Scream (1996)

by Lars Lindahl
(c) 2000 Lars Lindahl

Lars Attacks!
http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/larsattacks

Directed by Wes Craven
Written by Kevin Williamson

Starring David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Drew Barrymore, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, W. Earl Brown, Henry Winkler, Live Schreiber, and Linda Blair.

"Scream" (1996)

Grade: ***1/2 (out of four)

When I first heard about Scream in 1996, I was told that it was a spoof of horror movies. From the master of the horror himself, Wes Craven, it ridiculed the cliches of the genre by overemphasizing them, by making the teenagers do what they know they're not supposed to do when a serial killer is stalking them (don't run up the stairs when you can easily go out the front door, never say "I'll be right back," etc.). When I first heard this description, I figured that it was an easy way out of making a bad movie. How hard is it to make an extremely terrible film but claim it is actually a mockery of other bad movies. Was this Wes Craven's remedy from making "real" bad movies such as Vampires in Brooklyn? It just seemed cheap to me.

Then I actually saw the movie and the first twenty minutes, involving Drew Barrymore and a nail-bitingly intense phone conversation, completely changed my attitude. Scream is not only a clever parody of your standard horror flick, it's also a pretty scary movie. If you've seen a million of these kinds of films, you know exactly what is going to happen. This is part of the fun of watching Scream. The movie reminds avid horror fans how similar and repetitive the genre is and it also reminds them how great a guilty pleasure it can be to watch pointless and predictable violence to innocent, attractive teenagers. To those who rarely see these types of movies, Scream is a thrilling unpredictable ride that could be mistaken as a serious slasher film. There's nothing wrong with that misjudgment though. I have witnessed viewers from both sides of the audience, the newbies to horror and the fanatics. Their opinions on the film were so different but both very positive. From these varied reviews, I am convinced that Scream has not only revived the teen horror movie and the normal teen romance movies but also the hilarious parodies of these and other categories. Films that both deride and celebrate genres like Galaxy Quest and The Big Hit would not have existed, in my opinion, if it was not for the outstanding success of Scream. The low - budget 1996 gem may, alongside Pulp Fiction, be the most influential film of the 1990's. This influence may exist to the chagrin of some moviegoers who despise movies like Teaching Mrs. Tingle or television programs such as Dawson's Creek but to others such as myself, we congratulate the movie that has opened new doors for excellent young actors, screenwriters, and directors.

Scream is also an extremely funny movie thanks to its quickly-paced script by Kevin Williamson. Within the film are characters who tell other characters, as well as the audience, the basic rules and cliches of a horror movie. Mainly from the rants of Randy (Jamie Kennedy) and Stu (Matthew Lillard), we are reminded not only of the obvious and hilarious rules but also some of the more subtle stereotypes that when thought over are mostly true as well (the virgin always survives; have sex and you're dead meat). Not only are we treated these rules on a plate but also the rules are referenced to a number of different films and actors. The script feels like an obsessive essay from a college film geek who has nothing better to do but find every little blunder from every little film for his own self-satisfaction. In this case, Williamson finds these errors for the audience's satisfaction and amusement. I hear there is a new movie coming out called Scary Movie which is a spoof of Scream, which is a spoof of scary movies. I will certainly see the film but I have the feeling that this parody will be more obviously ridiculing the genre rather than Scream's perfect subtlety. However my last gut feeling about this stuff, Scream, was dead wrong... so who knows.

Grade: ***1/2 (out of four)

Lars Attacks!
http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/larsattacks

by Lars Lindahl
(c) 2000 Lars Lindahl