Scream ---- ***1/2 (out of 5) (1996)
Cast: Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Skeet Ulrich, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
Director(s): Wes Craven
Screenwriter(s): Kevin Williamson
Released on: December 20, 1996
Reviewed on: July 7, 2003
Rated: R - for strong graphic horror violence and gore, and for language
SCREAM is a typical slasher film that is just so... non-typical. It has such a unique premise and, despite the unoriginal plot and predictability, it actually manages to have the balls to poke fun at itself but also become one of the scariest films in years. What an ironic twist.
The plot is old and has been used hundreds of times before but, at the same time, it's never been used before. I'll try to explain this later. A serial killer is roaming the streets of peaceful Woodsboro, murdering teenagers in shockingly gruesome ways while hiding its face behind an amusing ghost mask. One of the prime suspects is Billy Loomis, the boyfriend of Sidney Prescott whose mother was brutally raped and murdered exactly one year ago. She thought she did her and her father justice by convicting the man who did it, but she begins to doubt herself and reconsider the possibility that the real killer could still be out there.
A film like SCREAM, which blatantly criticizes the predictability of slasher films like HALLOWEEN while existing in the same type of horror movie setup itself, could have come at a much earlier time. The late 90's wasn't the right time to produce a film like this since the horror genre had died down with the deterioration of sequels from the FRIDAY THE 13TH saga. It maybe could have been come out around the late 80's or early 90's sometime to prevent the making of the terrible garbage that disgraced theatres in the form of JASON GOES TO HELL or HALLOWEEN 6. Those were not movies. They were mere excuses, giving Hollywood filmmakers the opportunity to cash in on popular franchise by coming up with the most uniquely gory murders. Some of the last few sequels in the FRIDAY THE 13TH movie franchise were aimed at younger and more vulnerable crowds so they could soak it up and enjoy the bloodiness, while at the same time nervously checking around the corner to see if their parents are coming down the hall.
Now that I've spent some time bashing the long since worn-out slasher genre with some of the faces we're so tired of seeing on the big screen over and over again, (Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers) let's talk about SCREAM, shall we? No doubt, it's an entertaining piece of celluloid. I can see how easily some people must have sighed and shaken their heads after seeing the previews of yet another film trying to reawaken the dead and buried slasher genre. That's why the first scary moment in SCREAM was put at just the right spot: the opening scene. We know the expectations of the audiences are going to be low while walking into SCREAM, so let's just jump right out and scare them first thing to show that we won't waste time setting things up for 20 minutes before the first murder even occurs. SCREAM violates every rule in the common horror film on purpose. That's because everybody is so tired of the common horror film. Nobody wants to see some "big-breasted blonde" (as mentioned in the movie) walking around for the first half-hour, flaunting herself in public. We just want to see her killed. Period.
I can sum up why SCREAM is so successful in five words. It doesn't take itself seriously. And here's something else. When the scene calls for some seriousness prior to a murder, it's actually scary. Imagine that. As a final statement, I'd say that for the most part, this film kills two birds with one stone. It makes fun of itself for being a dumb slasher film when, in actuality, it's a scary slasher film. Unfortunately, during the climax, it falls victim to the very formula it was milking jokes out of with scenes of intense and often needlessly excessive violence and heavy gore. But you'd be a fool not to see it. So, therefore, I recommend it.
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