the show sounds fantastic
A woman who was forced to watch her two companions being "killed" by an alien is suing the makers of a US reality TV show that staged the incident.
In what is perhaps the clearest sign yet that reality TV has taken a step too far, the producers have been accused of invasion of privacy, assault and false imprisonment in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.
Due to air on the US Sci-Fi Channel in April, Scare Tactics was presented by former Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannen Doherty.
The item at the centre of the legal action started when teacher Kara Blanc was told she had been invited to a Hollywood party.
The show's makers arranged for the car taking her to the event to break down on a remote stretch of desert highway.
Her two companions, who were part of the Scare Tactics conspiracy, were then seen to be "killed" by a costumed alien.
A terrified Ms Blanc was filmed by secret cameras as she fled into a "dark, desert canyon area" pursued by the "alien".
Other episodes in the series feature campers duped into believing they are being attacked by the giant ape known as Big Foot and government agents chasing hapless participants when they apparently drive into US military base Area 51.
Ms Blanc is seeking to prevent the show from being aired and claims the experience has caused her to be admitted to hospital on several occasions.
The lawsuit is also seeking to prevent the producers from engaging in "the unfair, unlawful and fraudulent business practice of surreptitiously recording the traumatised reactions of any other persons in the future".