A Killer Shows Up in Every Room
In one photo, a figure in a black robe and a pale, screaming mask carves a jack-o’-lantern at the kitchen counter. In another, the same figure rakes leaves in the front yard, and in a third it crouches in a basement corner as if waiting for someone to walk down the stairs. These are the listing photos for a four-bedroom, one-bathroom house in Lansing, Michigan, and the person behind the mask is the real estate agent trying to sell it.
Meet the Agent Behind the Mask
James Pyle, a Century 21 agent, listed the Lansing property at $105,000 and decided to shoot it differently than the hundreds of other listings he’s photographed over 15 years in the business, according to Fox News. Rather than staging the rooms with rented furniture, Pyle put on a Ghostface costume, the mask made famous by the “Scream” film franchise, and worked it into nearly every frame.
Halloween is Pyle’s favorite holiday, and according to Fox News, the timing and the house’s layout finally gave him a property that fit the idea. His stated goal was modest: just 1,000 views on the listing.
Twenty Times the Views He Expected
The listing didn’t just clear that bar, it blew past it. The photos have drawn more than 20,000 views across platforms, according to Fox News’ reporting. Regional Fox affiliates from Philadelphia to Phoenix to Tampa Bay picked up the story, and WXYZ in Detroit ran its own version.
Horror-Themed Listings Aren’t Entirely New
Pyle isn’t the first agent to lean into horror imagery to sell a house, but he may be one of the most committed. What sets this listing apart is the sheer consistency of the joke: the Ghostface figure isn’t a single Halloween-themed photo tacked onto an otherwise ordinary gallery, it is the through-line of the entire shoot.
Why It Worked
Listing photos typically aim for warmth and neutrality. Pyle’s photos do the opposite, injecting a recognizable, slightly campy horror character into an ordinary house. The contrast between the mundane setting and the theatrical costume is what made the photos shareable in the first place.
A House People Will Remember
The stunt lands at a moment when agents everywhere are looking for any edge they can get. With bidding wars down from their pandemic-era highs, a listing that gets passed around for its own sake has real value. Pyle’s approach cost him a costume and an afternoon of staging, and it still outperformed listings backed by professional video tours and drone footage.
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