Last Friday I visited the “Scream” house in Tomales Bay. It’s really the Spring Hill Mansion where a lot of scenes from the original Scream 1996 was filmed.
I worked on the movie as a stand-in for Neve Campbell and it amazes me how Scream is the gift that keeps on giving. One thing perplexes me though, and I am hoping a Scream fanatic out there can help me solve a mystery.
I know there is a photo circulating of a person wearing a t-shirt that says, “I Survived Scene 118” and people say it’s because it was the most grueling scene to film during production, but according to my call sheets and sides, Scene 114 – “People Die, People Live” was the long one.
114 Complete – FINALLY!!
And the final scene is Scene 115 of Gale reporting the news the morning after the murders. Roll credits. There is no Scene 118.
So, I’m confused. Any Scream fans that are reading this, can you help me with this one? What is Scene 118??
I just finished working on a feature film this past weekend in Woodside, California. It’s an ultra-low budget film so we were flying by the seat of our pants, guerilla filmmaking, if you will.
It’s a comedic horror movie written by my good friend Tony Gapastione:
Who is also a fan of the Scream franchise:
Speaking of Scream….
The Spring Hill Estate Mansion, the location of many scenes in the movie “Scream” is currently giving tours of the mansion as well as other filming locations.
My friend Jeff and I in the garage of the location a few years ago.
Did I mention I worked on this movie back in 1996 as Neve Campbell’s stand in? We didn’t have smart phones then, so there is little photographic evidence, ha ha. But someone posted this pic online a few months ago:
It was at least a month of night shoots and that’s where I learned how to drink coffee. We made ourselves “white trash mochas” by putting hot chocolate packets in our coffee while staying warm in the craft service truck. It was soooo cold in Tomales!
And our call sheets said, “Scary Movie” until they had to change it to “Scream” over halfway through filming because another movie had the rights to the title. But then I don’t know what ever happened to that film because it never came out but then the title was used later on as a spoof of the Scream franchise, so it all worked out.
On January 11th, I got a message on FB from my second cousin:
Her grandmother was my Great Aunt Marty. I just saw her on Christmas Eve. Aunty Marty was in good spirits and everything. A complete shock. I am so grateful I got a chance to reconnect with her last year.
She passed away on my mom’s 80th birthday. We carried on with the sad news and celebrated my mom’s birthday later on that same week.
Happy Birthday Mom
The next weekend, I had a performance in San Francisco, but two days before the show I got the stomach flu and had to cancel. At first, I thought it was food poisoning as I threw up in someone else’s toilet on my first night of cat sitting.
Sorry Toby!
I was sick for a solid 5 days which really freaked me out, but I finally started to feel better just in time for Aunty Marty’s memorial service. Thank you, Jesus.
In early February, I had the pleasure of cat sitting for Scout over Superbowl weekend.
Scout and I pre-gaming:
Even though the Niners lost, I didn’t. I won $$$ on the Super Bowl Squares! Can you guess how much I won by looking at this picture? Can you find my square?
After Scout, I was off to hang out with Pearl. So many cats, so little time. But I make the time.
Then I went to visit my friend Joleen who is up from L.A. currently staying with her mom. I met Joleen years ago in Sonoma County on the set of the movie “Scream“. We were stand-ins together.
She was a stand-in for Courtney Cox, and I was one for Neve Campbell.
After the movie wrapped, she eventually moved to L.A., but we kept in touch. She would let me crash at her place if I had an audition down there or just wanted to visit. She’s a very generous person that way. And then last year she found out she had cancer. I don’t even know what to say. I’ve just been praying a lot. If you are reading this, say a prayer for her, and consider donating to her gofundme.
Joleen and I at the Scream Wrap Party with Nick, the Best Assistant Director ever.
I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to an early Spring.
I finally finished by ballot today and will drop it off tomorrow.
I Voted.
I had a pretty good solo performance zoom session. Got some good stuff on paper. Just counting down the days until the election.
Tonight on CBS they are showing the movie Scream as part of #Drewsmovienight on Twitter. It’s still hard to believe that a movie I worked on back in 1996, still has a following. I was a stand-in for Neve Campbell, and since it was one of the first movies I ever worked on, I remember it very well. I was very impressionable. You never forget your firsts.
UNCREDITED!
What was it like working on this movie? Well, it wasn’t scary, I’ll tell you that, because when you are on a set, you do not have the element of surprise. You know exactly what you will be filming because they tell you.
There were a lot of night shoots. There was one scene in particular, Scene 114 – People Die, People Live, that felt like it went on forever. We would arrive on set around 6pm, film all night and wrap when the sun came up. Then I would drive an hour home and because of our micro-climates in the Bay Area, I would leave the cold coastal city of Tomales Bay with a heavy coat on, and then as I drove inland, I would start stripping in the car and by the time I pulled up into my parents’ driveway, I would have a tank top on. A thirty degree difference between the coast and inland weather.
The day after I wrapped set, I threw up. I had been going and going and going for two months straight and was completely exhausted. When the movie came out that fall, I went to the theater by myself and I was the only one there. I laughed through the whole movie. And then it started gaining a following and became a sleeper hit that grossed over 173 million dollars. When I worked on it, it was just this independent film called “Scary Movie” and now it’s this huge franchise. You just never know when that will happen.
Well, I did not mean to write about this tonight. It’s just that…it’s on TV right now, so that’s my story.
Theresa Donahoe 