Smart horror film for fans of the genre and newbies

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2015)

"Scream" is a good horror/thriller that works not only as a deconstruction of the slasher/dead teenager genre but also as a scary who-done-it? film. It follows high-school student Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who is being stalked by a mysterious killer who wears a long black cloak and a mask based on The Scream painting by Edward Munch.
What I like about this movie is that it's a lot smarter than your average horror show. An easy example that makes my point is that in this story, people have actually seen horror movies before. How many films have you seen where you can't help yourself, you end up screaming at the people inside the movie because they walk into a dark room without turning on the light or grabbing a flashlight, they don't grab a weapon to defend themselves or they put themselves in situations that give away what their fate is? This, combined with a solid cast, a well written script and a lot of funny moments will suck you into the story, while the mystery of the face behind the killer's mask will compel you to stick around. If you're a fan of horror films you'll be happy to see that not only the film makers, but the characters in "Scream" film share the same love and it's a lot of fun to go through the film and check off the titles that are referenced to, in order to see if you have seen them yourself. If you aren't a fan of horror films this is a smart one that doesn't linger on the gore as much as It presents a mystery with some frightening scenes here and there. I really feel like this picture has a lot of re-watch value despite the fact that it's a mystery because it gets better the more horror films you have seen. If you want to get Into the genre of horror films and you're wondering where to start, then of course you have your classics like "Nosferatu" and "Frankenstein", then you've got your 70s flicks like "Black Christmas" and Night of the Living Dead" and from there, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Friday the 13th", "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Halloween" but you better make sure you don't miss "Scream" on your way you're the 2000s. It might even make you appreciate some of the franchises that eventually devolved into bad R-Rated comedies or you might feel even stronger about pictures like "Leprecahun 4: In Space" being utter trash. It's scary, at times very funny, the characters are compelling and it'll keep you guessing all the way through. (On Blu-ray, November 9, 2012)