This “Scream” Novice Faces the Nightmare

“Scream VI” is from legendary Paramount Pictures. Although I enjoyed the film, 

I could not bring myself to put a photo of Ghostface here.

I surprised not just Dan but myself by wanting to see “Scream VI” at the movies.

I’ve long avoided slasher films. “Rear Window” or even “Psycho,” masterful Hitchcock thrillers, are more my taste. When I lived alone in my NJ apartment by the sea, where the breeze stirred my bedroom curtains, I would not have been able to stomach a real slasher film. I had nightmares there after reading The Stranger Beside Me, a paperback about detective Ann Rule’s relationship with serial killer Ted Bundy.

But we had been homebound, the weather was dreary, and Punch was out, enjoying her social life. 

By Saturday night, I had to get off the couch. 

“I’m antsy,” I told Dan. The most exciting thing we had done all day was laundry and dishes. Even popcorn prepared by a machine and packed in a red paper bucket (vs. by Dan in the kitchen, with real butter) seemed more exciting.

But there was nothing we wanted to see at any of our three local theaters. I finally read the New York Times piece about “Scream VI,” the latest in the iconic mystery/horror/chiller/thriller franchise, and the Wikipedia article about the storyline. I got interested. It also stars Dermot Mulroney (I've loved him since “My Best Friend’s Wedding” with Julia Roberts) and of course, Courteney Cox in her recurring role as reporter Gale Weathers. That was enough for me. 

“I think I would even be willing to see the Scream movie,” I added. 

“Okay,” Dan said. “It’s playing at eight o’clock.” He has long enjoyed horror films, though we started out our dating life on a softer note, loving “Murder, She Wrote” on Sunday night TV.

Off we went to the big screen, soon with “buttered” popcorn, pretzel bites and bottled water in hand. We tilted our seats back. The only ones left were in the front row, so we could not hide behind other moviegoers if it got too scary. We were vulnerable.

I loved it. I mean, the slashing scenes are gross, some more than others, and I did cringe and look away a few times when the camera showed blood and guts. But there is a lot to love:

• Suspense. On the edge of your seat, especially by the end.
• Escape. Enter a darkened movie theater and be transported to another place. Always.
• Audience. People behind us shrieking and calling out--our collective fear, and joy from the girls behind us (teens or twenties) who loved a romantic kiss.
• Courteney. Wow, those ice-blue eyes, that tightly wound character. Also, her wardrobe and some funny lines. 
• Setting. This time the movie is not in the suburbs but in NYC in a place modeled after the NYU campus. NYC, forever cool and relatable.  
• Twists and turns. Oh, how the plot turns. Things are not as they appear. I loved that and was still mulling it over two days later. Who did that voice on the phone calls? Still not sure I understand.
• Wednesday. Jenna Ortega, the 20-year-old who plays Wednesday in the Netflix Addams Family spinoff, is delightful. Spunky, smart, beautiful, fearless. So is Melissa Barrera, who co-stars as her older sister.
• Hayden. Pretty blonde Panettiere was everything. The camera loves her lines, carefully couched and precise. Her character is clear and calculated in the midst of terror.
• Wit. The references to other horror movies.

Now I want to start at the beginning in my living room with the original “Scream,” from 1996. Courteney, Neve Campbell and Drew Barrymore star. Coming late to the table, I want to see where the story thread begins.

Do you watch slasher films? I never thought I would join the club.

“Who are you, and what have you done with my wife?” Dan said.

Exactly.