Brilliant Horror Satire

Rating: 8/10 (1 November 2017)

Just as Deadpool is the superhero film that made fun of and reinvented the genre, Scream was that for Horror in the 90's. Constantly making commentary on the state and tropes of the genre, Scream is a horror film for horror fans. Albeit not as frightening as some of the great slasher films of the mid-late 20th century, Scream benefits from Wes Craven's meta direction, and memorable performances from actors who were just starting to gain fame in 1996.
This film is notable for killing off a character, played by a very well-known actress (even at the time), within the first few scenes of the film. And although I knew it was coming, it was not any less effective, and proved to be a great way to introduce the "ghostface" persona. As I've said in many reviews for horror films, the film can win me over with creativity. Scream is very much an homage to the entire slasher genre, but yet it manages to feel fresh and different because of Ghostface's way of killing. The mystery surrounding his/her identity is an intriguing plot point of course, but I was more interested to hear what famous horror film Ghostface would comment on next.
It's very much a horror satire, with it succeeding in executing horror trope after horror trope without ever seeming to over do it, Scream is almost like a parody of horror. Leave it to Wes Craven I guess. The only thing I got frustrated with was just how clumsy Ghostface can be, and really, every character. Perhaps done on purpose, there are far too many characters who just don't seem to have a clue how to act in a horrific situation. Again, this was probably just Craven playing with all of us, but there was just one too many trips and falls for my liking.
However, with all of the memorable performances and creative horror commentary by Craven, Scream will no doubt go down as one of the more important horror films of the last few decades.
8.2/10