A milestone in its genre.

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 2000)

No doubt, Scream, a splendid work of Wes Craven- Kevin Williamson cooperation, was really a milestone in its genre both owing to its very original plot and the imitations made after it was released in 1996. Well, you may laugh, but in my opinion, Williamson should have been - at least - a nominee for the Oscar for the best original screenplay that year. I simply admired the plot, and its originality. It rested on the idea that while it made fun of the basic rules of horror films, the events were based upon the same rules! Terrific!.. ( Warning: Spoiler) For instance, while Sydney (Neve Campbell) was talking to the killer on the phone for the first time, she said about scary movies:"...they're all the same.Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act and is always running up the stairs when she should be running out of the front door; it's insulting." However, when she came up against the ghostface, she tried to run out of the front door but she could not do so because she had just locked it.Consequently, she necessarily ran up the stairs in order to escape from the killer like the"big breasted girl" she had just mentioned. What fun!! (Spoiler END) Apart from being extremely original, the screenplay was also a brilliant achievement due to the perfect concealment of the killer. ( Major SPOILER!) In the first hour, I highly suspected of Billy and was sure he was the killer. But all my suspicion died down when I saw the ghostface and Billy together in the bedroom in Stu's house. How could I have known that there were two killers indeed?! Besides, the characters were great! I especially loved Gale Weathers, who was ready to do anything in order to do her "job", and Randy, the young expert in horror films. (Spoiler END)
As for the acting, I think Drew Barrymore was the best although her role was quite short. She acted Casey Becker so impressively that the most scary scene was hers, which was full of suspense and horror. The music was also fine, adding much to our suspense during the pre-murder scenes.
In conclusion,this movie was simply a must see one that made the teen slasher movies popular in the late 90s. Actually, it was both Craven's and Williamson's outstanding achievement which made this movie a milestone in its genre.