Every horror fan knows the opening scene of the original Scream by heart. Drew Barrymore's innocent blonde makes popcorn, the phone rings, she answers, and a creep asks her movie trivia questions in order to save her boyfriend, who's tied to a chair in the backyard. Things turn grisly in a matter of seconds. It’s an unnerving and chilling sequence that hooks the viewer instantly. Kevin Williamson (who penned the script) probably knows he won’t ever write another iconic opening scene like that. That doesn’t mean he won’t try, though.
In his latest screenplay (co-written by Katelyn Crabb and directed by John Hyams), Sick, he opens with a scene that has his style written all over it. We follow Tyler (Joel Courtney) running an errand in a grocery store during the “heydays” of the 2020 pandemic. This time, instead of a spooky phone call, he receives a text from an unknown number saying, "Hi Tyler. Wanna party?" He replies, "sure," and asks who this is. The texter replies: only if you're tested for Covid-19. Tyler gets upset, tells him off, and gets in line at the cashier. The next message reveals the texter’s watching him. He leaves, goes home, and in gory fashion, gets murdered by a man with a knife dressed in full black.
