Jack in the Box Serves Bullies Their Halloween Comeuppance

An ironically eerie comeuppance … what kind of Halloween treat is that?

It’s pretty satisfying, actually, served up in a horror short that drops today from Jack in the Box.

On Halloween, some mean teens mercilessly bully a pair of grade-school kids. The baddies live to regret it. But they don’t live for long.

Developed by TBWAChiatDay L.A. with director Marcus Dunstan, the seven-and-half-minute tale, “Feeding Time,” packs its share of thrills and chills.

Plusses include a fab-freaky taco truck from hell, an atmosphere of dread poured on thick like hot sauce, and some unsettling nastiness (mostly implied and off-screen, natch).

Brand mascot Jack Box survives. It figures.

Teased a few weeks back, the project hypes Monster Tacos, and the full vid will live on YouTube and the fast-feeder’s social channels.

Writers from the Saw franchise, You and American Horror Story contributed to the script. And Dunstan lensed genre faves The Collector and The Collection.

So, these folks know spooky. And, while “Feeding Time” isn’t super-scarifying, it’s stronger stuff than we’re use to seeing in branded content (apart from virtually everything by Liquid Death, that is).

“We purposely did not go in with any references or demands to the writer’s room, because we wanted to craft an original horror story around Jack in the Box and give the writers full creative freedom,” TBWACD creative director Bert Marissen tells Muse. “All we wanted was a true scary horror short.”

The extended chase sequence looks A-list impressive, as does the bit where something vile tugs villains into the taco truck.

Filmed in a densely wooded area, the vehicle itself barely survived the shoot. (We shared that story when the teaser dropped).

And that wasn’t the only challenge for the team.

“Having a spider wrangler on set was a first for me,” recalls agency senior copywriter Heather English. “This guy’s sole job was to walk around our shoot areas and relocate spiders and snakes to prevent any unwanted encounters. Despite his excellent work, I still found a spider in my bag upon returning to the hotel and the next day at LAX!”

Jack probably put them there. He’s such a creep.

CREDITS

Client: Jack in the Box 
Chief Marketing Officer: Ryan Ostrom
VP of Marketing + Communications: Sheena Dougher
Senior Manager, Brand Marketing: Jessica Deprizio
Associate Brand Communications Manager: Ashley Rhorer
Director, Social Media & PR: Morgan Higgins
Social Media Manager: Ciara Austin
Associate Public Relations Manager: Casey Middleton 
Social Media Coordinator: Makenzie Abuyen-Nuestro
Head of Media: Daniel MacDonald
Media Manager: Jason Climaco

Agency: TBWAChiatDay
Chief Creative Officer: Renato Fernandez
Chief Design Officer: Bruno Regalo
Executive Creative Director: Jason Karley
Creative Director: Bert Marissen
Creative Director: Jeff O’Keefe
Senior Art Director: Stephanie Sczublewski
Senior Copywriter: Jamie Wynn
Senior Copywriter: Heather English
Copywriter: Scott Behrens
Art Director: Cameron Cartwright
Executive Producer: Kim-Lara King
Senior Producer:  Amanda Azoroh
Producer: Aliza Grover
Producer: Sergio Muńiz
Producer: Chris Wood
Production Coordinator: Daysi Centeno
Business Lead: Haley Mazza
Brand Director: Alexandra Arroliga  
Management Supervisor: Tatiana Froehlich
Account Executive: Chase Munroe
Group Operations Director: Claire Lynch
Project Manager: Shubha Chakravarty
Project Manager: Scharlotte Storey
Strategy Director: Corey Kindberg 
Senior Strategist: Aaron Rivera
Head of Connections Strategy: Stephanie Ehui
Director of Business Affairs: Robin Rossi
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Allison Fasano 
Talent Manager: Adele Orsen
Director of Traffic Operations: Dessiah Davis
Traffic Manager: Julia Sen
Client Finance Budget Manager: Ashleigh Millette
Budget Manager: Marcus Tom
Data Strategist: Josh Brinkmann
Director of PR, Earned Media: Pamela Chinawah
Associate Director of PR & Communications: Autumn Drummond

Hollywood Screenwriter Partners (OLV + TVC):
Asha Michelle Wilson
Kara Lee Corthron
Patrick Melton
Marcus Dunstan

Production Company (Live Action/Longform) : Green Arm Man Productions, LLC
Director: Marcus Dunstan
Director of Photography: Eric Leach
Line Producer/UPM: Sean Gowrie
1st Assistant Director:  Christopher T Sadler
Production Designer:  Michael Barton
Costume Designer:  Lauren Kendall Veronick
Creature Effects Designer:  Onyx Studios

Editorial:
Editor:  Andrew Coutts
Producer:  James Rota

VFX: (Set In Stone)
Monster Truck Model & Animation: Soapbox Films
Tentacle Model & Animation: Ty Thomson
Monster Effects: Dastoli Digital
Producers:  Brooke Stone & Jackie Stone

Color: (Therapy Studios)
Senior Colorist: Omar Inguanzo

Sound Design + Mix: (Therapy Studios)
Mix Engineer: Dillon Cahill
Assistant Mix Engineer: Dori Holly
Executive Producer: John Ramsay
Music/Score  (TVC + LONGFORM):
Artist/Composer:  Charles Clouser

Production Company (Food): Camp Lucky
Director / DP: Tom Ryan
CEO / Partner: Tammie Kleinmann
Executive Producer: Brandon Tapp
Producer: Chelsea Sevadjian
Producer: Evan Murphy

Editorial: Be Grizzlee
Editor: Mike Hackett
Editor:  Cudjo Collins
Editor:  Paul Plew
Assist Editor: Mystikal Scalzi
Executive Producer: Ian Dawson
Sr. Producer: ;Jesse Looney

VFX:
Sr Flame (Cleanup / Comp) : Christopher Moore
Flame (Cleanup / Comp) : Jimmy Cassale
Effects / Graphics: Laura Panella
Sr. Producer:  Jesse Looney

Color:
Senior Colorist: Luis Silva

Sound Design + Mix: LIME Studios (Food Only)
Mix Engineer: Adam Primack
Assistant Mix Engineer: Ally Hustings
Assistant Mix Engineer: Collin Thomas
Assistant Mix Engineer: Ian Connie
Associate Producer: Cassie Underwood
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan