Mr. Ghostface
Currently reading:
Out There Screaming, edited by Jordan Peele
An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
To give you a peek behind the curtain, I’m drafting this week’s missive on Saturday evening, only maybe half an hour after finishing my last book, so I haven’t decided what to dive into next!
Books finished this week: 1
★★★☆☆
Where this book came from: One of the spooky books I impulse-purchased a few weeks ago in the back of a Lyft from Bookshop.org.
Why this book: Scream is one of my favorite horror movies——one of my favorite movies, probably——and I will also eat up any behind-the-scenes information about truly any piece of media.
Thoughts: For the first few chapters, I thought this might be a five-star read; definitely a solid four, at least. But, really, if you tell me stories about hot ’90s actors bonding while they live in the same hotel to film a tiny horror movie that no one knows is going to go on to become a phenomenon, I’m going to love it. (I’m actually incredibly easy to please.) But as I got deeper into the book, and the subject matter moved on to later films, I started to feel myself losing interest——and patience. Like, listen, I love the Scream movies (1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6, if I had to order them), and this started to feel like a bit too much of a lovefest even for me. The tone has the vibe of a fan who happens to be friends with one (or maybe a few) folks involved and who was tapped to write a puff piece. I was hoping for some more analysis——of the films themselves, as well as where they sit in the context of other horror films and pop culture in general——and I was disappointed by the way major parts of the Scream story were skimmed over. The Weinsteins certainly aren’t painted as good men here, and I understand that a book for horror movie fans isn’t the place to rehash #MeToo, but I would’ve appreciated a bit more context being included——and also maybe not including the interview quote from producer Robert Potter, in which he says, “What Harvey [Weinstein] did was not the casting couch. The casting couch is a shitty, immoral transaction. The woman knows what she’s going there for, and the guy knows what’s expected of him to deliver afterward . . . You can argue the morality of the casting couch, you could argue the power dynamics of it.” Like, hello?? You just let him say that, then put it in the book and offered no additional information or context??
ANYWAY. The chapters about the first two or three movies felt more well-rounded and narrative, presenting behind-the-scenes stories from a variety of sources, so it’s also noticeable when it’s mostly directors, writers, and producers talking about Scream 5 and 6. (And, yes, the book barely talks about Melissa Barrera being fired from the franchise, or Jenna Ortega and original Scream 7 director Christopher Landon departing the project.) It’s cool that the author was able to carry out original interviews with so many people who have made Scream a winning franchise over the last thirty (thirty??) years, but some of the fawning could’ve been replaced with analysis and critique to make it a better-rounded book.
Library updates:
I ended the last missive by saying that I’d see if I had more to say in this week’s post. I think I actually have less, somehow (though the book review is definitely longer than last week’s, so enjoy that). It wasn’t a quiet week, but there isn’t much going on that I haven’t already started hashing out in my personal journal, in therapy, or on calls with friends, so I’ll keep all of that there and stick to books and fun stuff here.
(I don’t mean to sound cryptic, and I’m fine! I just wanted to briefly explain why I don’t have much to say this week, especially since I can usually make sitting on my couch for three days straight sound poetic and brilliant.)
I did go to an emo night at a club on Friday, all of which I know sounds very much unlike me. But it was great! And a guy dancing on stage at one point pulled out a “FUCK ICE” flag and waved around, and the entire place went crazy (in a supportive way). I fear mosh pits, but I don’t fear the people in them.
The only writing I’ve done recently has been a flash fiction submission for the first round of NYC MIdnight’s Spooky Story Challenge over Halloweekend. But I’m starting another workshop round in a few weeks, and I’m thinking/hoping that creative energy will be the boost I need!
Closing thoughts:
Keep your chin up.
