HOLLYWOOD—I will admit I was slightly hesitant about the TV version of the “Scream” movie franchise. There was one thing that hooked me: those final moments where our heroine Emma received a threatening call from the masked killer. It was the one factor I needed to peak my interest. Episode two of the series, ‘Hello Emma,’ saw the body count rise.

The episode opened with Rachel, Audrey’s girlfriend resorting to cutting after reading the taunting comments on the Internet. While talking to Audrey on the phone, she heard strange sounds coming from her bedroom. It soon became evident, that it wasn’t Audrey who was calling her, it was the killer. Rachel was lured to the balcony, where she found a noose. Out of nowhere the killer emerged placing the noose around her neck and threw her over the balcony.

Brooke did her best to get back into good graces with Emma after dropping the bomb that Will and Nina had hooked up. After a bit of butt-kissing, she was invited back into Emma’s good graces. Noah found himself being questioned by Sheriff Hudson about his obsession with Brandon James. Noah is a bit creepy when it comes to his knowledge of all things macabre. Will confirmed with Jake that any possible cyber connection to Nina has been eliminated. He then tracked a trail of blood to his car with the words ‘DOOSH’ written on them.

The students at Lakewood were ecstatic with the arrival of media guru Piper Shay, who captured footage of Jake making threats to Noah about his truck being vandalized. Why hasn’t these kids figured out that Tyler is dead! He can’t respond to texts because his head has been chopped off. Kieran interrupted a conversation between Will and Emma, where the halo-driven teen is in the middle of a love triangle. Audrey and Emma had a confrontation about her betrayal, just as the killer sent a viral text to all the students identifying themselves as they stood over Nina’s bloody body in the pool.

The fact that the killer is wearing the mask that was once worn by a notorious serial killer has the entire town on edge. Riley and Noah continued to get closer, in a funny, nerdy way. Once again, Noah becomes the resident know-it-all about how to survive a mass murderer, but news soon became apparent that Rachel is dead. What the teens don’t know is that she didn’t commit suicide, she was murdered. Emma was riddled with guilt, as word spread around school about the death. Piper inquired a bit about Emma’s past, and her father, who happened to be the sole survivor of the Brandon James bloodbath. While taking out trash Emma got locked out, as she spotted a mysterious figure dressed in all black walking towards her, she nearly whacked Will.

Emma paid her mom a visit at work where she spilled the beans about being involved in the cyber-bullying incident. I must admit it seems that Maggie Duvall is much smarter than everyone else in Lakewood. Her autopsy revealed that Rachel’s neck was snapped, she was murdered. Hmm, looks like Jake and Will were behind the scare tactic at Emma’s place of business.

Everyone turned out for the Lakewood basketball game, which set the stage for a frightening moment, as Noah found himself on a dark football field waiting for Riley to show up. Brooke continued to toy with Mr. Branson, who is having trouble resisting temptation. Kiernan got Emma to suspect that perhaps Will was behind her frightening ordeal in the alley. Riley tired of giving clues to Noah went in for the kill and planted a kiss on the awkward one. Oh, the sparks fly, but what will transpire in the near future between the two?

Once again it seems the show shines during its final moments. While home alone, the alarm goes off and Emma discovers her back door is open. She received a call that rattled her a bit, as she guarded herself with a bat. She soon discovered the person that she talked to was not a friendly voice. They indicated they were watching her every move, and was well aware that she was armed with a weapon. The killer admitted that her mother was the reason all the chaos started and that she can’t trust any of her friends.

I must admit if they utilize that friendly, yet deceptive voice a bit more throughout each episode it will only heighten the level of thrills in my opinion. Until next Tuesday “Scream” thrill seekers!