WHERE THE OTHER STUDENTS LOOKED FORWARD to the end of class at the afterschool program, I dreaded it. During the winter quarter, there were 3 boys who made a point of teasing and picking on me. To this day, I have no idea what set them off because in class I was one of the quiet students. The only thing I could come up with was the fact that I was overweight, which I guess in their minds made me an easy target. I could handle the name calling and shoving, but outside of the school, I had to deal with snowballs pelting me or being pushed down into the snow. On days where we had substantial wet snowfall, I would linger back in the classroom, helping the instructor clean up the room. I knew they were waiting outside for me, hiding behind trees or around the corner of the school building. My hope was to be able to walk out at the same time as the teacher, but it never happened; I could only linger for so long before she would tell me to “run along.” Though I was unfamiliar with the concept and word, later on I realized that was my first experience of being stalked.      IT WAS NOT UNTIL MANY YEARS later that I experienced my second stalker. She appeared one day in my evening fitness class. It was in the middle of the session, so I was familiar with everyone who attended the class. When she walked in, I did what I always do, went up before class to welcome her. I remembered asking her if she had any health issues I should be aware of and she said no. She told me she enjoyed swimming but the pool was closed for cleaning; so, that is why she came to class. I figured she would not be back once the pool reopened. After class was done, she came up to tell me how much fun she had working out with me. I thanked her just as she surprised me by asking if I would like to go swimming with her sometime. I was taken aback by the unusual request, while keeping a pleasant look on my face. Again, I thanked her before declining. She asked, “Why not?” Thinking fast, I said I did not swim. That seemed to appease her, but it did not last long. She kept coming back to class and would hang back to talk to me afterwards. Her requests were getting weirder and weirder, to the point I had to tell management. It did not stop her until she grabbed me one time and a member in class ran and got security. The woman’s membership was cancelled, and the club’s lawyer sent her a letter to stay away. Because of that situation, I felt I understood what the sisters were going through in this horror, mystery thriller.      WANTING TO LEAVE THEIR PAST BEHIND them, the survivors of the Ghostface killings settle down in New York City to begin a new life. Sadly, their new home soon experiences the same horrors they experienced back in Woodsboro. With Courteney Cox (Mothers and Daughters, Cougar Town-TV) as Gale Weathers, Melissa Barrera (In the Heights, All the World is Sleeping) as Sam Carpenter, Jenna Ortega (The Fallout, American Carnage) as Tara Carpenter, Jasmin Savoy Brown (Sound of Violence, Yellowjackets-TV) as Mindy Meeks-Martin and Mason Gooding (Booksmart, Fall) as Chad Meeks-Martin; this latest installment in the film franchise surprised me with its fun tongue in cheek tone. There were violent and bloody scenes; but throughout the story, there were thrills and surprises spun into the action. I was aware there were a few far-fetched things and some level of predictability; however, it was okay because the script provided a fresh take on this long running franchise. There was a quick extra scene at the end of the credits.

3 stars