost stories with high-energy, humor-laced competition.
This marks Smart Dog Media’s second collaboration with MBC Korea. The first — The Masked Singer (adapted from King of Mask Singer) — became a cultural phenomenon in the U.S., and the company is aiming for another cross-cultural hit with Wayans onboard.
Through Ugly Baby Productions, Wayans and Alvarez have carved out a space for global entertainment with both comedy and horror projects. Their credits include Netflix’s Naked, Sextuplets, and The Curse of Bridge Hollow, as well as the indie franchise A Haunted House. On the TV side, they’ve produced NBC’s comedy Marlon and the competition series I Can Do That.
Next up, Ugly Baby Productions is producing Scary Movie 6 for Paramount and Miramax, set to hit theaters June 12, 2026.