SCREAM (1996)
Review by Bethany Ramos
Don’t answer the phone… This is perhaps one of my favorite horror movie lines from the last several decades, and for good reason. SCREAM has a wonderful familiarity for many of us who enjoyed it in the 90s, yet it still has the ability to make you jump in your seat. As a side note, you may enjoy revisiting this film since it features Courtney Cox and David Arquette, who are now divorced. Blast from the past!
SCREAM starts at a classic high school campus somewhere in the United States, although we can’t overlook the fact that all of the students appear to be in their 20s, reminiscent of the adultS cast as students in 90210. No matter. The point is that a maniac with a knife is on the loose, and for Sidney (Neve Campbell), her fate may be in his hands. SCREAM is directed by Wes Craven, who created the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series and brings the same unique perspective to this horror film.
Yes, you will definitely find horror clichés in this movie, but you have to appreciate the self-awareness of the characters as they discuss what to do and not to do when a killer is on the loose according to classic horror movie "rules". In essence, you will get the “best practices” for a horror film, directly from the mouths of the lead characters. SCREAM, for that reason, brings a bit of cleverness to the horror genre, although you will still experience many of the same stereotypes and holes in the plot that seem almost ridiculous.
Bottom line? SCREAM is an enjoyable slasher movie that’s fun to watch even 15 years later as we await the new release of SCREAM 4 (or is that SCRE4M) next year. Most of all, don’t miss the scene with Casey (Drew Barrymore) trying to spend a quiet night alone watching a scary movie, when she makes the mistake of answering the phone. It’s a wrong number, but the caller keeps calling again and again, until he reveals that he is watching Casey from outside as she is alone in her house. Casey then turns to see her boyfriend bloody and tied up outside, where he is disemboweled before her eyes after she gets the caller’s horror movie questions wrong over the phone.
This is just a sample of what you can expect from the first in the SCREAM series, and remember, when watching this movie don’t answer the phone…
This is my favorite horror movie of the nineties. It was just so great and genre bending when it came out, as it completely flipped horror conventions on their heads! The film works so well, because it is just as scary as it is hilarious... a slasher film with a razor sharp wit. I felt that the sequels were quite inferior (though many of my friends love them, perhaps moreso than the original), but I have to say I am VERY excited to see Scream 4!
ReplyDeleteFor another great nineties horror movie that toys with genre conventions, check out Wes Craven's "New Nightmare," in which Freddy Krueger turns out to be a real entity... and he haunts the actors and producers on a movie set based on his exploits! It's very meta, and also quite scary, with a more-serious-than-normal Freddy Krueger.
I recently watched the 4th part of scream, and it was awesome, watched it with my GF and she was screaming all the time :D :D
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