And a genre is born.

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 1999)

" I want you to go down to the McKenzies house and call the police. " Laurie Strode, from Halloween, Casey's mom, from Scream.
As I have said in my various reviews of horror flicks, I grew up loving horror movies. Everything from the great ones like Halloween, Nightmare 1 and the early Fridays, to even the stupid quirky flicks like The Prey or Sleepaway Camp. There is just something sinister yet fun about an unseen force that tries to kill you for no apparent reason except that you are on his turf. I think Kevin Williamson watched the same films as I did and similarly appreciated them. Because what he has done here is write a film that is an homage to all the great horror films of the last 25 years. He treats all of us fans to great memories of films of years past and he assumes that he has an intelligent audience. There are so many horror movie references here that even I don't quite get all of them, and believe me I have seen a lot of horror films. But not only is the script entertaining, funny and witty, the film is scary. Not as scary as some of the films that it tries to pay homage to, but that's okay. Because you will have so much fun trying to pick out references to your faves that the scare factor is just a bonus. One of the most brilliant parts in the movie is when Randy pauses Halloween and explains the rules of surviving a horror movie if you are a character in it. Not only is it funny, but it so honest and sharp that when you listen to what he says, you realize that he is so right. And that is one of the great pleasures of the film.
I admire a film like this. It is not afraid to take chances and it tries to give all of us former teens that made the genre so popular in the 80's, something to enjoy. I'm not saying that if you are under the age of 25 you cannot enjoy this, but believe me you can enjoy it a whole lot more if you are about 25-30. Because it is us who rented those films way back when. And to understand the references and the homages to films like Halloween ( 1978 ) the original Nightmare (84), the Friday's (80-84) you have to appreciate the films for what they are. And what they were and what they did was entertain and scare the hell out of us 15 and 16 year olds. And to remember that feeling by watching this film is reward enough to me. But then to have the film be so well done is an added bonus.
Wes Craven is the perfect director for this film. I wonder is Williamson ever pitched this to Cunningham or Miner or Carpenter before going to Craven? I guess I am glad that he didn't because I think Craven adds some nice touches to the film. The cast is also brilliant. We all know the major one's involved here but I want to call attention to Mathew Lilliard. His portrayal of Stu is so amazing. He honestly should of received a nomination for best supporting actor. He took his character and added his own twist to him. And because of his tiny idiosyncrasies, he adds so much to the film. A subtle use of the tongue, the facade of hurt just by one of his expressions, a triumphant thrust of the arms, his laugh. They are all forever imprinted in my head as a great character study.
This film started a whole genre on it's own, made a name for Lilliard and most everyone else involved, revitalized Craven's career, made Williamson a millionaire, made horror movies popular again and gave me hours of viewing enjoyment. Not just from this one and its sequel, but it made me go back and watch all the older films that I liked so much.
You should do the same. And try to rediscover what was so fun about horror movie from the 70's and 80's. I have figured it out on a personal level, but have you figured it out on your own level? That is what makes horror films so much fun. Because they mean something different to everyone. Actually that is what makes film in general so profound.