The best horror movie of the 90s

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2005)

It is so rare nowadays to see a horror film that can truly frighten you, while at the same time make you look at horror films differently through sheer invention and originality. Wes Craven managed to do such a thing in 1996, when he directed Scream, one of his best horror films in years. Certainly his best since A Nightmare on Elm Street.
The reason why Scream is different is because it is about characters in a horror film that know they're in a horror film. Or rather the events they are being forced to endure mirror those of something right out of a stalker/slasher movie. And they're all too aware of the clichés, e.g. "the dumb, big-breasted blonde girl who can't act who runs up the stairs instead of out the front door." These are very self-aware characters, but that doesn't stop them from falling victim to the murder spree. That is never more evident than the opening scene. A scene that is as shocking in it's intensity as in it's audacity.
A young woman, Casey, played by blonde Drew Barrymore, is at home all by herself. She is in her kitchen making popcorn, getting ready to watch a movie (probably a horror movie). The phone rings. On the line is an anonymous smooth talker, who wants to talk to her about "scary movies." Watch the way she fingers with a butchers knife while she's talking! Things turn nasty when Casey's caller starts threatening her, and traps her in a potentially nightmarish situation in her own home. She sees her boyfriend tied up on the patio, and now to save both their lives, Casey must play a game. Questions about horror movies. When she gets one too many wrong, her stalker finally shows. Wearing a black costume, and a ghoulish mask, well they all have to wear masks don't they? It all culminates in Casey's boyfriend being gutted like a fish, a mad chase through the house and garden, until finally the stalker catches up with Casey, and kills her. Even in her death throes, she is still holding the phone, and manages to choke her dying breath to her parents who are on the line. Casey is strung up like macabre modern art, to be found by her mother, who fittingly ends the scene with a piercing scream.
I know I sound like I've been carping on and on about this one scene, but it is that important, because it sets the whole tone of the film perfectly. By killing off a famous person that early in a film, we realise at that point this is not going to be just any ordinary horror movie. Not since Psycho and the shower scene have we witnessed such a shocking event. At this point, anything can and will happen.
And this is just for starters. The stalker (or stalkers) seems to have a personal grudge against Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell). But why? That's the beauty, and the genius behind Scream. The possible motive (if any) is left up to the audience to decide. Is it because Sydney's mother was murdered precisely one year ago? Is it just some insane psycho out for kicks? Who knows?
As the body count piles up, we are introduced to each one of the characters, who is a stereotype in some way. Sydney, for one, is the plucky, headstrong heroine. Like Nancy in ANOES. Then there is Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox-Arqette), the tough as nails reporter. She never actually convinced me in that role, but that could be intentional parody on the part of Wes Craven, which may have escaped Courtney's attention.
Dewey, (David Arquette) is the idiot deputy sheriff. Full of his own self-importance, it's a wonder he survives the film at all. In a terrific plot twist, his little sister played by Rose McGowan bullies him every chance she gets, pointing out his inadequacies in no short order.
Finally, you've got Randy (Jamie Kennedy), the self-appointed expert on horror movies. Always coming out with the clichés, expectations and rules, he is like a walking encyclopedia on the subject, such as, "You never say I'll be right back in a horror movie because you won't be back."
Everything about Scream is designed to comment on the horror movie genre in some respect, whether it be the actors or the situations, e.g. the sheriff was played by the same actor in ANOES who was the inept deputy, who tutors Dewey! The film is packed to the rafters with in-jokes, self-referential gags, and puns on the genre. Scream is a literal treasure trove of film references, and one of it's many joys is looking for them. Wes Craven has officially joined the ranks of self-referential irony that Joe Dante and Quentin Tarantino does so well.
With a tortuous script, red herrings, and dead ends Scream is a complex maze that leads you a merry dance until the final, very bloody finale. Maybe a little too bloody, but it is added a line of invention by having a hidden camera on the premises, and the events being watched by Gale Weathers. A horror movie within a horror movie!
This is horror movie making of the finest order. Scream has layers of sophistication other horror films only dream about. Wes Craven redefined the horror movie for the modern generation, and in the process spawned a series of inferior remakes. That goes for the sequels too, which increasingly became the thing the flawless original had been parodying to begin with.
Scream, the ultimate horror movie buff's dream come true!