Scare Package
Scare Package is a 2019 American anthology horror comedy film created by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns. It features a series of horror shorts written and directed by Aaron B. Koontz, Courtney Andujar, Hillary Andujar, Anthony Cousins, Emily Hagins, Chris McInroy, Noah Segan, and Baron Vaughn.
The film debuted at the Sitges Film Festival in October 2019, and was released exclusively on Shudder on June 18, 2020.
A sequel to the film was announced in late 2021. Scare Package II: Rad Chad's Revenge was released on Shudder December 2022.
Plot
The film is presented as an anthology of short horror films, built into a frame narrative which acts as its own horror film. The frame narrative focuses on Chad Buckley, a horror aficionado who runs a struggling video store. He takes on a new hire, much to the chagrin of an obnoxious regular customer named Sam who has been trying to persuade Chad to hire him for years. The shorts are films that are either described to other characters or viewed as one of the video rentals offered at the store."Rad Chad's Horror Emporium, Horror Hypothesis"/Frame narrative/"Horror Hypothesis"
The film opens with the short "Cold Open", after which Mike is shown describing the short as a horror movie pitch to Chad, who picked him up as a hitchhiker. After dropping off Mike, Chad opens his video store, Rad Chad's Horror Emporium, and rejects Sam's latest attempt at employment. Another person, Hawn, applies for the same position and is instantly hired. Sam arrives at the checkout counter with a videotape he wants to rent and describes the opening of the movie, which begin the next segment, "One Time In The Woods". As the day progresses Chad trains Hawn and a series of events prompts the launch of the other shorts, which make up a large portion of the film.Chad is ultimately betrayed by Hawn, who was actually part of a scientific group running experiments on a serial killer known as the "Devil's Lake Impaler" under the video store. Imprisoned with several others, Chad identifies the others as horror character stereotypes, the jock, the stoner, the slut, the token black guy and the final girl, Chad realizes he's the know-it-all-horror-guy and they're all in an actual horror movie. When the Impaler inevitably overcomes his captors, Chad chooses to flee with the person he identifies as the final girl and the stoner. While escaping Chad learns that cars cannot start if the killer is within 14 meters of the car and that the Impaler became a serial killer after a group of frat boys killed his friend Jimmy. The remaining group members reunite, at which point Chad realizes that he had misidentified the slut and final girl. Their escape is halted when they discover that security protocol prevents the elevator from allowing them to reach the exit, however they are assisted by the sudden appearance of Joe Bob Briggs, who dies in the process. Chad is then killed by the Impaler, who follows the true final girl and the stoner to the surface.
The stoner tricks the Impaler into believing him to be Jimmy and the final girl manages to incapacitate him, however the stoner dies after trying to move the body away so that they can start the getaway car. The final girl flees to a field, where she wakens from a nightmare to discover that the Impaler is in the car with her. She dodges his assault and runs out of the car, where Mike from the Cold Open intercepts her and tosses a cigarette causing the car to explode and presumably kill the Impaler.
"Cold Open"
Mike Myers is a stock, horror movie background character tasked with facilitating the horrible circumstances other unsuspecting horror characters find themselves in. He fiddles with a loose road sign arrow indicating the location of an insane asylum. The arrow spins in the wrong direction, causing a group of unsuspecting young people on their way to a camp, to instead drive to the insane asylum.Mike vents about his job to his friend Wendy, and in a series of flashbacks, Mike is at work planting satanic relics in an attic, fooling a house buying couple into buying a haunted house, and setting up a cursed doll. Mike expresses a desire to be an actual character and not just a cold open.
Mike cuts the power to a house where two women are babysitting on Halloween. Instead of leaving like he's supposed to, he sticks around. The women realize he's the one who cut the power so come up with a plan and invite him in. Hannah attacks Mike with his wire cutters, but slips and falls on some candy Mike dropped, impaling herself in the neck. Tess sneaks up behind Mike as he tries removing the cutters from Hannah's neck, and he accidentally stabs Tess with them. Mike puts on a white mask to keep from being sprayed in the face with blood from Tess' wound, then picks up her bloody knife. Wendy shows up as a cop and shoots Mike in the shoulder, believing he is a masked killer.
"One Time In The Woods"
Trip, Mark, Dawn and Brenda are camping in the woods. Mark steps in some mysterious green goo that he thinks is bug guts. A crazed man shows up warning them to leave and that he is going to kill them. The man falls, starts convulsing and expelling green and orange goo. Dawn and Brenda beat him with sticks, and the man instructs them to use silver as his skin begins to rip from his body, spraying blood all over Dawn and Brenda. Trip puts silver handcuffs on the man as he deforms into a pile of goo, blood and guts, the silver having paused the transformation. Trip puts on a mask, and the goo-man identifies him as the "Back Woods Slasher". Mark tries throwing an axe at him but misses and instead hits a passing biker in the genitals. Trip bear hugs Mark, causing his guts to spill out, killing him. Dawn and Brenda run into the woods. Brenda accidentally impales herself in the mouth on a tree branch. Trip throws a large rock at her head, exploding it. Dawn runs further into the woods. A man approaches her and asks where the goo-man is. Trip pulls the man's legs off and beats him with them. Trip chases Dawn back to the camp site and slips in some green goo, falling and impaling his face on the back of the axe stuck in the biker's genitals. Goo-man bites Dawn and she transforms into a pile of green goo too."M.I.S.T.E.R."
A Husband sits alone at a bar, chatting with the Bartender, who creeps the husband out. The Husband goes to the bathroom and notices a flyer advertising an organization called M.I.S.T.E.R., which stands for Men In Serious Turmoil Establishing Rights. As The Husband ponders the flyer, we flashback to an argument between him and his wife where she complains about his lack of effort with the family and wants him to be a man.The Husband goes to a M.I.S.T.E.R. meeting where the group's leader is giving a pep talk to the men in attendance. In a montage, we cut back and forth between the members complaining about their neutered lives. After the meeting the leader talks with the Husband, encouraging him to join the group and invites him to a get-together happening that night.
The Husband goes home and is about to put something in a duffel bag, but we don't see what. He arrives at the get-together that takes place on a football field. The leader snaps his fingers and the lights to the stadium go out. The group transforms into werewolves. The Husband kills each werewolf one by one using different weapons.
The Husband comes home to a party his wife has put on. He shows her some werewolf fur he's skinned from one of the wolves. Everyone dons black robes and commence a ceremony with a pentagram in the middle of the floor.
"Girls Night Out Of Body"
Ray browses the aisle of a convenience store. She's being stalked by an unseen person who breathes heavily. She notices a lollipop in the shape of a human skull that says "Not For Sale". She steals the lollipop and leaves the store with Ali. The Store Clerk eyes them suspiciously. Ray and Ali get in the car with their friend Jamie, who drives. The stalker from the store watches them from inside another car. The stalker follows them as they drive to a hotel.The stalker watches them through the window of the room as they start drinking and listening to music. Ray reveals the lollipop she stole. Ali and Ray lick the lollipop. From the stalker's POV we see Jamie look toward the window and close the curtains. Ali feels strange and goes to lay down, putting a towel over her face. After a while, Jamie checks on her and startles her awake, the towel falling to the floor. Ray and Jamie are stunned, as Ali's face has transformed into the same skull like form as the lollipop. Ray's face also transforms into the skull shape. Thinking she can fix the problem, Jamie calls the convenience store, asking for help. The Store Clerk emits an evil, monstrous laugh. Jamie reaches for the lollipop skull and puts it over her face as the stalker reaches for the door handle. Jamie licks the lollipop. She pulls the stalker into the room and they kill him. They dance and have a pillow fight.