The teen slasher genre is re-born!

Rating: 10/10 (30 June 2009)

It's proved very difficult to re-boot long gone genres that defined early Hollywood (the Western, the musical, gangster films). There has been limited success of each case, but in actuality, only one genre has been (for better or worse) re-booted to extreme success in the last decade and that is the horror/slasher film. That success can be directly attributed to SCREAM (1996)! And not just the teen variety (URBAN LEGEND, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, CRY WOLF, etc.), but also films like SAW, HOSTEL, and a host of other horror films. Just base on influence alone, SCREAM deserves a place in the history of film.
While SCREAM essentially references all the old 70s-80s slasher flicks (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, Friday THE 13TH, HALLOWEEN), make no mistake, the film itself is a highly original, involving experience with a witty script, a solid story, and excellent performances. The film starts with former teen icon/idol Drew Barrymore (perfect in her small role as Casey Becker, her real last chance to play a "teenager" before time just plain takes over!) getting a "wrong number" phone call from a mysterious weirdo, who quizzes her about those famed slasher flicks and their villains (Jason Voorhies, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers). But this is no ordinary quiz: the caller has kidnapped and tortured Casey's boyfriend. If Casey doesn't answer the questions correctly, her boyfriend is dead and so is she. This opening scene is both terrifying and tongue-in-cheek.
Cut to our story's heroine Sydney Prescott (a perfectly cast Neve Campbell from PARTY OF FIVE TV show fame). Sydney's mom was murdered a year before (the killer is in jail) and she lives with her father. Her boyfriend Billy Loomis (excellently played by Skeet Ulrich) is sensitive to her situation but wants to consummate their relationship. Their best friends are Tatum, Stuart, and Randy (Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, and Jamie Kennedy in solid performances). They soon find out about Casey Becker's demise and postulate who the killer might be and the motive. Of course, they reference every slasher flick known to man while doing it! Separately investigating the crime is Tatum's brother Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley and up-and-coming investigative reporter Gale Weathers (real-life couple David Arquette and Courtney Cox rounding out the perfect cast). Eventually, all parties collide at the climactic teen weekend party where the real culprit is revealed.
SCREAM, while having a memorable beginning and end, also has an extremely solid middle act and that is vital. It is fun thinking along with the characters trying to figure out what is really going on. And the final reveal is a humdinger! But even knowing the ending, it is so memorable and well-executed that you want to watch over and over again. The modern day slasher flick all starts here with SCREAM!