Written and Directed by Josh Ruben
Starring Aya Cash, Josh Ruben, Rebecca Drysdale and Chris Redd
Running Time 1 hour and 44 minutes

by Nikk Nelson

Movies about writers and writing is my jam so much, I wish I could put it on toast. Those in the horror genre, even more so. Josh Ruben writes, directs and stars in one of my newest favorite movies of all time, Scare Me (2020). Initially, what drew me to this review was Aya Cash, who I was introduced to in the FX series You’re the Worst—in my opinion, one of the best shows ever made about middle age, relationships, and mental illness and Aya Cash is brilliant in it. When I saw her on the Scare Me poster, I immediately said yes. I did not read a synopsis or watch a trailer. I completely trusted that whatever she was in was going to at least be watchable because she was in it. It has been a while since I was this pleasantly surprised by a movie. Josh Ruben stars as Fred, a very down on his luck wannabe horror writer, who, in a last-ditch effort to kickstart his dream, spends his last dime sequestering himself in a secluded cabin to finally write that brilliant novel. To give you an idea of his depth of talent, he sits staring at a laptop screen with an open word document that reads:

Werewolves with Guns (Revenge)?

To hopefully get the creative juices flowing, he goes on a run and meets Fanny (Cash), and through a brief and awkward encounter learns she’s that Fanny—the tremendously successful horror writer whose novel, Venus, was hailed as the greatest horror novel ever written. It turns out Fanny is also shutting herself up in a cabin to get some writing done. That night, after a power outage, Fanny shows up at Fred’s cabin and the two decide to kill the boredom by telling each other scary stories. What follows is a masterclass in minimalist filmmaking. Absolute proof that you can do everything with almost nothing so long as you trust, and don’t betray, the audience’s imagination. The movie boasts a cast of only four characters but every single one of them is so rich in detail and performance, not a single moment or line of dialogue is wasted. Aside from the two stars, it’s almost impossible for me to choose my favorite between Chris Redd as Carlo the pizzaman and Rebecca Drysdale’s Bettina the driver. Carlo edges out, but just barely. If it wasn’t for the climax of the film, it would almost be a straight-up comedy, and still one of the best comedy movies I’ve seen in years. The humor is dry, snappy and poignant.

The horror inevitably surfaces in a difficult but necessary conversation about privilege, opportunity and talent in our larger society. Being a horror writer myself, I couldn’t help but marvel at the accuracy of the film’s portrayal of the creative process—the doubt, the frustration and the fleeting moments of inspiration that sometimes yield absolute fuckall. I’ve reviewed a lot of Shudder exclusives over the past few months. I’ve rarely been disappointed. I’ve most often been delighted. But Scare Me is the first one I know I will re-watch multiple times, every time I’m in that “movie about writing” mood. Anyone looking for a traditional jump-scare/gore fest, especially fuckboy gatekeeping trolls known in social media horror groups for comments like “It sucks” or “Not scary” or “She’s not hot enough”, will definitely want to look elsewhere. Their criticism is too discerning for something this intelligent.

For lead in or follow-up, I would recommend some of my favorite movies about writers and writing: Misery (1990), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), 1408 (2007), Wonder Boys (2000), Barton Fink (1991) and Sideways (2004).

Shameless Plug: My story, “Fancy Dick McGuffin and the Case of the Recycled Hired Guns” will be featured in the upcoming horror anthology If I Die Before I Wake Volume 3: Tales of Deadly Women and Retribution from Sinister Smile Press, available in hardback on October 26th: https://www.sinistersmilepress.com/iidbiw-v-3

Available to watch on Shudder, October 1.