You May Not Scream, But You Will Grin

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2012)

In the 90's, the slasher genre was worn out. Series like "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" had gravitated away from their horror routes and were now like comedies. The longevity of these series were now a running joke to the audience, and the genre needed some new life. So "A Nightmare on Elm Street" director Wes Craven decided to make "Scream".
"Scream" is a horror movie that is self aware. While most films in the genre are usually mocked for being so cliché, "Scream" celebrates it and cleverly follows the classic formula.
The beginning of "Scream" opens up with Drew Barrymore. Many people thought that, due to the marketing campaign, she was going to be the lead role, since she was such a big name at the time. But, no, she's actually killed within 15 minutes. It's kind of a tribute to "Psycho", where Janet Leigh was portrayed to be the main hero, but was abruptly killed early.
So then, the film transitions over to Sidney Prescott played by Neve Campbell. Sidney's mother was raped and killed a year prior to the film, and as such, Sidney is in a depression. I find Capmbell's performance to be very solid for a horror film, and this is my favourite role she's been in. This is the film that launched her career. She may have a respectable resume these days, but in my heart, shes a scream queen.
Sidney has a boyfriend named Billy, played by Skeet Ulrich. Neve Campbell had co-starred with him earlier that year in "The Craft". In his very first scene, Billy sneaks into Sidney's room just to make-out with her. But the way he proposes it is funny as hell. Funny enough, this is probably the way I would propose it if I had a girlfriend.
Then there's Sidney's best friend, Tatum, played by a young Rose McGowan. Funny to think that in 11 years, this chick would be blowing the hell out of zombies with a gun-leg in "Planet Terror".
Tatum's older brother, Dewey, is played by David Arquette, who is the real life older brother of Patricia Arquette. Patricia had starred in "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors". Dewey is an easily lovable character. He comes off as kinda wimpy and weak, but you just love him.
Then there's Gale Weathers, played by Courtney Cox. Gale's a news reporter, but she also becomes Dewey's love interest. While the sequels expanded upon this, in the original, it seems like Gale is just using Dewey to get to Sidney for her next big story. Sidney gets so mad at Gale that she punches her square in the face. I laugh my head off every time I see this part.
But the man who steals the whole film is Randy, played by Jamie Kennedy. Randy is a film buff, always overflowing with film references and great humour. Randy is probably my favourite film character of all time. Mostly cause I can relate to him. Being a film buff myself, I know the mindset, and thats my favourite part about Randy. He's always in movie-mode.
The finale is a 40 minute long build up, sprinkled with a kill here and there, and it keeps you guessing at who the killer really is. Speaking of which, I haven't even talked about the killer yet.
The killer's costume was an actual real life Halloween costume that was already popular before the movie. It's kinda like the original "Halloween", where the filmmakers went out, just bought a random mask from the store, and used it for the movie. Reusing this technique was very smart in my opinion, cause it truly gives the feeling that the killer could be anyone.
Overall, I love this movie. While it's in no way a masterpiece of horror cinema, the modern age owes a lot to "Scream". It revitalized the slasher genre and brought a new audience's attention back to the classics. It's not a landmark, but it's a pretty solid horror film. Check it out.