One of the scariest slasher movies ever made--one of the years best films. ***1/2 out of ****

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 1999)

SCREAM (1996) ***1/2
Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Liev Schreiber, Drew Barrymore, and Henry Winkler Director: Wes Craven Running time: 111 minutes Rated R (for strong grizzly violence and gore, language, and some sexuality)
By Blake French:
"Scream" is the mother of all teen slasher films. From the opening sequence to the somewhat silly closing cliffhanger, it is one of the scariest productions of the past several years. Now, about the opening sequence, it features a penetrating Drew Barrymore receiving prank phone calls from a man with a deep, mysterious voice, who becomes more and more conversationally aggressive as they talk. "What's your name--because I want to know who I'm looking at." After building up some very effective momentum, the scene has a heart-stopping climatic payoff that isn't only pointless gore, but terrifying suspense. It is moments like these that make "Scream" one of the best movies of 1996.
"Scream" centers on a high school girl named Sidney Prescott, a modestly productive young woman who spends much of her time alone and with her boyfriend, Billy. She is approaching the anniversary of her mother's murder, whose killer has been convicted and sentenced to death. Sydney's school is in the process of mourning the brutal murder of two fellow classmates, and the pupils aren't exactly sympathetic.
One night Sidney is home alone, and receives a phone call similar to the one in the opening scene. Sidney is tormented in that call, and after an exchange of a few unfriendly words, attacked by a dark individual wearing a white ghost mask. She fights him off, however, and lives another day, much in regard to the mysterious appearance of her boyfriend and a young, squeamish cop named Dewy.
The presentation of Sidney's life is not one-dimensional. The overlook on her schooling experiences, classmates, relatives, friends, and teachers are all believable. Strongly supporting the character are the details and sub-characters.
It is nearly impossible to watch "Scream" without making a list of assumed suspects to the numerous killings that take place. Here is my prediction list of murderer suspects, not telling who, if anyone, is the correct guess:
· Dewy, the young police officer who suspiciously shows up at nearly every crime scene, and has somewhat of a psycho personality.
· Sidney's boyfriend, Billy, who is actually sent to prison for a short period of time after being accused as a prime suspect. He also appears at a crime site unexpectedly.
· Sidney's father, whom has motive for murder and is nowhere to be found locally.
· A crazy video store clerk who is obsessed with scary movies and who I forget the details of.
Another element that makes "Scream" so great is the content of the murders. The victims aren't just helpless plot puppets waiting to die like a mannequin, but real people who want to live. Each puts up a good fight in defending themselves, and several nearly escape the killer. The characters who die are often unexpected, members of the main cast--making this production unpredictable.
The performances are electrifying in Wes Craven's highly acclaimed horror film. The actors act with dramatic intensity and the characters are perfectly cast. Each character is explored with suspicion, and due to Craven's direction, the villain's identity remains a mystery until the lazy finale. I am an experienced filmgoer, and I thought that I had the killer picked out at mid point in the film. But I was so wrong--the film had me fooled all along, and that is not an easy thing to do. I had no clue of who the killer actually was. "Scream" contains so many twists are turns that by the end of the movie, I couldn't have correctly predicated the killer's identity if my life depended on it.
Brought to you by Dimension Films.