Just Watched: Scream (1996)

This killer may like horror movies a little too much

The '90s were a dark time for horror movies, and not in a good way. It seemed that after the barrage of horror flicks in the '80s many people had grown tired of them, so it came to the point that "crime thrillers" were being passed as "horror". Things would begin to change in 1996, however, with the release of Wes Craven's Scream. It switched things up by spoofing the slashers that had become so popular the decade before. Did it succeed in it's attempt??

Scream tells the story of Sydney Prescott and her friends as their small town is terrorized by a masked killer who seems to have a huge obsession with horror flicks. It also tells the story of a reporter who covers Sydney's past, a past that involved her mother being murdered, and about a young deputy struggling with getting respect in his position in the law.

David Arquette is excellent as the corny but lovable Dewey

Scream works very well as a spoof. It is very over the top, and takes all the cliches that the slasher genre is known for and has fun with it. It's all done in a way that generally shows love to the sub-genre itself without insulting it. The scenes where the cast is watching the original Halloween and one of the characters talks about the rules that need to be followed in order to survive is very genius and is probably the highlight of the film. Scream is also well written in that many viewers should have difficulty figuring out who the killer is, which definitely adds to the excitement and replayability of the film

Slashers are known for creative kills and Scream's highlights are the garage door and maybe the t.v. one while most of the others are rather forgettable. Those who love slashers for the nudity that's in many of them will be hugely disappointed to find out there is absolutely nothing here.

Where Scream falters a bit is being a horror movie. While it does a great job spoofing the classics, this film doesn't have the tension, scares, blood, gore or soundtrack that Halloween, Friday the 13th and others had. This film needs to be viewed as comedy by those who love the classics. For those new to the genre, however, there's the potential to be a little scared. The soundtrack is part of what takes the scares away as it's far too over the top to be anything but a comedy.

Arguably the best scene of the movie

Availability: You should be able to find Scream anywhere you go. It's available on both DVD and Blu-ray, and is packaged in many different options such as stand alone, packed with the first three, packed with all four and even one with the "Ghostface" mask.

Viewed as a comedy/spoof nobody should be disappointed by Scream. It's not perfect, but it's well written and is full of little tidbits that genre fans will enjoy. Viewed as a slasher film it doesn't quite come close to the genre's best but it is certainly a worthy addition to anybody's horror collection.

Please feel free to comment about the movie or blog itself. Any constructive criticism or positive feedback is always welcome.