Scream Queens [1] has been highly anticipated for months, with a particularly long marketing campaign [2], which kicked off last October – before anything had even been filmed. And with so many stars in the ensemble, it's hard not to have high expectations for the show. (OG scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis is in it — so the bar is high!)
I had a chance to preview the two-hour series premiere ahead of its debut this week, and there's a lot to love about the dark comedy. This is your warning: if you haven't seen this episode, there are spoilers ahead, so stop reading! Instead, check out the reasons you'll love the campy horror series, get reacquainted with the cast [3], and check out these photos from the premiere [4].
The Juicy Twists
There are a lot of twists and turns within the season premiere, and it’s hard to find one person who doesn't look like a suspect. There are multiple deaths, unexpected hookups (Dean Munsch and Chad Radwell, anyone?), and an interesting backstory that has you wondering who’s the culprit out to get the women of Kappa Kappa Tau.
The B*tch Factor
Ryan Murphy’s queen bees are all obnoxious yet totally satisfying characters: some have a softer side (á la Quinn Fabray from Glee), while others are hiding a dark secret (like the ferocious Madison Montgomery from American Horror Story [5]: Coven). Emma Roberts brings on the b*tch like no other — and we say that as a compliment — as Chanel Oberlin, president of Kappa Kappa Tau. While we get a look at her insecurities and insight to why she is the way she is during the premiere, don’t expect to see her holding hands with her sisters or cozying up to anyone soon. (Unless she’s putting a knife in their back.)
Like every great queen bee in the history of television, Chanel appears to have it all while also packing sociopathic characteristics. She's mean and cruel, but she isn't vapid: she has a motive for everything she does and is quite smart, too. Despite her evil tendencies, you still root for her.
The Boys
Even if you hate being scared, you’ll tune in for the star-studded cast and hot dudes. From Grace’s babe of a father (Oliver Hudson) to dreamy barista Pete (Diego Boneta), their good looks almost distract you from the fact that they're all at stage three on the creepy scale. (Almost.)
You’ll love to hate Chad Radwell (Glen Powell), especially with his shirt off, and of course, we’ve got heartthrob Nick Jonas [6] in the mix, too. If only we could get a guest starring role from Evan Peters!
The Serial Reference
Niecy Nash delivers a hilarious Best Buy/Serial reference. That’s all I’m going to say. Blink, and you might miss it!
The Social Commentary
Many parts of the show are genuinely gory (so have fun sleeping at night) but this dark comedy packs in the LOLs. Also, Ryan Murphy isn’t one to stray away from pushing the envelope, and while there are plenty of one-liners that will have you laughing and cringing, he’s also made sure that we look our ridiculous social media tendencies in the face.
He specifically calls out the millennial need to be the center of attention and live on the Internet, as shown during the scene where Chanel #2 (Ariana Grande [7]) gets murdered. Jamie Lee Curtis delivers a deliciously blunt monologue after the lawnmower murder incident, which will having you laughing, if not feeling slightly embarrassed, too. She gets blunt:
"I’ve got news for you, self-involved junior," she says passing the yellow tape into the Kappa house, "just because you know a guy who was in class with the dead girl’s roommate, doesn’t mean it could have been you."
The Music
I found myself wanting to download every song I heard throughout the show! We can thank music supervisor PJ Bloom for that — he also worked on American Horror Story [8], Glee, and the upcoming American Crime Story. The soundtrack is mostly 80's and 90's tunes, like "I Know There's Something Going On" by Frida (1982) and a cover of Thompson Twin's "Hold Me Now" by Eden XO (2015).
Love the music? Check out our playlist [9] of all the tunes from the show. We'll add to it each week.