An Excellent,Scary And Funny Horror/Slasher Classic. Wes Craven At His Best.

Rating: 10/10 (14 April 2014)

Scream is an excellent,scary and funny Horror classic and one of the greatest Horror films of all-time that is filled with amazing direction,a wonderful cast,a terrific script and a creepy and memorable score. All of the elements make Scream an unforgettable Horror film and is Wes Craven at his best.
Scream tells the story of Sidney Prescott(Neve Campbell),a teen who on the one year anniversary of her mother's death discovers that a killer with a ghost face mask is stalking and killing people in her home town. When Sidney finds out she's next on the list Sidney has to try and stop the killer and stay alive.
During the time from the early to mid 1990s the Horror genre was seen as dead by most critics and audiences I wouldn't say the genre was dead but was more in a coma and waiting to wake up and the film that woke up the Horror genre was Wes Craven's Scream,a brilliant Horror movie that was not only a critical and Box Office hit but also made the Horror genre hot again and paved the way for other slasher films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer(1997)and Urban Legend(1998). Right from the movie scary and now famous 10-15 minute sequence,Scream is an amazing and terrifying Horror movie that takes the Slasher genre and toys around with the Slasher movie giving us a film that is not only scary but also funny,smart and clever giving viewers a film that rethinks the Slasher genre while paying homage to Slasher films of the past. Scream is one of the few films I can think of that mixes Horror and Humor flawlessly with intelligence. The scary and suspenseful scenes in Scream are done with powerful and explosive intensity that punches you right in the face and during the scary scenes none of the characters are never safe or secure with violence in the air. The violence and gore that happens during the scary scenes are horrific and disturbing and reminds me of the in your face brutality of his earlier classics such as A Nightmare On Elm Street(1984),The Last House On The Left(1972)and The Hills Have Eyes(1977)because like those films Craven shows us the disgusting view and doesn't hold back one bit. The Comedy and Humor is funny and at times hilarious because it seems like the teenage characters know that they're in a Horror film are self aware and know all of the Clichés and things that happen in a slasher film(or all of the rules in order to survive a Horror film)which is in line with the post-modern film making of the 1990s. Scream also features terrific and fun references to landmark Horror classics such as Psycho(1960),A Nightmare On Elm Street,Halloween(1978)and Friday The 13th(1980)and some of the references are obvious while others are subtle. The balance of Horror and Humor makes the movie more intense and unforgettable. Sidney Prescott is one of the great Horror movie scream queens/heroines and that's mainly because like the other scream queens of the past Sidney is tough and can handle herself and you root for her to survive despite the viciousness all around her and when you see her going through terror you will relate to her. The Ghost face killer is a classic villain in the Horror genre because what sets this killer apart from other killers in the genre is that the killer calls on the phone and uses Horror movie knowledge to test the victim and if get the answers wrong Ghost face will kill you with no remorse. The Ghost Face killer will have you on edge when you see Scream the first time and will stick with you and you can say was one of the reasons caller ID was invented. Much of the film's success of Scream is thanks to the screenplay by Kevin Williamson which is amazing,terrific and in my opinion one of the best screenplays in Horror film history. Williamson script is filled with great dialog that is clever,ironic and done with a style that has been imitated but never duplicated. Williamson fills his script with Horror,Mystery,Comedy and Drama all within 112 minutes and giving viewers a unique story that never slows sown. Williamson has never topped his Scream script and I don't think he ever will. The ending of Scream is a classic conclusion that is filled with twists,turns and thrills that will catch you off guard and add to the movie's greatness. An outstanding ending.
The cast is incredible. Neve Campbell is excellent as Sidney,one of the great Horror movie heroines,with Campbell bringing toughness,sympathy and depth to the role. Courtney Cox is wonderful as Gale Weathers,a heartless News reporter. Skeet Ulrich is terrific as Billy,Sidney's boyfriend. David Arquette is great and funny as Deputy Dewey. Rose McGowan is fantastic and sexy as Tatum,Sidney's best friend. Jamie Kennedy is outstanding and hilarious as Randy,a movie geek. Matthew Lillard is delightful as Stuart,Tatum's boyfriend. W.Earl Brown(Kenny)and Joseph Whipp(Sheriff Burke)give good performances as well. Also,lookout for credited and uncredited cameos by Liev Schreiber(Cotton Weary),Linda Blair(Obnoxious News reporter),Wes Craven(Fred The Janitor)and Henry Winkler(Principal Arthur Himbry).
The direction by Wes Craven is amazing,with Craven always moving the camera and bringing a thrilling and intense style to the film. Wonderful direction,Craven.
The score by Marco Beltrami is sensational,suspenseful and intense and adds to the atmosphere to the film. Great score,Beltrami.
In final word,if you love Wes Craven,Horror films or Slasher films,I highly suggest you see Scream,an excellent,scary and funny Horror classic that you will never forget and will watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.