Scream(1996) Review

Rating: 4 Stars Out Of 4, Thumbs Up.

Rated R For Strong Graphic Horror Violence And Gore, And For Language.

1hr 51min/111min.

30 uses of the F-word.

Stu: "Did You really call the police?"

Sidney: "You bet your sorry ass I did."

Stu: "My Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad at me!"

Scream is an absolute masterpiece. It's precise in its every step, every frame. This film reinvented the horror genre and did it well. This film came out around the time when slasher films were getting tired and ridiculously clichéd. But master of horror Wes Craven took upon himself to reinvent the horror genre, filled with a cast of(at the time) mostly unknowns. 3 sequels and over $600,000,000 later, Scream is one of the most popular horror films of all time.

Casey Becker(Drew Barrymore) is home alone one night when she gets a string of mysterious and chilling phone calls from a voice who tells her what to do in order to survive. Sure enough she is killed by a man wearing a Ghostface mask. The next day, the media is swarming the school grounds. Sidney Prescott(Neve Campbell) is trying to make do with the one year anniversary of her mother's death. Her and her friends Tatum(Rose McGowan), Stu(Matthew Lillard), boyfriend Billy(Skeet Ulrich) and Randy(Jaime Kennedy) are all aware of the killer and take precautions to avoid him. School is called off after a series of attacks by the killer. Stu decides to throw a celebratory party where the killer, or killers, may be lurking.

 

The cast is magnificent. Neve Campbell as the sacred but effervescent Sidney, Courtney Cox as the egotistical news reporter Gale Weathers, David Arquette as Deputy Dwight “Dewey” Riley and then some. The screen is not populated by a bunch of big-breasted bimbos or sporty jocks, but instead, real people. We care whether they live or die, unlike most 80’s or 90’s horror flicks.

The writing by Kevin Williamson is absolutely brilliant. He fills up the screen with so many twists and turns that it’s hard to keep track. These characters know that they could be reenacting a real-life horror film themselves. They live in a world where horror movies do exist and have even taken to the clichés of them to avoid the killer.

 

As Randy states in the film, there are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. 1. You may not survive if you engage in sexual activities 2. You may not survive if you drink or do drugs and 3. Never say "I'll be right back" because you won't be back. Also you will not survive if you investigate a strange noise.

 

I'll leave to you to find out who the killer is but the film Scary Movie gives it away. But I will say they do make the killers extremly obvious to point out, but they do try to lead you off the path. The performnaces are exquisite. Every role that is put on screen is not wasted. It is a smart idea to have a star as big as Barrymore be put in the opening scene only to kill her off. It makes you think that anything can happen.

 

This film catapulted a sub-genre of horror films known as the "late 90's, early 2000's teen horror flick". Movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Disturbing Behavior, Urban Legend, Final Destination, The Faculty, The list goes on and on. Each of these films are good but could never match the momentum or power that Scream had.

Scream is one of my all-time favorite films. It has a wonderful cast, masterful writing and wonderful suspense. The atmoshpere of this film really puts you on ease. That's why caller ID increased three-fold after this film, and is even used in the beginning of Scream 2. Some people might hate this film, but I don't. Oddly enough though, it's not my favorite of the series, but we'll get to that at a later date.