It’s dark outside, and teenager Casey Becker is home alone, making popcorn on the stove and preparing to pop a scary movie into the VCR while she waits for the arrival of her boyfriend, Steve.

The teen, portrayed by actress Drew Barrymore, picks up the phone and hears a deep, ominous voice on the other end.

It’s one of the most chilling moments in horror cinema, and one that journalist and author Ashley Cullins has never forgotten.

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It’s a pivotal moment from director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson’s 1996 horror-comedy film “Scream,” and the catalyst for Cullin’s debut book, “Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Franchise Rewrote the Rules of Horror.”

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I watching?’”

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