Scream (1996 film)

***Scream*** is a 1996 American slasher film. It is the first installment in the film series as well as the overall franchise. It released on December 20, 1996 after an early release two days prior in Los Angeles. It is followed by *Scream 2*.

## Plot

After a series of mysterious deaths befalls their small town, an offbeat group of friends led by Sidney Prescott become the target of a masked killer. As the body count begins to rise, Sidney her friends find themselves contemplating the "rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.

## Rules

Ghostface kills following the rules of horror films, with Randy establishing them as the rules to surviving a horror movie.

1. No sex
2. No drinking or doing drugs
3. Never say "I'll be right back"

## Cast

* Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott
* Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers
* Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher
* Rose McGowan as Tatum Riley
* Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis
* Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks
* W. Earl Brown as Kenny Brown
* Joseph Whipp as Sheriff Burke
* Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary (video)
* and Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker

Uncredited* Henry Winkler as Principal Arthur Himbry
* Wes Craven as Fred
* Lynn McRee as Maureen Prescott (photograph)
* Kevin Patrick Walls as Steven Orth
* David Booth as Mr. Becker
* Carla Hatley as Mrs. Becker
* Lawrence Hecht as Neil Prescott
* Lois Saunders as Mrs. Tate
* Lisa Beach as TV Reporter #1
* Tony Kilbert as TV Reporter #2
* C.W. Morgan as Hank Loomis
* Frances Lee McCain as Mrs. Riley
* Troy Bishop as Expelled Teen #1
* Ryan Kennedy as Expelled Teen #2
* Leonora Scelfo as Cheerleader in Bathroom
* Nancy Ann Ridder as Girl in Bathroom
* Lisa Canning as Reporter with Mask
* Bonnie Wood as Young Girl in Video Store
* Aurora Draper as Party Teen #1
* Kenny Kwong as Party Teen #2
* Justin Sullivan as Teen on Couch
* Kurtis Bedford as Bored Teen
* Angela Miller as Girl on Couch

## Notes and trivia

### Cast notes

* Drew Barrymore filmed her scenes in five days.
	+ While filming the opening scene, the phone used by Casey was intended to be unplugged. however it was mistaken left plugged in, resulting in Barrymore actually calling 911.
	+ Wes Craven would tell her stories of animal cruelty to keep her crying and scared during filming.
	+ While filming the scene where Casey hit's Ghostface with the phone, Wes Craven was in costume as Ghostface and was really hit by Barrymore.
	+ Barrymore was originally cast as Sidney, however wanted to play Casey to have the audience believe anything could happen.
* Rose McGowan can actually fit through a pet door, unlike her character Tatum.
* Jamie Kennedy was cast due to his ability to improvise comedy into his lines.
* Roger L. Jackson did not meet Drew Barrymore or Neve Campbell during filming, and their only interactions were over the phone.
	+ Jackson made all the phone calls on-set from a cell phone.
* David Arquette turned down the role of Billy for the role of Dewey.
	+ Arquette met his future wife Courteney Cox while filming.
* Skeet Ulrich was accidentally injured on set when the stuntwoman for Sidney hit him with the umbrella. She couldn't see in the mask, and accidentally hit a wire in his chest from a childhood surgery, causing him pain.
	+ When Billy hit Stu with a phone, Ulrich accidentally actually hit Matthew Lillard with the phone, with it slipping out of his hand because of the fake blood.
	+ Ulrich only wore the Ghostface costume for the scene where the killer is sneaking up on Randy, having specifically requested to wear it.
* Henry Winkler isn't credited to leave focus on the younger cast.

### Production

* The film's original working title was *Scary Movie*.
	+ A film parodying *Scream* would later use this title in 2000.
* Wes Craven originally turned down the film due to it's violence, but reconsidered due to the fanbase of *The Hills Have Eyes*.
* The mask was found by Wes Craven while location scouting hung on the wall of one of the possible houses.
	+ Originally, the killer's robe was going to be white to have a more ghostly appearance, however this was changed to avoid relation to the Ku Klux Klan.
* Filming took place over eight weeks from April 15–June 8, 1996.
	+ The party scene, referenced to as Scene 118, was shot over the course of twenty-one days due to being the longest scene in the movie. The crew after had tee shirts made saying "I survived scene 118."
* About 50 gallons of fake blood was used during production.
* The film was sent to the MPAA over nine times, with them repeatedly requesting more be cut to avoid an NC-17 rating. Eventually, Bob Weinstein convinced them to view the film as a comedy, which changed their view on it.

 ***Resurrection*** | "The Deadfast Club" • "Devil's Night" • "The Man Behind the Mask" • "Ports in the Storm" • "Blindspots" • "Endgame"