Movie Reviews for Writers: Scare Me

Think about the first time you met a famous author. Did you at once want to (a) learn from them and (b) impress them -- and somehow at the same time. It's okay. We all want that. We want to be told we're good at something we believe we are good at. That's where Scare Me starts. But then it doesn't just veer off the rails, it destroys said rails with high-grade acid so no other train can ever ride them again either. It's that effective. 

Fred is a wannabe author (let's not empower him enough to call him struggling) played by Josh Ruben. He rents a cabin in the snow-covered woods to work on his werewolf story. On the way he is ubered by another aspiring writer who treats him the same way "that person" treats you at a writing conference or literary/sci-fi/fantasy convention where you're a guest. Gushing all over you. Picking your brain. Wanting to impress you. You get the picture. It's a natural place to be as a beginning writer. But Fred is having none of it. It's bothersome at best. 

Once at the cabin, he learns that one of his neighbors is the author of the acclaimed horror novel Venus, Fanny, played by Aya Cash. The two don't hit it off exactly, but a storm forces them together to try to scare each other by telling scary stories (that may or may not be from their work). 

The trouble is though, that right off the bat, it's clear that Fanny is years ahead of Fred. Her skills basically emasculate him (or e-write-ulate him) and put his lack of talent on display. He only does his best work when she chimes in and goads him into it. Outside of that, he merely teases ideas rather than telling stories. 

For example, after telling the outline and opening scene of his werewolf novel, Fanny is unimpressed. 

Fanny: That's a cool little boy voice, but what's the story?
Fred: What do you mean 'What's the story?' That's the story. I just told you. 

Fred: No, that's an idea. What actually happens?

Fanny then proceeds to demonstrate what she means by telling him a story that has him thoroughly interested and intensely so. Where he spoke in plot broad strokes, she introduces characters and gets in their heads, then twist plot points back on themselves to build suspense. He goes to plot points. She goes to characters and story details. He gives an outline. She gives intensity and gravitas.

You can almost feel his masculinity wilt in front of her. He's humiliated. 

So he takes another stab at it, this time, grabbing details and going deeper. Only he's pulling from what he's seen and read before in his limited reading. 

Hiding in the closet like Halloween's Jamie Lee Curtis. The revolver stored in a box in the top of the closet. Even ripping off Jaws in an epic kill scene. 

They proceed to tell the next story together, and maybe he's getting it. Maybe she's getting him. Maybe they're actually into each other and it's turning into a night of sex between two writers. 

Then. Bam. Pizza's here. Along with the delivery guy, played by Chris Redd. and together the three of them act out a wonderful story about a singer who sells her soul to the devil. But even in the midst of that, Carlo realizes where all the real talent lies. 

"It's like one of those nights, you know, when you deliver a pizza to a couple of strangers who end up being friends. Tell ghost stories and do blow. One's your favorite author. The other one [he looks at Fred] is your friend."

Now, the real strength of this awesome movie is what happens between Fred and Fanny as she easily one-ups him throughout the night. But that would be a huge spoiler. Suffice it to say, Scare Me is indeed a horror flick, and a truly unique sort of anthology film without really being an anthology film.

 

But it has a wonderful lesson for us writers. The devil is in the details. Character details. Story details. Twists and turns details. The hard work of writing is getting past cliches and outlines and using the stuff that makes you, well, you, to actually create a story that only you can tell.