I Tried Angry Orchard’s Scream-Themed “Mystery Caller” Flavor, and It’s Killer - VICE
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Ghost Face has apparently traded his knife for a cider glass. For the second Halloween in a row, Angry Orchard has handed its seasonal variety pack over to a horror icon. Last year, it was Jason Voorhees.
This year, it’s Scream‘s masked slasher, complete with Skeet Ulrich as the campaign’s very willing face. (And I’d know. I chatted with Ulrich earlier this month to talk about signing on as Ghost Face’s new drinking buddy, and he told me the two irreverent brands “just felt right.”)
I’ll be upfront here, as well. I haven’t really been a regular cider drinker for five or six years. I used to drink it constantly, but most ciders lean sweet enough that one is usually my limit these days. Still, I was very excited to crack open the Thriller Variety Pack, mostly because of the nostalgia baked into this release.
Scream super-fans in their 30s and 40s are exactly who this pack is talking to. And because the pack’s headline flavor, Mystery Caller, doesn’t tell you what’s actually in the can. That’s the whole game. Angry Orchard isn’t showing its cards, and I wanted to find out for myself before recommending it to anyone else.
SPOILER ALERT! If you don’t want to be spoiled by what the Mystery Caller flavor tastes like, skip to the end now for my spoiler-free verdict!
This is a really fun seasonal pack with one flavor that’s worth buying the whole box for, two that are solid autumn drinking, and one that isn’t for me personally. The box design is built to look like a shelf of glow-in-the-dark VHS tapes with Ghost Face on the front, and it might be the single best piece of packaging design I’ve seen from a beverage brand in recent memory. If you grew up on the new wave of 90s slasher movies, Angry Orchard clearly made this for you (and me).
I was sent the 12-pack and drank my way through all four flavors in one sitting over the course of an evening, the way most people probably will. I went in with a clear palate and about five years of not drinking cider regularly, which, if anything, made the sweeter flavors stand out more than they might to a regular cider drinker. I’m noting that because Angry Orchard doesn’t publish exact ingredient breakdowns for Mystery Caller, so my take on its flavor is a tasting impression, not a confirmed recipe.
This is the best can in the box, and it’s not particularly close. It’s fruity and refreshing, with a blueberry-pomegranate quality that tastes more like a fancy craft soda than a typical cider. It’s also noticeably less sweet than the other three flavors here.
My first thought on the first sip was, weirdly, of OK Soda, the 90s Coca-Cola experiment that I won’t ever let go as a 90’s kid myself. If I could resurrect one discontinued soda, it’d be that one, so take my Mystery Caller praise with that bias in mind. Either way, it’s delicious.
My second favorite, and a pleasant surprise. I like pumpkin beers, but I wasn’t sure what a pumpkin cider might taste like. The taste makes a lot of sense, though, and it hits the “start of fall” notes hard without tipping into candle-wax territory. If you want the seasonal flavor without much mystery attached to it, this is the safe, reliable pick in the box.
Third place. The orange flavor tastes a bit more artificial than I’d like—almost too “orangey” if that makes sense. It tastes more like a mixer than a cider, which I guess could work if you’re trying to double the potency of your cocktail. It’s not bad, and it still fits the set, but it’s the least distinctive of the four.
My least favorite of the pack, by a pretty wide margin. I’m not a maple guy, and this flavor leans hard into that lane. It’s more dessert-drink than cider… like a port is to wine. If you love caramel-forward drinks, you’ll probably love this one. I’d personally just take a regular apple cider over a caramel one.
Angry Orchard also has Crisp Imperial, an 8% ABV cider that gives you a stronger, simpler option if you’d rather skip the flavor roulette entirely.
If ciders really aren’t your thing, Scream star Matthew Lillard’s Ghost Face Vodka is the obvious next choice.
Yes. All four flavors in the pack are gluten-free and 5% ABV.
It’s rolling out at major retailers, including Total Wine, and is expected to be available through October or while supplies last, since it’s a limited seasonal release tied to Halloween.
The Thriller Variety Pack is just a fun way to kick off Spooky Season, even for a lapsed cider drinker like me. I was giddy just receiving the box.
Mystery Caller alone makes the box worth buying, Headless Pumpkin is a dependable seasonal pour, and the packaging is some of the most creative I’ve seen from a beverage brand this year. Caramel Apple Curse and Blood Orange fans will get what they came for, too… they’re just not for me personally.
If you grew up watching Scream and want a Halloween drink with some nostalgia behind it, this is well worth the buy before it disappears for the season.
