This is a killer film.

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2002)

For years I've been complaining how all horror films that make it to the big screen in recent memory, have all been more like psychological thrillers. Movies that make you think instead of movies that make you, well, Scream. Remember back in the good old days, the originals of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween? These were films that didn't fool around. They were made just to scare the living daylights out of you, and they did just that.
Scream takes place in Smalltown, U.S.A. A girl (Neve Campbell) is being stalked by someone. Coincidently, a year ago her mother was brutally murdered and it was Neve's testimony that put an (innocent?) man in jail. Her stalker, who goes around wearing an outfit taken from the famous painting Scream, knows her every fear, her every thought. Wes Craven has managed not only to return to the good old days of horror films, he also managed to make fun of those same films.
One of the twists, and there are many, is that these kids know all about horror films. So they know that instead of running up the stairs when there's a killer in the house, you run out the front door, and never, ever say, "I'll be right back" because you won't. That's what is so fun about this film. It takes all the horror clichÃ©s, and turns them around so they're still scary and unexpected. Also, there are actually legitimate actors and actresses, including Courtney Cox and David Arquette (and look for a cameo by Wes Craven himself), that actually make you believe everything that is happening.
Scream is one of the best horror films I have seen in years. If you're looking for a good fright, this is a good movie to go see. Just don't watch it alone.