The Rock teams up with YouTube Spaces, Jason Blum for Halloween videos
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is getting in the Halloween spirit on his YouTube channel.
On Monday, the actor uploaded a new Halloween-themed 360 video called "Escape from Calypso Island."
Johnson's video is among a handful of horror-inspired, VR productions made by creators in partnership with production studio YouTube Spaces, Blumhouse Productions and producer Jason Blum.
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The Hollywood A-lister first unveiled his plans for YouTube stardom ahead of Studio71's New Front presentation in May.
Blum, known for The Purge, Ouija, Insidious and Paranormal Activity franchises, said he partnered up with YouTube a while back because he feels horror "works extremely well in short form."
"I think a lot of the best creative ideas come from when you put a creator in a box and say you can do anything you want but within certain parameters," he told Mashable in a phone interview.
"And for me, the most exciting thing is to be able to able create an opportunity for people to do what I love in a different medium."
Blum said his company likes to "partner with people who do scary things" across various mediums. Blumhouse Productions has a book imprint, traditional TV company and movie company.
The series of videos made under the program, called "Welcome to Room 301," kicked off last week with "The Rock's Haunted Hotel 360," which featured 20 of YouTube’s biggest stars including Markiplier, Vitalyzdtv, Galo Frito, Furious Pete, Luba, Hopsin and KrazyRayRay.
The mega-collab was directed by Jesse Wellens from PrankVsPrank.
Over 100 creators from around the world participated in the program. The theme of each video was simple: What is your worst fear?
Inspired by the nail-biting Blumhouse aesthetic, creators were able to use Google's VR Jump cameras on studio sets at YouTube Spaces around the world, with Blum's help.
For YouTube, the annual Halloween program is another way to "supercharge the next generation of storytellers," according to Chris D'Angelo, Global Director of Production and Programming at YouTube Spaces.
"'Scary' or horror is such a universal language," he told Mashable. "When you get all these creators coming in working with brand new technology, telling their own individual stories ... it's just really exciting where they take this stuff."
All the videos are available on a "Room 301" playlist on YouTube.
Topics YouTube
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
