What's YOUR favorite scary movie?

Rating: 10/10 (16 March 1999)

Oh my God. Words cannot describe how wonderful this movie is. Everything about it is top-notch: the acting is three-dimensional, convincing, and charming; the scares are potent and chilling; the laughs are hilarious and common. Neve Campbell turns in a star-making performance as Sidney Prescott, who is not your typical "big-breasted girl who can't act who's always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door"; Sid is a tough cookie, and she faces off against the killer with admirable strength. Likewise her friends are not typically bland oversexed teens who merely exist to be butchered in all sorts of gory ways. Jamie Kennedy plays Randy the film geek, who has one of the largest followings in all of filmdom; the character is an amazing, wonderful creation. Rose McGowan is now more commonly known as Marilyn Manson's better (if not more normal-looking) half, but before that, she was known as Tatum, the perky blond sidekick to Sid with a sassy mouth, a saucy wit, and a bod for sin. Yummy. And Matthew Lillard is maniacally perfect as Stu; his wild eyes, goofy face, and squealy voice make him a memorable addition to the Scream family. Then of course there's Gale and Dewey, played by now real-life sweethearts Courteney Cox and David Arquette; Cox is awesomely bitchy as the backstabbing reporter with a knack for ticking people off, and Arquette is sincere and charming as Gale's total opposite, a small-town deputy with an aw-shucks attitude. But enough about the characters - the in-joke references are great too. Everything from Halloween to The Town that Dreaded Sundown is mentioned and/or made fun of in this film; it's like the end-all, be-all for every horror movie ever made. But the best part is that it is completely scary and completely funny at the same time. What other movie do you know that can do that? Well, other than Scream 2, of course . . . I give this movie 10/10.