Ladies’ Scary Movie Night

Every year for at least the past 13 years or so, I have hosted a scary movie night for my female friends where I serve adult beverages and childhood snacks such as rice krispie treats and candy corn while we watch dvds of scary movies in honor of my favorite holiday of the year: Halloween.  My birthday happens to be November 1, so Halloween has always held a special place in my heart.

I did not grow up appreciating scary movies.  Other than The Birds and the original Friday the 13th (which I was dragged to a bit against my will), I don’t think I ever saw (or wanted to see) any of them.  My interest began when a fellow soccer mom invited me to join her at a weekday matinee of that year’s popular thriller.  The concept of going to the movie theater in the middle of the afternoon without my kids or husband blew my mind at the time, so of course I said “yes” – even though I did not yet know how much I love scary movies.  I just felt like a teenager, sneaking out to do something other than the many, many things moms with kids are “supposed” to be doing… and yet such a harmless act of seeing one movie by myself which I did not approve of my kids seeing and which I also knew my husband would never agree to watch seemed to be “ok.”

I don’t even remember which movie that was – it would have been around 2003 or so, and I am no longer in touch with that friend – the last I knew she was living in Atlanta, but I do know that I learned that many of us ladies DO enjoy watching thrillers, classics, and even modern horror IN THE SAFE SETTING of not having any of their spouses around!

This understanding actually led to me watch more and more scary movies, and to discuss with the friends of my children (who were often around in those days) which movies were good.  I did watch some I did not like, but the research became fun. It still seemed basically true that most females who did enjoy watching scary movies, did not want to watch them with their husbands and/or their husbands (like mine) did not want to watch them at all.

Scary Movie Night has become one of my staples.  My friends have come who love me, even if they did not really want to watch the movie.  In 2014, I could not pull a party together.  I was in the throes of ramrodding (in the gentlest possible way, of course) the emptying and sale of my dementia-mom’s house (after we insisted she move out of it 2 months earlier) – (after discovering the degree of her decline 5 months earlier) – and I just could not pull a party together that year.  So instead, I invited anyone who wished to join me to view Anabelle in the movie theater and go out to dinner afterward.  Three of my friends joined me that evening.  Since not too many saw it that year, that was the one I picked to show via DVD the following year at the party in my home.

I was reminded of all of this when I watched my recorded Seth Meyers’ late-night talk show interview of Allison Williams, recorded on Friday.  She was one of the stars of this year’s Scary Movie Night screening: Get Out.  I was glad to watch Seth and Allison talk about how much it is better the second time (or more) you see this movie.  At my Movie Night this year, I had 9 ladies watching, and only myself and one other lady had previously seen the movie.  At one early part, I said to my friend who had also previously seen the movie, “I did not hear him say that before!” and she replied “Amen, Sister!”  We kept giving each other looks all through the movie, and she told all of my other friends as they left “You HAVE to watch this movie again!”  Really, I recommend that you watch this movie.  It is a great movie even the first time.  Anyway, I find that I am now just rambling on and on, so I will stop.