Resurrection Boulevard.

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2002)

Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series had run its course by 1996 and he needed some new material. While horror films rarely become creative, Craven decided to poke fun at the genre that he helped to make famous by the mid-1980s with "Scream". This is a silly slasher flick, but it knows what it is and does not try to get cute with crazed gimmicks. A town falls under siege as the teens start to be murdered by a person dressed in what is little more than a Halloween costume. Naturally the cops are no help (most notably David Arquette) and the media turns the whole thing into a gigantic circus (with Courtney Cox leading the way). Teens Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard all try to figure out who the bad guy might be, but in the end twists and turns will occur that will surprise some and leave others feeling a bit empty. "Scream" is not a bad film for the genre. In fact it is a near masterpiece compared to the "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" series of films. Craven, who struck gold with the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street", nearly accomplishes what he did some 12 years earlier when he revolutionized a sub-par cinematic group of films. "Scream" works better as a parody than an actual horror flick and its influence would lead to lesser films by other film-makers. 3.5 out of 5 stars.