SCREAM (1996)
SCREAM (1996) – 10/01/2021
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117571/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1
We are approaching the 25th Anniversary of the release of Scream, the fifth installment of the series is due out next year, and this is handily my favorite movie and series of the genre. I could have written a Master’s dissertation about Scream. Wes Craven’s deconstruction of Slasher movies contains satire, references, and in-jokes, and still remains a solid entry into the pantheon.
In one of the greatest opening scenes in all of horror movie history (and film in general), Casey Becker (Drew Berrymore) finds herself trapped in her house by a masked killer. This scene has influenced a whole generation of films to find that immediate “gotcha” opening. From there, the Town of Woodsboro CA races to find the identity of the killer (or killers) before they wreak any more havoc on the quiet town. The apparent target of our killer (or killers) is Sidney Prescott played by the wonderful Neve Campbell. Sidney and her family have a history of tragedy in Woodsboro that places all media attention on her. Most of that attention comes from Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) who has preyed on the Prescott family throughout their ordeal to further her journalist career and book sales. Sidney is aided by her best friend Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) and her brother, Sheriff’s Deputy Dewey (David Arquette). Sidney’s boyfriend, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), and his friend, Stu Macher (Mattew Lillard), top a long list of suspects including their friend Randy (Jamie Kennedy), Sidney’s father, the Sheriff, the high school principal, Gale Weathers…basically, as Randy puts it, “Everybody’s a suspect!”
A nearly encyclopedic knowledge of all things horror is required to catch and understand all of the references and jokes in Scream. I learned something new about it after watching it for this review. References to Halloween, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, The Exorcist, Prom Night, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Hellraiser, Evil Dead, The Howling, The Bad Seed, Psycho, Carrie, I Spit On Your Grave, Terror Train, The Fog, The Silence Of The Lambs, and Basic Instinct (among others) are peppered throughout the film. It’s amazing that there is still a solid plot beneath all of that.
Scores:
Suspense: 10/10 –
the killer literally can show up anywhere—at home, at school, at a party, at
the front door, at the back door, in the closet…
Gore: 10/10 – Casey
Becker hanging from a tree by her entrails.
Scares: 10/10 – jump
scares, paranoia, chase scenes, knife wounds, gunshot wounds, someone gets a TV
dropped on their head, someone gets crushed by a garage door…
Humor: 10/10 – they
even poke a little fun at Wes Craven’s biggest hit A Nightmare On Elm Street.
Bonus Points: 10 –
clearly, my favorite horror movie of all time.
Total: 50/40 – What’s
your favorite scary movie?
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