Angry Orchard Reunites Sarah Michelle Gellar With Ghost Face

Sarah Michelle Gellar has been on the wrong end of a Ghostface phone call before.

She played Cici Cooper in "Scream 2," and Cici did not make it out of the sorority house.

Angry Orchard is now handing her the receiver again for its Halloween campaign with Ghost Face.

The hero film, which Gellar posted to her own TikTok account, recreates the familiar "Scream" mystery-caller setup.

Gellar answers a threatening house call. Ghost Face's familiar creepy voice asks for a drink from her kitchen, and the power cuts out.

The phone notification then gives away his position, inside the fridge. It was an Angry Orchard can calling.

The scene ends with the tagline, "So good. You'll scream."

The celebrity partnership connects the star's history with the "Scream" franchise, while Ghost Face anchors the brand's returning Thriller Variety Pack.

John Dorman, director of marketing at Angry Orchard, said that Halloween is the brand's favorite time of year.

"Every year we're looking for new ways to make it more fun for our fans, who love horror just as much as they love hard cider," he said in a press release.

This latest campaign gives the brand a recognizable horror setup that can sell the product without making the cider disappear behind the franchise.

Mystery Caller Drives the Flavor and Packaging

The campaign's product story follows the same mystery-caller premise as the film.

Mystery Caller is a new seasonal cider with an undisclosed flavor.

Angry Orchard has not said what is in it, and the brand is directing fans to DM its Instagram account for hints.

The pack holds 12 cans of 12 ounces at 5% ABV, and three other flavors fill out the lineup with Mystery Caller:

• Caramel Apple Curse combines salted caramel with tart apple
• Blood Orange pairs apple and honeysuckle with zesty orange
• Headless Pumpkin mixes apple with pumpkin, vanilla, and pie-crust notes

Angry Orchard is also running Ghost Face designs on single-serve Crisp Apple and Crisp Imperial cans.

Crisp Imperial pours at 8% ABV and sells as a 19.2-ounce collector can at convenience stores.

Ghost Face merch and Halloween pop-ups round out the season.

One device runs through the spot, the flavor, and the can.

"While we knew Ghost Face would be a huge draw for fans, we wanted the design to also tap into the nostalgia associated with classic horror films," the Angry Orchard team told DesignRush.

"The artwork incorporates recognizable Scream iconography, including the analog phone, alongside Angry Orchard's iconic Angry Tree to create a world where the two brands naturally come together.

These details helped shape a pack that feels immersive, collectible and impossible to miss on shelf, while the glow-in-the-dark feature adds one more surprise for fans."

The Angry Tree below Ghost Face is the tell, since the license borrows the attention, and Angry Orchard keeps the shelf recognition.

Collectibility is the quiet goal here, because a can people keep is a can they photograph and post.

This kind of packaging design earns attention that the seasonal ad budget doesn't have to buy.

Angry Orchard Grows in a Shrinking Portfolio

Boston Beer, which brews Angry Orchard, shipped 7.1 million barrels in 2025, down 4.7% from the previous year.

Angry Orchard, Sun Cruiser, and Dogfish Head were the only brands in growth.

Second-quarter 2026 shipments fell 4.5%, and depletions fell 6%.

Angry Orchard and Sun Cruiser were the only two brands that grew, while Dogfish Head flipped to a decline.

Halloween gives Angry Orchard another opportunity to press its advantage, which is why the "Scream" licensing fee makes sense.

The brand is using a proven Halloween occasion to give consumers new reasons to choose the cider.

• Growing brands can justify targeted investment. Companies should concentrate seasonal support where demand is already showing strength.
• Product variety can create more reasons to buy. Brands should give seasonal shoppers distinct flavor profiles to increase trial and repeat purchases.
• Packaging can extend the product experience. Teams should make physical design interactive to make limited editions more memorable.

Angry Orchard's Halloween strategy shows how seasonal innovation can support a brand when portfolio-wide demand is uneven.

Our Take: Can Angry Orchard Own Halloween Without Ghost Face?

Ghost Face is already working two beverage brands this Halloween.

Fanta put him at the center of its new Haunted Universe on August 24, five days after Angry Orchard's release.

But it's a soda, so the two never meet on the shelf. The only thing they compete for is the same mask.

We think the Thriller Variety Pack already owns Halloween, because Angry Orchard was never a gentle brand to begin with.

The name comes from ugly, acidic cider apples, and the mascot is a 12-foot tree that insults people.

Angry Orchard owns the can, and it's doing real work, since Jason filled it in 2025, and Ghost Face fills it now.

The brand already owns the scarier half of the equation, since the tree, the name, and the scream hotline (1-84-I-AM-ANGRY) all predate Ghost Face.

We can't wait to see which monster Angry Orchard will license next Halloween.

Need a seasonal campaign that connects product, packaging, and culture?

Explore these top packaging design agencies to find teams for your next limited-edition launch.