A highly entreating and intelligent teenage slasher

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2006)

PLOT: A psychopathic serial killer is stalking a group of teenagers in a quite and peaceful American town, just like in the movies, first threatening them with scary phone calls.
John Carpenter's 1978 classic 'Halloween' is responsible for Scream, and before you watch Scream you're probably going to wonder whether this is another one of those unoriginal Halloween knock-offs with over the top gore. Well, I must let you know that it is far from that. Scream is a 1990s style teenage slasher movie with just enough tongue-in-cheek understanding of its own silliness to make it gruesomely fun without being insulting or boring and full of nonsense. It's a hip, stylish and expertly filmed, original slasher.
Directed by Wes Craven, king of teenage horror (e.g. A Nightmare on Elm Street) has delivered a winner. He has managed to make a movie that is both genuine scary movie and arch parody of scary movies. It's the film's very self-awareness that makes it different from all the rest. Instead of following the time-honored horror rules that it so carefully details, it leads them - the virgin is immune from death, we are told, but what if she gives it up? Well, you can guess the rest. Craven also owes a great deal to Kevin Williamson's first-rate script, a witty and smart piece of horror comedy that makes him worthy of the career he gained after this.
The performances are some of the best I've witnessed in a horror film, Neve Campbell (how come we don't see more of this girl?) manages to pull off a tormented, innocent teenager with a lot on her plate. The rest of the cast brings up some memorable performances, especially Rose McGowan who plays Tatum, my favourite character. Among the rest of the cast is Friends actress Courtney Cox, Matthew Lillard, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Skeet Ulrich and how could I forget Drew Barrymore, electrifying cute Scream queen (sadly she dies about 10 minuets into the film).
Overall, Scream is a great entertaining movie. However, you must keep in mind that it isn't meant to be taken seriously, as there is nothing too universal or groundbreaking in the film. Despite that, on its own merit it's a classic slasher film. And you can see the films legacy in its dozen of boring imitators (Urban Legend, Valentine and I Know What You Did Last Summer).
9.5/10
See It If You Liked: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Urban Legend.