Just two days after hitting the Internet in January, the bizarre prank video Devil Baby Attacks amassed 25 million YouTube views. And for good reason: In the clip, we see a crew of guys build a remote-controlled stroller complete with an animatronic demon child and then watch as they set it loose in all its roaring, projectile-vomiting glory in the streets of New York.
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The video which turns out to be an ad for the new horror movie Devils Due is the work of Thinkmodo, a two-man studio owned and operated by James Percelay and Michael Krivicka. Our videos dont look, dont sound, dont feel like ads, says Krivicka. Thinkmodos previous successes include Carrie, in which a telekinetic woman terrorizes a New York coffee shop, and Astor Place Cube, which attempted to trick viewers into believing a man lived in a piece of street sculpture.
Of course, Thinkmodo often runs the risk of creating a campaign thats more compelling than its product. But Krivicka insists sneakiness is part of the strategy. Theres nothing thats deceptive in any way, he says. Its energy-filled, extremely entertaining content and, near the end, we say, Hey, by the way, check out this movie.'