CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — A Clarion man recently found himself in the middle of a massive media storm after his idea to have a “Scream” themed party at the house where the original movie was filmed became a reality.
Nate Ragon, a Clarion native, grew up in the borough and graduated from Clarion Area High School in 2002. As a child, the lure of the forbidden led him to discover a taste for scary movies.
“I think I was fascinated the moment I was told something was ‘too bad’ for me to watch at age seven. Then I was determined to see why,” he said.
“But, I’d say the first actual horror film I ever saw was ‘Friday the 13th’ when I was about eight. To this day, it’s still my favorite.”
His first experience watching the movie “Scream” happened right here in Clarion, at the now-defunct Orpheum Theater. He was taken with the movie from that very first viewing, and though he followed and enjoyed the sequels, he still considers the original unrivaled.
“I think the first ‘Scream’ is absolutely the best. However, I think what Kevin and Wes did with ‘Scream 2’ was amazing, and they somehow wrote, directed, and released a sequel in less than a year that was almost better than the original,” Ragon said.
“I always say that ‘Scream 2’ is a perfect sequel, but a near-perfect film. Near perfect because there are a few flaws, in my opinion, with the ending. But, that was no fault of that filmmakers. ‘Scream 2’ which was filmed in 1997, was actually the first film that was majorly affected by an internet script leak. The final pages that revealed the killers leaked online during production. So, they had to make a quick change.”
It was just a few short years after the release of the first “Scream” film that Rago
n took his fandom to the next level.
“I was about 16 when I acquired my first screen used prop from a movie. And, that kind of was the start of everything that’s happened to me since then.”
Ragon began not only collecting, but also learning more about the horror films and the industry. He is now considered a movie prop and memorabilia expert. He started his own foray into the film industry after he was given the opportunity to be involved with a documentary on the “Scream” films.
“In 2010, I was interviewed for the documentary ‘Still Screaming,’ which is a feature-length documentary on the ‘Scream’ films. That was produced by Anthony Masi, who is my partner in this event. And, it was directed by Ryan Turek, who went on to become Director of Development at Blumhouse. Also that year, I worked as a creative consultant on ‘Scream 4’ for Miramax.”
“‘Scream’ came back in a big way that year, which led to a lot of other things. I wrote several articles for HorrorHound Magazine, and I worked on the Ghost Face action figure for NECA Toys. I also did work on the 2013 film ‘Out of the Furnace’, and the A&E show ‘Those Who Kill.'”
His love of horror films has also lead to some travel after discovering opportunities to visit the filming locations of some of his favorites.
“I’ve always loved visiting filming locations from my favorite films.”
“I love the feeling of seeing them in person. It’s such a surreal feeling. I’ve visited a lot over the years, but I always had a bucket list of ones I still wanted to. ‘Scream’ was one. And, of course, ‘Friday the 13th.’ In 2014, I went to New Jersey to take an official tour of the camp where they filmed the original movie. It’s an active Boy Scouts camp today, so the tours are rare. It was one of the greatest days of my life. I had a blast! Completely surreal. I didn’t want to leave.”
“After that, I started to notice how popular things like that event were getting. The ‘Christmas Story’ House in Ohio, for example, or Hannibal Lecter’s holding cell that was filmed in the Soldiers and Sailors Museum in Pittsburgh, and they started doing events around Halloween, and so many other places,” he continued.
Knowing his penchant for visiting filming locations, his friends and fellow horror fans always kept him up to date on any opportunities they came across.
“In 2017, it was brought to my attention that the house from ‘Scream’ was available to rent for huge weddings and large corporate events, but the rumor was that the owners wanted nothing to do with ‘Scream,'” Ragon said.
“Then, in April of this year, someone sent me a photo of a wedding at the house. The bride and groom photos featured them being chased by Ghost Face in front of the house. I thought it was the coolest thing! So, that night, as I was trying to go to sleep, I kept thinking how cool it would be to have a massive ‘Scream’ event at the house.”
Haunted by the idea, Ragon couldn’t resist reaching out to someone else he believed might be interested.
“I got out of bed and texted Anthony about the idea. He loved it, and we immediately began work on it the next day,” Ragon said.