PLOT SUMMARY: Two horror writers get together during a blackout and try to scare each other with horror stories.
Being a writer is hard work, especially for those who write fiction.
While building characters, an author usually has to "become" that character in order to write about it and make it believable. So in a way, writers have to sort of become directors and actors of their own story.
But that is not the most challenging part of writing stories. The challenging part is coming up with an original idea.
There are other challenging parts in the life of a writer too which encompass making astute observations, dealing with writer's block and of course, finding the time to write without interruptions.
This is why most of the time you'll find stories about writers who have a nice little secluded cabin to do their writing, away from all the disturbances that could hinder their progress.
Scare Me gives an interesting perspective on the life of a writer. Sure, it is poised as a horror-comedy, but it is clever in its writing and effective in its showcase of a writer's struggle.
SCARE ME Movie Plot
The movie begins with Fred taking a ride up to his cabin to get some writing done.
His driver, Bettina, is a talkative woman who claims to also be a writer. Unlike Fred who prefers to be mum about his current work, Bettina lets it slip that she's working on a story with Korah as a central theme.
When they arrive, Fred lets Bettina help him but doesn't give her a tip nor allows her to call him Fred instead of Mr Banks.
Fred sits in front of his laptop to get some writing done only to get stumped. He doesn't know how to proceed with his werewolf idea and so looks up information about Korah.
Later, as he's having a disappointingly clumpy TV dinner, he hears someone calling out from the basement. He heads over there and then slams the door shut.
The next morning, while on his morning jog, he meets with his neighbour Fanny who turns out to be a best-selling horror novelist.
Fred tries to be friendly with her but she's rude and doesn't think much of him.
Fred looks up Fanny online and learns about the book she's written titled Venus.
While gazing at her pictures, the power goes out.
It is then that he hears a knock on the door and it is none other than Fanny who doesn't want to stay in her cabin all alone and would rather come to her neighbour's cabin and wait out the blackout.
But Fanny also wants to be entertained so she, rather than ask, demands Fred tell her horror stories beginning with the story he is currently working on...with werewolves and guns and revenge.
Fred gives her a plotline but Fanny wants him to dig deeper. After all, he did just boast to her that he was an actor and director as well and now Fanny wants to see all of his talents.
It seems she is just the push Fred needs to be better at his work. He seems too casual about his writing and needs the push to perform better.
So Fred basically puts up a show for her, bringing his werewolf story to life with dramatics. Fanny occasionally points out inconsistencies with his storyline and Fred takes constructive criticism to mend his story.
But Fanny isn't one to scare easily, even as Fred tries to boo her from behind. After Fred is done, he prods Fanny to tell her story and if she can't come up with a new one, to tell him about Venus.
Fanny tells him the story of a grandfather back from the dead and does well with the theatrics and accents. It impressed Fred who gets quite taken in with the story.
After some time the two get hungry but Fanny's phone isn't working and she borrows Fred's and orders a pizza, half veggie and half cheese because she thinks Fred is too picky to eat a normal pizza. She then accidentally reads a text Fred's ex sent him where she calls him a monster.
When Fanny prods, Fred tells her to mind her own business, and Fanny leaves in a huff.
Feeling bad that he ousted the woman who ordered him pizza, he goes to get her and she returns only so that they can continue telling stories in the dark as of they are at camp.
SCARE ME Ending Explained with Spoilers!
Of course, she makes him pay for the pizza when it arrives. The delivery man, Carlo, mentions his penchant for horror stories and demonstrates his ability to conjure up a tale.
The three of them "co-write" a horror tale, complete with acting and dramatics.
In the end, Carlo has to leave because he's already late delivering a pizza.
Fred is a bit jealous that Carlo has made fast friends with Fanny.
Clearly, he's envious of Fanny who gets along with everyone and is a good writer.
When he finds her notebook and notes about him, he gets pissed and Fanny tells him that she wrote about him only because she's a writer and she made observations.
Fred isn't too pleased with it but Fanny points out that he's simply jealous of her success and that if he too wants it then he must do the work.
Fred decides to be a jerk and refuses to give back her notebook and acts really creepy. Fanny gets scared and is chased around the house after which she kills him because she thinks she has acted in self-defence. Before he died, Fred says he has finally managed to scare her.
One morning, Bettina comes to the cabin and looks around for Fred. She was probably told by Fred to pick him up after the weekend. She looks around the cabin but doesn't find him. She does, however, find Fanny's notebook.
In between credits, a scene shows that Bettina has become a bestseller author after stealing ideas from two authors and a pizza delivery man.
Now, why didn't Fanny come forward and accuse her of plagiarism? Is it because the notes were handwritten and she had no way to prove that the ideas were hers? Had she typed it up, there would have been a digital footprint at least.
Or perhaps, like she points out during the story sessions, that she had to work harder because she was a woman author and people were stealing her ideas all the time.
Maybe she sort of respected Bettina for doing whatever it takes to become a best-selling author. Maybe she was glad there was another woman in the business.
There is a strong message for writers in this: be careful with your ideas. Make copies of your work and ideas.
Scare scale: 4/5
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