SCREAM (1996 - HORROR / THRILLER / MYSTERY) ****1/2 out of ***** OR 9 out of 10
(What's my favorite scary movie? Easy: PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE...)
CAST: Neve
Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose
McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Drew Barrymore, Henry Winkler, W. Earl Brown, Liev
Schreiber, Kevin Patrick Walls, Lawrence Hecht.
DIRECTOR:
Wes Craven
IT'S LIKE THIS: If a horror film could ever be bestowed with a Pulitzer Prize, I would vote for this movie as the first-ever recipient. You're probably wondering if I've lost my mind by making that statement, and I don't blame you. After all, what's so Pulitzer-worthy about an admittedly very clever, entertaining fright flick about a small Northern California terrorized by a masked killer who, um, uses his (her?) encyclopedic knowledge of horror movies to engage the local populace in a deadly game of cinematic cat-and-mouse? Well, the way I understand it, Pulitzer Prize-winning anythings must have significant artistic impact in their particular field. And let's just say that SCREAM has definitely had a massive influence on the Horror Genre - in ways you wouldn't expect.
But let's save that for the BUT SERIOUSLY portion
of our review. For now, let's talk about
the peaceful burg of Woodsboro. We open
with local teen Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) waiting for her boyfriend to
arrive at her house one night, while she preps some popcorn for one of their
movie nights. Her, uh, popping is
interrupted by a wrong number phone call from someone who sounds a lot like
Jack Nicholson, but even more intense, if that's possible. This apparently turns on Casey, because she
starts flirting with the creep. Didn't
her mother tell her not to talk to strangers, especially if she's already
dating someone? Tramp...
Anyhow, Casey's slutty behavior soon catches up
with her when her mystery caller turns out to be some psycho who wants to play
"name-that-scary-movie!" with her.
Let's just say that Casey and her boyfriend Steve (Kevin Patrick Walls)
don't exactly clean up at the game and end up vivisected and eviscerated. Wait, is it possible to do those two things
at the same time to a human body? I
guess you can in a Wes Craven flick. At
any rate, if you were expecting Casey to live past the first ten minutes of
this flick just because she's played by Drew Barrymore, then consider yourself
punked. Fool.
It would be the understatement of the century to
say the townspeople are just a wee bit freaked out by the brutal murder of two
of their own. The students of the local
high school, in particular, are especially concerned since, well, Casey was one
of their peers. They are: (1) Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell), sweet,
spunky, and virginal good girl who is our most likely candidate for "Final
Girl"; (2) Billy Loomis (Skeet
Ulrich), brooding hunk who is intent on popping Sydney's cherry and who look
like he's been stealing Johnny Depp's DNA; (3) Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan),
smart-ass best pal of Syd's who wields her razor tongue like a blunt weapon;
(4) Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), movie-geek who knows waaaaay too much shit about
horror flicks to go unnoticed as a prime suspect; (5) Stu Macher (Matthew
Lillard), goofy bastard who is Billy's lapdog and Tatum's fucktoy. Understandably, these young 'uns are all
worried that Casey and Steve's killer hasn't been caught - and anyone of them
may be next.
Trying their best to contain the situation are
the adults of Woodsboro. They
include: (1) Sheriff Burke (Joseph
Whipp), stolid lawman of the town; (2) Deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette),
doofus second-in-command who makes Barney Fife look like Dirty Harry; (3) Mr. Prescott (Lawrence Hecht), Sydney's Dad
who decides to conveniently go out of town just as the murders intensify
(ahem); (4) Kenny (W. Earl Brown), fat cameraman who seriously needs to go on a
kale and tuna diet; and last but probably the hottest: (5) Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), ice-cold tabloid
reporter (I didn't realize they had tabloids in small towns) who would sell her
grandmother for breaking a top story.
Actually, Gale and Kenny aren't
so much attempting to contain the situation, as they are outright inflaming
it.
Things get worse when the killer comes after
Sydney while she is waiting for Tatum to pick her up at home. Unlike Casey from before, though, Sydney
really doesn't feel like flirting with an unknown stranger over the phone and
basically tells the killer - whom from hereonout we will refer to as
"Ghostface" because of the mask he wears - to go fuck himself. This basically sends Ghosftace into a rage
and he busts into Sydney's house and gives chase. Fortunately, Billy's arrival scares off the
killer. Unfortunately, when Sydney
embraces him out of love and gratitude and joy, a cell phone falls out of his
pocket. At which point, Sydney gives him
the Stinkeye To End All Stinkeyes.
You're probably wondering what is the
significance of Billy dropping his cell phone - and the reason for Sydney's
ensuing reaction? Well, folks, this film
is set in 1996, when cell phones were about as common as Facebook users, which
is to say, not at all. So for Billy to
suddenly show up with a cell phone, just after Sydney was terrorized by a
killer using one... well, you do the
math. Sure enough, Billy is soon hauled
into the police station and questioned and is rapidly taking over Randy's title
as "Most Likely To Slice And Dice."
Things take a turn for the hilarious when they check Billy's cell
provider and clear him of making the killer's call. Awkward. So if he didn't call and threaten Sydney, who did? Hmmmmmmmm....
As you can see, tensions are high in
not-so-good-ol' Woodsboro - and it needs to be be released ASAP. Yes, folks, it means exactly what you think:
Awesome House Party. Never mind that the
sensible thing to do would be to lock you and your family in your house and not
emerge until the headlines blare that Ghosftface has been caught. If the characters of a horror film did the
sensible thing, the Horror Genre wouldn't exist. And so it goes: Stu and Tatum throw a
"There's a Killer in Town!" party and invite everyone they know.
But what if one of them is the killer? If so, who could it be? Tatum, the "loyal" friend? Stu, the "goofy" party guy? Billy, the "misunderstood"
hunk? Kenny, the "tub of lard"
cameraman? Or is it Gale, the "ice-cold bitch" herself, who just might be manufacturing a story to cover?
Is she that ice-cold of a bitch? Or maybe it's just Randy himself all along? Or what about Deputy Dewey Riley? Is he really a bumbling doofus? Or is that genial dork facade all just an
act? Who is Ghostface?
Two words: guess again. : )
BUT SERIOUSLY:
On the face of it, SCREAM is an excellent film. It is an engaging mystery and a terrifying horror film filled with sharp humor. One of the reasons it succeeds is because it
infuses the chills and thrills with some light comedic moments, but another
reason it truly succeeds is because it never forgets that, first and foremost,
it's a full-blooded fright flick and it never lets its self-awareness take over
and blunt it's edge. Witness what
happened with 2012's THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, which was marketed to be the next
"game-changer" like SCREAM was in 1996. That movie tanked after a decent opening
because it let the hip cynicism get out of control and muddy the waters. Audiences know when they're trying to be
force-fed something - and spat it out.
Indeed, we can't stand that movie - either as a comedy or a horror film. It just shouldn't exist. SCREAM, on the other hand, is a true modern
classic.
SCREAM's plot isn't anything we haven't seen
before: masked killer terrorizes small town because of mysterious hidden
agenda. But, as we've talked about many
times before, the film soars because of that magical thing that can transform a
hoary cliche into a fresh jolt: execution.
Writer Kevin Williamson's script caught lightning in a bottle and
basically captured the nostalgia for slasher/horror flicks of the past and
blended it with post-modern, knowing attitude of the late 90's - and produced a
story that is remarkably well-wrought.
Still, the film could've floundered if helmed by the wrong
director. Fortunately, Williamson's
script got the attention of one of the genre's royalty: Wes Craven.
Craven had given us classics and near-classics
like LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1973), THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977), DEADLY BLESSING (1981), and NIGHTMARE ON ELM
STREET (1984) - and his skill at presenting and sustaining an entertainingly
scary atmosphere is what cements SCREAM's effectiveness. The wrong director could have easily
delivered a less-than-dynamic film, despite Williamson's strong script. Fortunately, the stars also aligned with
Craven's handling of this film, because he gives us an exhilarating
roller-coaster ride that is made all the more exciting because the figures in
it are all sharp, believable, and relatable - essayed by a top-flight cast.
Neve Campbell is the perfect blend of vulnerable
and steely as Sydney Prescott, who has joined the pantheon of famous
"Horror Movie Final Girls" that includes Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee
Curtis from the HALLOWEEN films, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) from the ALIEN
films, and Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 1
and 3. Campbell's unique aura that
blends sadness with sweetness is key to making us root for Sydney very early
on. Without a strong, vivid central
heroine to anchor this film, it may not have been as effective as it was -
despite a strong script and director.
Happily, Campbell is more than equal to the task - in fact, she's
perfect.
Her co-stars are similarly good in their
well-shaped parts. Rose McGowan, Jamie
Kennedy, Matthew Lillard, and Skeet Ulrich are all perfect in their roles as
Sydney's friends, especially Ulrich who brings the right blend of
"boy-next-door" and "dark-and-mysterious" to Billy Loomis,
Sydney's boyfriend who may or may not be the killer. Kennedy, Lillard, and McGowan also get their
own comedic and dramatic moments in which they shine - particularly Lillard in
the climax of the film. Not
surprisingly, practically everyone in this young ensemble used SCREAM as a
springboard to further their careers.
They're a talented bunch.
Of the "older" castmembers, Courteney
Cox and David Arquette fare the best as, respectively, rabid and tough-minded
reporter Gale Weathers and goofy but also smarter-than-he-looks Deputy Dewey
Riley. These two characters form one of
my favorite cinematic romantic couples, since they are seemingly polar
opposites but are actually similarly determined and feisty. It's nice to see the icy, formidable,
take-no-prisoners, no-nonsense Gale be melted easily by the
"aw-shucks" charms of Dewey.
And whereas almost everyone else underestimates or makes fun of Dewey,
Gale actually treats him with kindness and respect and sees past his laid-back,
loose facade to the intelligent person within - and Dewey similarly sees past
Gale's chilly "ice-princess" exterior to the brave person
beneath. Their deepening romantic
relationship is explored even further in the sequels, and to even greater
effect (especially in SCREAM 2). Love
these two and their lovely comedic rapport that is also somehow touching. Not surprisingly, Cox and Arquette fell in
love during the filming of this movie and married not long after. Watching them onscreen together, and seeing their
wonderful chemistry, it's easy to see why they became a real-life couple just
like the characters they play.
However, as we discussed before, despite its
healthy sense of humor, SCREAM knows what it is at heart: a full-throttle
horror film. Accordingly, it gives us a
first-rate parade of scary setpieces that starts with the now-classic
opening. Anyone who watched this film
when it first came out in 1996, likely remembers being floored by that first
sequence of Drew Barrymore's Casey Becker being terrorized by the killer and
(SPOILER ALERT) losing big-time to him.
Barrymore reportedly was offered the lead role of Sydney Prescott that
eventually Neve Campbell took, but felt that if she played someone who is killed
off within the first ten minutes, then a resulting atmosphere of unease would
ensue - one wherein anything can happen to anyone. And she was right.
Other great setpieces include the first attack on
Sydney while she's home alone waiting for Tatum to pick her up, as well as
Tatum's own confrontation with the killer later on when she mistakenly leaves
the party to get some beer from the isolated garage of Stu's house. Unlike many horror films and thrillers that
open big, but kind of peter out towards the finale, SCREAM saves its best
setpiece for its climactic reveal.
Anyone who is a connosieur of Gialli (Italian thrillers) will recognize
the mark of Dario Argento in the revelation of Whodunit. It's a twist that The Italian Hitchcock has
used repeatedly in his films, starting with his first classic from 1970, THE
BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE - and Williamson and Craven employ it again
here. Last year, we talked about how the
Italian Gialli of the 60s and 70s considerably influenced the modern American
Horror Film and Thriller genres - and SCREAM is further proof of that.
At the beginning of our review, we also mentioned how
SCREAM has had a powerful impact on the Horror Genre - not just the Slasher
Sub-Genre. Essentially, it deserves significant credit for reviving
not just the Slasher sub-genre, but also re-awakening the whole Horror Genre
in general.
In the early-to-mid-90s, Horror films were pretty
much dead in the water. They either went
straight to video, or were barely marketed during theatrical release. The Thriller Genre, on the other hand, was
doing fine in the wake of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS' success, with entries like
SEVEN, COPYCAT, and MALICE doing strong at the box-office - but the only
notable horror hit of the early-90s was Bernard Rose's brilliantly-creepy
adaptation of Clive Barker's novella, "The Forbidden", which was
turned into CANDYMAN on the silver screen.
But other horror entries around that time like THE PEOPLE UNDER THE
STAIRS (interestingly enough, also by Craven), HIDEAWAY, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS,
HALLOWEEN 5 & 6, and others, all underpderformed or barely got theatrical
releases. Quite frankly, not many of
them were any good to begin with.
SCREAM's unexpected massive success in 1996 (to
the tune of $100 million-plus in the U.S. alone) changed all that. So low was the confidence in the Horror Genre
at the time, that SCREAM was marketed as "Wes Craven's New
Thriller." It was as if the studio
was almost embarassed or afraid to label it as a horror film because of how it
might affect the box-office. Turns out
they had little to worry about: SCREAM opened modestly ($6 million in its first
weekend) - but then grew and grew and grew as wonderful word of mouth spread -
until it finished its North American run with a domestic box-office take just
upwards of $101,000,000.
The effect on Hollywood was instantaneous and
immediate: studios suddenly wanted a piece of the Post-Modern Slasher Pie, and
started greenlighting their own entries.
In the ensuing years, similarly-plotted (if less brillantly-executed)
flicks like I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, URBAN LEGEND, I STILL KNOW WHAT
YOU DID LAST SUMMER, VALENTINE, URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT, CHERRY FALLS,
HALLOWEEN H20, and others followed.
Then, of course, there were SCREAM's own sequels, SCREAM 2 & 3,
which were the best of the bunch.
However, SCREAM did much more than just revive
slasher flicks: it paved the way for other sub-genres within the Horror Genre
to become marketable, too. The newfound
consumer confidence in horror movies that SCREAM bestowed is likely what allowed
THE SIXTH SENSE to get made (even though it is more of a thriller), as well as
THE HAUNTING remake, STIR OF ECHOES, WHAT LIES BENEATH, & HOUSE ON HAUNTED
HILL - all of which turned a profit.
It's also very likely what generated the massive interest in THE BLAIR
WITCH PROJECT - which, despite being really quite average, started the whole
Found Footage Sub-Genre and led eventually to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and all the
other Found Footage films we are seeing to this day.
Supernatural twists on the revived slasher
template that SCREAM brought, like FINAL DESTINATION and its equally-successful
sequels, also followed - which further upped the Horror Genre's profile. Then SAW took SCREAM's tropes and made them
uglier and (unfortunately) kicked off numerous sequels, eventually birthing the
whole Torture Sub-Genre which includes HOSTEL and its sequels. The newly-reinvigorated horror landscape also
made it easier for 28 DAYS LATER to be received by worldwide audiences - which
kicked off (for better or worse) the whole Running Zombie Sub-Genre which
includes remakes of DAWN OF THE DEAD and DAY OF THE DEAD, and eventually WORLD
WAR Z, not to mention original entries like LAND OF THE DEAD, DIARY OF THE
DEAD, and SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD with slow zombies. The renewed interest in the Horror Genre also
led producers to begin remaking classic slasher films from the 70s and 80s,
some more successful than others: THE
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, BLACK CHRISTMAS, HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13th, PROM
NIGHT, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and MY BLOODY VALENTINE all got
"re-imagined" for 21st century audiences.
Quite simply, SCREAM's success made the Horror
Genre, and all its sub-genres, profitable and feasible again. To this day, horror movies are still going
strong because of the "Domino Effect" of this movie's influence. This momentum has been continued by
successive hits, like a cinematic Tsunami that is kept rolling and rolling by
powerful winds. But none of it would
have been possible without SCREAM's initial impact. Essentially, it saved horror movies. For that, it deserves a special place in the
pantheon of the Horror Genre.
