Do you like scary movies?

It's that time of year again, Halloween is upon us. The chill creeps into the air, the leaves start to change, and our favorite horror classics play on the TV. While you don’t always need a holiday as a reason to watch cinemas finest scares, it does seem to enhance the mood. There is something extra terrifying about watching Laurie Strode fight off Michael Myers while you’re home alone with your own Jack o’ Lantern glowing on the front porch. Horror is my favorite genre, hands down. Some of the greatest movie experiences I’ve ever had were at horror movies. Horror movies stick with us long after seeing them (here's looking at you “Hereditary”). Horror can terrify you, make you cry, make you think, but it can also just be downright fun. There’s nothing else like it.

Wes Craven was a man that understood the power of horror. Even hailed as a master of horror, the man was responsible for creating terrifying movie legends. “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “The Hills Have Eyes”, and “Last House on the Left” just to name a few. But easily one of his most popular films to date is the 1996 cult classic, “Scream”.

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” - Ghostface

“Scream”, breathed new life into the dying genre that is the teen slasher. The film’s well written characters, plot twists, and meta elements are what make it truly a horror classic. A year after her mother’s brutal murder, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is having a hard time living a normal teenage life. Things only become more problematic when she and her friends begin receiving threatening phone calls from Ghostface, a crazed serial killer in a white faced mask and long hooded black robe.

Sidney's classmates are picked off one by one and a once peaceful town in California becomes a waking nightmare. Sidney doesn’t know who to trust, and it seems anyone could be the killer, especially her boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich). The film’s unlikely heroes also include Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) a tabloid news reporter, and Deputy Dewey (David Arquette) who's on and off again relationship spans all 4 sequels. Together they investigate to find out who the killer is before even more blood is shed.

What makes this film so unique compared to the hundreds of other slasher movies out there, is that “Scream” is set in a world where these slasher movies already exist. The teenagers in “Scream” already know horror movie clichés and in a sense know the rules of what might happen next. It set a new standard for the slasher genre with its blend of horror, dark comedy, and irony.

“No, please don’t kill, Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel!” - Tatum

For our cocktail we put our own twist on the Right Hand which features rum, sweet vermouth, Italian red bitter liqueur, and mole bitters. For our variation we used Bacardi Reserva Ocho, a complex golden rum with notes of dried apricots and banana leaf. We also included sweet vermouth and Campari to add sweetness and complexity to the beverage. Lastly, we added 2 dashes of blood orange bitters to bring forward the fruity aroma. We serve ours up and garnish the drink with a dried blood orange slice. Titled after the song featured throughout the film, The Red Right Hand, has a spicy yet refreshing flavor that is sure to satisfy.

The Red Right Hand

Ingredients:

2 oz Bacardi Reserva Ocho

1 oz sweet vermouth

1 oz Campari

2 dashes of blood orange bitters

Instructions:

1. In a mixing glass combine all ingredients then fill with ice.

2. Stir until well chilled and combined.

3. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with dried blood orange wheel.