If Randy Meeks - Jamie Kennedy’s character from Scream, who uses his extensive knowledge of horror films to survive one - was given his own film, the result would be similar to There’s Nothing Out There. The difference is that There’s Nothing Out There came out five years before Scream reinvented the horror genre as we knew it. I don’t believe writer Kevin Williamson or director Wes Craven knowingly ripped off the obscure 1991 indie horror-comedy, but their shared meta aspects make for a fascinating double feature.
Writer-director Rolf Kanefsky immediately exposes the viewer to his tongue-in-cheek approach with There’s Nothing Out There’s opening scene. Set in a mom-and-pop video store, a woman attempts to rent Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors on VHS before being attacked by an unseen monster. At the would-be moment of death, she’s jolted awake, revealing it all to be a dream she had - while driving. Needless to say, a car crash soon follows. It’s silly, but it perfectly sets the winking tone.