Xplorer Central invited Scream Effects Co. to help develop a creative April Fools’ gag to relaunch their site. The brief was simple: produce something silly yet believable that would engage audiences across social media and encourage shares from Xplora Central’s website.

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Working closely with the client, we explored several concepts before settling on the idea of a new Dungeon brand attraction in Paris, Le Donjon de Paris. The narrative tied neatly to the nearby Sea Life Centre and Disneyland Paris, making it both playful and plausible.

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As part of the online media presence to solidify the stunt as “plausible news,” we developed a full attraction layout and accompanying media files in the style typically found across Dungeon sites. This included staple shows such as Judgmental, Plague, and Torturer, alongside localized experiences and even a nod to the original Tooley Street site with the return of Vengeance—reimagined as Revenge of Mona Lisa to signal, playfully, that this was not genuine news.

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The campaign was a hit, reaching thousands of views within just two hours across three social media platforms and successfully tricking many—including leaders within the scare industry—into believing the attraction was real