During
the 1990s when Scream was first
released, the horror genre was practically dead. Wondering why? Most of the
popular horror franchises (Halloween,
Friday the 13th) were churning out
sequel after sequel where the supposed killer keeps coming back and it was
getting frustrating. The rapid increase in gore and body count couldn’t
overshadow the weak writing, and the fact that each film is indistinguishable
from the previous instalment. So what did Scream
do to revive the horror genre? Read on
The
film takes place in Woodsboro. College student Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)
is still struggling to cope with her mother’s death and it doesn’t help that
the narrative is closing in on the 1 year anniversary of her mother’s death.
And it also doesn’t help that her classmates are receiving threatening calls
from a masked killer. And later getting murdered by them! With the body count
increasing and the finger of suspicion being pointed at everyone, it’s almost
impossible to guess the killer or his/her motives. Suddenly the killer drops a
clue about Sidney’s mother’s death and Sidney realises she is the killer’s
target and no one in her close proximity is safe.
Let
me begin by saying Scream is one of
my favourite movies. It’s a movie I’ve seen several times. And there’s several
reasons why. Once the true killer was revealed, I had to watch the movie a
second time to pick up on all the clues/hints I missed out on. This reason
alone is why I believe Scream has
built a cult. However fellow cinephiles will beg to differ. Most cinephiles
believe Scream has built a cult because of its ability to be self-aware. The
characters are aware they are in a horror movie, they are aware of all the
rules (the virgins aren’t the victims, characters who say they’ll be back won’t
be) and references movie trivia in conversations. Despite knowing the rules of
horror movies and survival, almost every character is placed in danger’s
way.
This
film was made to satirize the clichés of the horror genre. Characters reference
the methods victims get killed, make fun of mistakes made by victims (only to
end up doing the same thing) and bring up horror movie names. This film
succeeds to a great extent because you can still enjoy the film even if you
aren’t a huge horror movie buff. I know I wasn’t when I first saw the film. This
is I believe is the beauty behind the methods with which Scream pokes fun at common horror movie tropes and makes it
appealing to its target audience.
I
absolutely love the suspense in this movie. Whilst watching this movie for the
first time, my finger of suspicion was flying everywhere. Ever thought your
college bathrooms were the safest place in school? After this movie you won’t
think that. Slightly reminds me of the shower scene from Psycho. I’m starting to think all horror movies are made to
establish your comfort zones aren’t safe places. There’s several hints in the
film that misguide the viewer as to who the killer and there’s several hints
that make it obvious who the killer is. And the beauty of these hints is that
they warrant a second viewing so the viewer can make out where he/she went
wrong or what he/she didn’t notice the first time.
Neve
Campbell did a brilliant job as this movie’s scream queen Sidney. She showed a
certain amount of courage, intelligence and helplessness during her encounter
with Ghostface which also continued in the last 45 mins of the movie. My heart
went out for her, especially when she gets stabbed by the killer.
Courtney
Cox was also brilliant as the icy news reporter Gale Weathers. She is believably
bitchy when she repeatedly annoys Sidney with the untouched topic of her
mother’s death yet she is praiseworthy when she tries to unravel the truth. The
bitchy side serves the purpose of fuelling Sidney’s hate for her whilst her
"detective" side is there to point out the clues for us, the
audience.
Just
reading about David Arquette’s character Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley would make
you think he is a 6 foot, muscle-bound strict yet morally correct middle-aged
man. You’re wrong! Watching the movie, you see it’s a boyish skinny slightly
cowardly yet courageous young man. This marks a welcome change because you
normally would expect the policeman to be the obstacle in the killer’s path
with whom the killer will have a breath-taking showdown towards the climax. However
the presentation of Dewey Riley makes him look every bit as vulnerable as the
college students getting picked off one by one. David Arquette does a great job
because he’s comical without making himself or the role look ridiculous.
Rose
McGowan essays Tatum Riley, Dewey’s sister and Sidney’s best friend. This role
is quite stereotyped and one can easily predict what’s going to happen with her
character. I liked her performance and her confrontation with the killer made
me smile but rather quite hesitantly.
Skeet
Ulrich plays Sidney’s boyfriend Billy. His character has a sense of mystery
whether he’s the good guy/the bad guy. Skeet does a great job bringing out the
mystery in his character through his facial expressions, especially the eyes. One
easily feels like slapping this character at several points because he brings
the type of you-are-getting-too-close-for-my-taste discomfort in several scenes
with Sidney. If that was the aim of his performance, I would give him 10/10.
Matthew
Lillard plays Stu, Billy’s best friend and Tatum’s boyfriend. His character is
essential for the film’s third act to kick off. Lillard is clearly having fun
with this role as he brings a great amount of energy in an otherwise ordinary
role. Towards the second half of the movie, I had a buffoonish smile on my face
every time he spoke.
Anyone
who reads and hears about Jamie Kennedy’s character will know he gets the most
fun character out of the lot. As the film geek Randy Meeks, he displays
vulnerability and comic timing. His scene in the video store with Stu made me
laugh the most. He doesn’t bring the over-the-top-approach to his character
that Lillard does with Stu (which I think would better his performance) but his
subtle taunts and his comical style of referencing movies in conversation made
him win my heart.
If
I’m allowed to make a spoiler other than the killer’s identity, it would be
Drew Barrymore’s character’s length. At the time the film was released,
Barrymore was the most recognisable face (all the other cast members were
newcomers or TV stars). When she was signed on for the script, it was for
Sidney Prescott’s part. However she chose the role that gets sliced in the
first 10 minutes, convincing the director that if she dies then it leaves an
air of uncertainty whether who else will survive.
I
had lots of fun watching this movie and if you like
- · Racking your brains over the course of 110 minutes in an attempt to solve the mystery
- · Being placed in a position where you don’t know what’s going to happen next
- · Watching the knife cut and scrape the bone beneath the skin
Then
I suggest you head for the nearest DVD store and purchase a copy of Scream. I underlined the word "purchase"…
you will see this more than once
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