One of the best horror films of the 90s

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2001)

This movie has been overly praised. It's been unjustly trashed. It's spawned many bad imitations. But at the heart of it all, Scream is one of the most entertaining horror films to come out in a while. Not scary, but suspenseful, witty, and downright funny.This isn't Craven's best work, but it's exactly what he'll be remembered for (along with the Elm Street movies)
STORY: Not really original, but good nonetheless. Scream doesn't take itself seriously and nor should we. The movie was made for horror fans and just simply a lot of fun. You may argue that the story is worthy of much ridicule but that was the basic point. We get a great openner, a solid mystery, and a great, blood soaked conclusion worthy of a slasher film. Solid from beginning to end. The best thing about the story is how they took the "sex is bad" vibe from horror movies and expanded it into something a bit more dramatic. Here we see the uneasiness of preparing to have sex for the first time, how special it can be when you find have it, and...how your sweet sensitive partner can turn cold after the deed is done. It's good that the movie had that much thought put into it.
ACTING: Neve Campell is good here and I really felt sorry for her character because of all that she went through. David Arrquette is alright as the clueless cop. Courtney Cox plays a bitchy tabloid reporter very well. Matthew Lillard was damn funny and Skeet Ulrich gives what's probably the best performance out of the whole film. His character ranges from easy going to intense and he pulls it off very well. I guess looking like Johnny Depp REALLY helps. Also of note are Rose McGowan as the blond best friend, Jamie Kennedy as the horror film expert, and Henry Winkler (aka Fonzie) in a rather ironic cameo. Oh yeah...Drew Barrymore is here too.
DIRECTING: Good suspense. Good camera angles. No cheesy shots. Wes does very well for himself.
MUSIC: Good score that incorporates dark industrial beats with a distorted choir. They even did some Friday the 13th-esque violin stuff for good measure. This movie also has a killer soundtrack with my favs being the ones by Birdbrain, Soho, and Nick Cave. "Red Right Hand" was so good that it carried on to the sequels. My only bitch is that they had a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" instead of the real thing. That's just a crime....
OTHER: Despite what some say, the gore in this movie is actually quite nice. We get some intestines, some good stabbings, the garage kill, and a F13-style throat slashing as well as pails of blood in the climax. All in all a good show. The Nudity here is no existent. Neve takes her bra off but no dice...why does every new slasher flick have to be so politically correct? Really...why? Also, I thought the whole Ghost costume was rather silly, though Craven made it look rather good in some shots. It just adds to the mentality that this film has: anti-serious. Scream is good film and I think that a few of the people who bash it without mercy should lighten up. Comparing this one to Halloween or the Shining is like comparing apples to oranges. Ya dig?
**** of ****