Creepy oranges invade NYC and social feeds as new short film reimagines the Gushers commercial that haunted a generation

This Halloween, Gushers is resurrecting a chilling piece of ’90s nostalgia: its infamous Fruitheads commercial. In response to ongoing online conversation about the ad fueling fans’ nightmares for years, Gushers has transformed the spot into a short horror film created in partnership with Imagine Entertainment, starring award-winning actor Bradley Whitford and viral creator Chester Collins, and directed by Mike Diva, known for his visually striking, internet-breaking style.

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Actor Bradley Whitford and viral creator Chester Collins bring the Gushers Fruithead legend to life in a new horror short that reimagines the infamous ’90s commercial as a terrifying Halloween thriller.

“The Fruitheads ad has lived rent-free in the heads of Gushers fans for nearly 30 years, and they still can’t stop talking about it on social media,” said Stephanie Lensing, Brand Experience Manager for Gushers at General Mills. “So, this Halloween, we’re finally giving them what they want with a reimagining of that ’90s ad with thrills and a bit of the humor our fans love from Gushers.”

The new short, titled “FruitHead,” takes the commercial to sinister new depths, revealing how one unlucky actor from the ’90s ad was cursed to live his life as a FruitHead. Now, as an adult (played by Collins), the character seeks horrifying revenge on the TV commercial director (played by Whitford) who made him this way.

In the film, Whitford’s character lets his early career ambition get the best of him by cursing a bag of Gushers, forever transforming the life of one of the commercial’s stars.

“It was so much fun to play this character and reimagine the original FruitHead ads to give them this haunting backstory,” said Whitford.

Fans can watch the full “FruitHead” film on Gushers.com/fruithead-horror. For those brave enough to face the horror in person, creepy oranges plucked straight from the film will haunt the streets of New York City on Thursday, October 9 from 3-9pm ET at the Village Works Bookstore, daring fans to report sightings and watch the film for themselves.

And the terror doesn’t stop there: the “FruitHead” film will make its festival debut at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival this fall. Fans can also grab Gushers in new theater-style boxes in stores nationwide and bring the nightmare home, wherever they dare to watch.

Take Halloween to the next level by following Gushers on TikTok and Instagram for exclusive scares, behind the scenes content, and FruitHead sightings. Just don’t say you weren’t warned!

ABOUT GENERAL MILLS

General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to boldly build its brands, relentlessly innovate, unleash its scale and stand for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names like Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Totino’s, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. General Mills generated fiscal 2025 net sales of U.S. $19 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1 billion. For more information, visit www.generalmills.com.

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