31 Days of Halloween: Laugh and Scream with Shudder’s Scare Me

Scare Me was the first announced Shudder Original to debut this month, and the horror/comedy began streaming on October 1.

Scare Me was written and directed by Josh Ruben, and he also appears in the film alongside Aya Cash. With these two skilled comedic talents on the roster, it was pretty much assured that Scare Me would at least be amusing. But, would it actually be scary?

Scare Me is incredibly entertaining. As portrayed by Ruben, Fred is a frustrated wannabe writer. In an attempt to get away from distractions and write his first horror novel, he rents a cabin in the Catskills, and runs into Fanny (played by Cash). Fanny is an accomplished writer with a very successful horror novel under her belt, and she almost immediately stirs up Fred’s competitive side.

When a storm causes a power outage, Fred and Fanny end up taking refuge in his cabin, and Fanny’s competitive nature results in her issuing a challenge to Fred. She thinks they should take turns telling scary stories in order to keep themselves entertained.

The truth is, Fred feels threatened by Fanny’s success, and Fanny takes delight in belittling his writing efforts. As a result, when the two decide to take turns telling scary stories, they each go all out while trying to out-do one another.

It’s a real treat to watch these two performers tell their stories, aided by mood lighting and the occasional mild special effect. They use arm gestures, run up and down the stairs, and use their expressive faces (along with great lighting effects) to deliver their spooky tales.

They are later joined by a pizza delivery man, played by Saturday Night Live’s Chris Redd, and the comedy level is amped up a little more. His presence makes Fred feel even more inferior, because he is a huge fan of Fanny’s novel.

As if watching Ruben, Cash and Redd were not enough of a treat, there is a nice little twist towards the end of the film, and it is pleasantly frightening. If you enjoy horror movies with an element of comedy, Scare Me should definitely be added to your October viewing list.

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Are you following along with 1428 Elm’s 31 Days of Halloween? What are your favorite films to watch in October? Let us know in the comments section.