Scream (revised) [Spoilers]

During the 1990s when Scream was first released, the horror genre was practically dead. Most popular horror franchises (Halloween, Friday the 13th) were churning out sequel after sequel where the supposed killer keeps coming back and it was getting repetitive. The rapid increase in gore and violence couldn’t overshadow the weak writing, and the fact that each film is indistinguishable from the previous instalment. Scream revived the genre in multiple ways.

Scream takes place in Woodsboro. College student Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is still struggling to cope with her mother’s death. The fact that her mother’s one year death anniversary is coming closer doesn’t help either. Suddenly 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.

The killer of this movie is called Ghostface. People accustomed to the indestructability of Myers and Voorhees will find it refreshing this is a man in a mask made obvious from the first scene. This killer is highly intelligent for his trivia on horror movies being far more advanced than the entire cast’s knowledge put together. His killings have reasons behind them. A more logical subversion of Myers’ approach who butchers anyone for no rhyme or reason.  

The suspense in this movie is mind-blowing! My finger of suspicion was flying on everyone by the time of the climax. Scream could have easily made the mistake of having a huge cast and make a movie about the killer knocking each cast member down like a bowling pins. Instead they’ve kept the focus on suspense rather than gore and given the film that classic Agatha Christie-murder mystery vibe. There’s several hints in the film that misdirect the viewer as to who the killer is and there’s several hints that make it obvious who the killer is. 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. If anyone remembers the infamous shower scene from Psycho, it was firmly established killers can come anywhere and shower time isn’t a safe place after all. Scream reinforces this same ideology - this time it’s the college bathroom! 

Although I believe the murder mystery set up of the slasher film is the film’s biggest asset, most cinephiles have the opinion that Scream is a subversive deconstruction of the genre. The characters are aware the events in their life have the similar happenings of a traditional scary movie. They know all the rules (virgins aren’t victims, characters who say they’ll be back won’t be back) but knowledge isn’t enough to survive the killer’s hit list.

Neve Campbell showed a certain amount of vulnerability as this movie’s "scream queen" Sidney Prescott, especially the last forty-five mins of the movie. My heart went out for her, especially when she gets stabbed by the killer. Courtney Cox’s character Gale Weathers will immediately be hated for repeatedly bringing up the untouched topic of Sidney’s mother’s death as an attempt to unravel the truth. This detective side proves crucial in the third act when it seems the narrative is going on Ghostface’s favour. Reading about David Arquette’s character Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley gives the impression he’s a six foot, muscle-bound strict yet morally correct middle-aged man. Watching the movie, one realises it’s a boyish skinny slightly cowardly yet courageous young man, who’s every bit as vulnerable as the body count of college students.

Rose McGowan essays the role of Tatum Riley. Despite being saddled with the stereotypical best friend role which receives a predictable outcome, she immediately gets in the viewer’s good books for sticking up for Sidney. Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard play Sidney and Tatum’s boyfriends Billy Loomis and Stu Macher. Anyone who’s seen horror movies knows that boyfriends never have a substantial role other than getting sliced before intercourse with their girlfriends. Billy plays the ideal red herring, confusing the viewers whether he’s good or bad. In contrast, Stu exudes a great amount of energy and always seems to carry a buffoonish smile on his face, an otherwise difficult job in a slasher movie.            

Jamie Kennedy gets the character everyone will remember after they leave the theatres. As the film geek Randy Meeks, he displays vulnerability and comic timing. His scene in the video store made me laugh the most. He doesn’t bring the boisterous 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 provide a counter-balance to Lillard’s over-the-top antics.

If I’m allowed to make a spoiler other than the killer’s identity, it would be Drew Barrymore’s character’s length. Since it’s been two decades since the movie came out, everyone is aware she isn’t the main character of the movie as she was publicized at the time. At the time the film was released, Barrymore was the most recognisable face (everyone else was a newcomer or a TV actor). 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 ten minutes, convincing the director that if she dies then it leaves an air of uncertainty whether who else will survive. 

If you enjoy racking your brains to solve mysteries or you’re eager to "watch 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. The underlining of the word "purchase" reiterates… you will see this more than once