Slasher done right

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2001)

Scream is not an excellent film. It's a good film, and an excellent slasher. It stands above every other film in the genre for several reasons.
Firstly, it doesn't take itself seriously. It has a good humour and the irony is not as overdone or as irritating as some people claim. It stops the audience from grumbling about the unlikeliness of it all, and so shields criticism in that sense.
Scream also has characters that you actually care if they die or not. Although, from the offset, its quite easy to tell who'll die and who won't, it still works. Thankfully, the cast do justice to the characters their given.
Neve Campbell is fine in the 'scream queen' role, but it is the more minor characters that are played best. David Arquette is good as dopey Dewey, Matthew Lillard's overacting suits Stu, Courteney Cox and Jamie Kennedy are ideally cast, while Rose McGowan is impressive as the gutsy best friend.
Scream is also well directed by Craven, with well-timed shocks and some excellent set-pieces.
Williamson's script is what makes Scream special, but although it looked like a new talent had been spotted, with the cash-in that was I Know What You Did Last Summer, it seems that he's a one-note writer with little imagination.
But Scream, although it's tarnished by the inferior sequels and the floods of truly awful imitations (Urban Legend et al), remains an example of how slashers should be done - more than just an excuse to cut up busty teens, it's a smart and funny film.
9/10