Ehh...nicely done, but it drags.

Rating: 7/10 (20 June 2011)

Scream. Now, I must admit I walked into this movie expecting a lot of humor and predictable scenes. For the most part, I got what I expected. From the very beginning, I knew Billy was going to be a key piece in this movie. Once he was so over-zealously stabbed, I knew that from there on out, it was nothing but corn syrup and make believe. As far as humor goes, the allusions to all the classic horror movies and nineties colloquialisms built into the lines made me chuckle out loud. I personally found it hilarious when Gail went to shoot at Billy, and the safety of the gun was on. It was just kind of like "really? You couldn't check that BEFORE you busted in there? Clearly, you were waiting at the door, ready to seize the perfect opportunity, yetyou didn't think to check if the gun was ready." It's that type of stupidity that makes this movie worthwhile.
The only piece of this movie that really stuck with me is that both Casey and Sydney were both intensely watched by the killers previous to their murders. That's the only thing that actually scares me. I'm not a big fan of "cheap horror", you know, jumping out and saying boo. I much prefer psychologically disturbing movies. Before seeing this film, I had only seen one other horror movie, and wouldn't you know that it too, was directed by Wes Craven. The best thing about his movies is his straight-forward decisions. Whether they directly impact the plot or not is irrelevant, it's the mere fact that he took the time to sit down and really concentrate on choices. One thing that really stuck out was the constant popping up of labeled bags and cans of food products. I get it; it's good for funding and whatnot. Howsoever, is it really necessary to having a can of Coke in every scene, or a bag of Ruffles always chilling in the corner? The eyes of the audience are drawn to the products, they aren't just subtly used. It literally looks like they were digitally enhanced to pop out at you. I watched this movie with my two best friends, and one of them is still arguing with me for my obnoxious commentary on this very subject. It bothered me that I'd be trying to focus on a murder, when "Oh, look! They had Dunkin' Donuts in the 90's!" No. Wes Craven, you are a genius, but that particular choice (no matter how pro-active you were trying to be) drove me crazy.
One thing I didn't like about this movie is that it's sort of an open interpretation. While we know that Billy and Stu are directly involved with the murders, we don't know who specifically kills who. Sometimes, I'm really in the mood to do a little detective work and figure out all the little mysteries along the way. However, in the case of Scream, I really did not feel like going to great strides to decide which psychopath killed who. At the end of the mystery movie, I feel like there shouldn't be room for discussion. A mystery is all about two things; the evidence and the perpetrator. Therefore, I think it's only fair to present the audience with a dry, clear cut ending. At least then they can properly judge the storyline and the way the clues were presented all along.