I like typically well regarded films. I gravitate toward arthouse films, heavy with plot and symbolism, featuring nuanced, often heartbreaking performances. I appreciate artistic vision, thoughtful scores, clever screenwriting. High scoring films on Rotten Tomatoes! I like good movies.
I also LOVE late 90s/early 2000s teen horror! It’s not that these movies aren’t good or lack the aforementioned qualities. I’ll argue they’re great, the iconic Scream especially, just that they’re not exactly regarded as high art or as “transcending genre” as some (not me) like to say. If you believe in guilty pleasures (yes me. Somehow the concept just makes it feel more fun), you can safely call these guilty pleasures.
The Faculty, Urban Legend, Disturbing Behavior – at the risk of dating myself, I was the perfect age for these movies when they came out and saw a lot of them in the theater, munching nervously on popcorn and gasping at jump scares with my school friends. I’ll admit that a lot of my affinity is rooted in nostalgia. But with entertaining storylines, beautiful actors in glorious 90s fashion, and slick references to horror classics, these movies are genuinely, unironically valuable, not to mention very fun.

I Know What You Did Last Summer, the 1997 slasher written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Jim Gillespie, is quintessential teen horror. It features a collection of actors who seem like they were in every late 90s movie (Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillipe, Freddie Prinze Jr.), and a distinctive villain characterized by his fisherman’s jacket and hook.
It was filmed largely in the quaint beach town of Southport, North Carolina, and as I spent my summers as a kid on the Carolina coast, this was another draw for me. The small town is atmospheric, and is instrumental in demonstrating how everyone’s lives fell apart after the inciting incident. It’s tragic when Helen escapes to New York to be an actress and then has to return somewhat humiliated when “it didn’t work out.” It’s tragic when Ray becomes a fisherman and it’s implied that he’ll never leave and that’s all he’ll ever be. Southport, which seemed charming at the beginning of the film, when the friends were happy and carefree, becomes a symbol of their guilt and failure.
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I’m definitely on a regional seafood kick this summer (see last month’s Jaws-inspired Amity Island Shrimp Boats), so for a recipe, I immediately thought of Fisherman’s Stew. The North Carolina version of this dish is one of those that is traditionally made in a huge pot for a crowd, a la Frogmore Stew or other seafood boils, though this particular recipe is family-sized. Bacon is crisped up to later be crumbled on top, then a tomatoey mixture is cooked to season the broth. Then, potatoes, onions and garlic, and a firm fish (like red drum, sheepshead, cod, or even snapper like Julie’s mom makes for her when she returns home) are layered, brothed up and simmered – no stirring! Lastly, a layer of eggs are cooked on top.
Serve topped with hot sauce and crusty bread or cornbread for sopping. What are you waiting for?

Southport Fisherman’s Stew
- ½ pound bacon cut into 2-inch pieces (my kids don’t eat pork so I used turkey bacon. It’s not as oily, so if using, add some cooking oil to help it fry)
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- large pinch or two chili flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 pounds red potatoes, peeled and sliced (you can put them in a large bowl of cold water while you prep so they don’t turn brown)
- 1 large onion, quartered and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 pounds firm fish (I used cod), cut into 2-inch chunks
- 6 eggs
- Salt to taste
Heat a pot and cook bacon, stirring, until crisp. Remove and reserve.
Stir tomato paste into the hot oil, along with chili flakes. Stir for just a minute and remove from heat.
Add bay leaves and layer the other ingredients twice, sprinkling each layer with salt. Add enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until fish is cooked through and potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Check the broth for seasoning, add more salt if desired.
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Crack eggs in a single layer on top and poach.
Serve topped with sliced/crumbled bacon, hot sauce, and crusty bread or cornbread.
Need more horror-inspired recipes? See everything delectable dish in the Witchy Kitchen cookbook HERE and let us now your own recipes over Twitter, in the Nightmare on Film Street Subreddit, and on Facebook in the Horror Movie Fiend Club!








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