Review: Fanta's New Ghost Face Punch Halloween Flavor Is A Total Scream

The Coca-Cola Company is back in the spooky spirit with a new Ghost Face Punch flavor for fall 2026. In 2023, Fanta got into the Halloween spirit by launching a mystery flavor. A year later, it introduced a new kind of horror in its products by partnering with movie studios and plastering its cans with the likeness of scary movie icons. This now annual affair is known as Fanta's Haunted Universe.

In some cases, a character fronted a new flavor, as Beetlejuice got an apple flavor in 2024, and in 2025, that creepy doll Chucky earned his own fruit punch. For 2026's season of fun, Mr. Ghost Face, the infamous killer from the "Scream" movie franchise, is joining in on the fun, hoping to scare up some business in the form of his own punch. And what flavor does a punch that represents a knife-wielding icon who looks straight out of an Edvard Munch painting supposed to taste like? Apparently a dark berry.

So, Mr. Ghost Face, is your dark berry punch scary berry good, or does it deserve a low Rotten Tomatoes score? The Takeout wanted to know the score for itself, and for you dear soda drinkers, and took a swig and then some to find out where the truth lies. Now all can be revealed in this sip and say. Boo-ray!

In advance of its national rollout in stores, the fine folks at Fanta sent over retail samples of the new Ghost Face Punch for taste testing purposes. The drinks arrived at room temperature and were refrigerated before tasting. This punch was tasted by me, alone, in the dark. Kidding. It was actually sipped on in the dawn of the morning light, for breakfast.

This sip and say is a summation of my own personal tastes and thoughts. I also factored in my previous experiences with Fanta, its various flavors, themed drinks, and my overall impressions of this new one. The criteria considered for this review were flavor, presentation, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, punchiness, berry goodness, and, ultimately, whether this is something worth your time and dime.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

From a design standpoint, the Ghost Face Punch can was Academy Award-worthy, with its stark blackness broken up only in the form of light from a blue, blood drippy Fanta logo, and still horrifying image of the "Scream" killer's mask. It almost seemed wrong to crack this one open, and instead, just let it be as a sort of ghoulish ornament for the home.

Alas, this was a taste test, and I had to open my mouth almost as wide as Ghost Face's to see if this punch had any well, punch. I leaned in for a whiff and it smelled like some discontinued Kool-Aid flavor I encountered in my youth. The splash of purple of the flavor's name on the can was a dead giveaway as to the color of this new concoction. It's not a common color for drinks, but was totally suitable for Halloween, as purple is sort of the fourth primary color after pumpkin orange, pitch black, and witchy green.

I took my first sip, and the first thing that entered my mind was the crisp carbonation contained within. That quickly gave way to the berry flavoring in its mix. It was polished off with a small, but welcome bite at the end, as it made its way down my throat. The more sips I took, the more berry flavoring it left behind as a lovely, fruity aftertaste. I kept trying to figure out what fruits were being mimicked here, and to me it tasted like a cross among red grapes, raspberries, and blueberries.

Ghost Face's can and the liquid's color are the gimmicks that lure fans and collectors in, but it's the soda that has to do the actual hard work. It does a fine job providing refreshment, fruity fun, and a punch that's quite an easy sipper. I'm not sure that's a perfect flavor profile match for a film franchise killer, but what should it be? Something that tastes like a knife blade?

Fanta has been on quite a roll with its fun flavors over the past few years. I have survived the recent past horror-themed ones, including the interesting Beetlejuice apple flavor, and the good Chucky fruit punch. While not of a scary movie nature, but of a video game one, Fanta's recent Crimson Sour Cherry edition is one of the best new soda releases of 2026. I wouldn't put the new Ghost Face Punch on a pedestal that high, but it totally gets my seal of approval. Fanta Ghost Face Punch is a perfect beverage for Halloween and beyond. Who says the ghastly and yummy fun has to stop in November?

Ghost Face Punch is a brand new Fanta flavor, and starting August 28, 2026, it will be available at participating nationwide retailers, both in-store and online. It will be available for an unspecified limited time only, while supplies last. Based on the best by date imprinted below the can, this soda should be good to go, unopened, for at least eight months.

This flavor is available in two sizes — a 12-ounce can, and a 20-ounce plastic bottle. The cans are mainly sold in 12-packs, but individual cans, and 20-ounce bottles will be available for sale at convenience stores and the like. It will also be available from Coca-Cola Freestyle machines at select on-premise locations. Prices will vary by retailer and location, but a 12-pack of cans sell at Target for $8.39 and a 20-ounce bottle at Walmart for $2.48.

Fanta's Ghost Face Punch is primarily made up of carbonated water and high-fructose corn syrup, with less than 2% of space dedicated to such hits as citric acid, natural flavors, fruit and vegetable extract for color, sodium benzoate and sodium hexametaphosphate to protect taste, sodium citrate, and Blue 1. It contains no juice whatsoever, and is caffeine-free soda.

One 12-fluid-ounce can (or 355 milliliters) contains 160 calories, 80 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of carbohydrates, and 42 grams of total sugars, including 42 grams of added sugars. A 20-fluid-ounce bottle contains 260 calories, 135 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, and 70 grams of total sugars, including 70 grams of added sugars.