When I first saw Scream in theaters with my dad almost fifteen years ago, I did not care for it. I can’t really say why but the first viewing did nothing for me; I didn’t hate it but I was mostly just ambivalent towards it. Later that year, Digger had a copy on VHS which I watched again and fell in love. Here was a horror movie that was not afraid to pull punches, was not bogged down in some ridiculous backstory (see the Halloween entry from the prior year), and had a sharp wit to it. Since then, Scream has been in constant rotation of the movies I randomly watch.
Mainstream horror in the mid-90s was not in a very good state. I’m sure there were plenty of indie or straight-to-video releases of whatever installment the Hellraiser or Puppet Master series were on but all of the big franchises were either completely finished or creatively drained. Scream came along to fill the void in a way that is still astonishing that it hadn’t been done before (at least not to the same degree of success). Featuring the script which started a bidding war in Hollywood by a new-comer and directed by a veteran (of mixed success) to the genre, Scream very well could have been quickly swept under the rug and died before registering with movie goers of all kinds. According to Box Office Mojo that almost was the case before positive word of mouth actually increased the box office take in its second week, a rare feat for any movie, let alone a horror film.
It is commendable that writer Kevin Williamson is able to create such a rich story on the backs of horror movie staples that predate the film by decades. Helped tremendously by the legendary Wes Craven as director, Scream elevates itself as something more than “just a slasher film.” On the surface, Scream is just another slasher film and the glut of teenage-based horror movies in its wake probably did the film no favors. But Scream stands out with just one mention of its trump card: The Rules. Effectively deconstructing every previous slasher movie, horror nerd Randy lays out the key to survival in these movies in just three simple declarations. No sex, no drugs or alcohol, and no announcing your imminent return. Of course no one pays any attention but no one ever does in these movies.
Considering that this was the first movie (that I ever saw anyway) that featured horror movie characters who are, for the most part, completely aware that they are horror movie characters, it was a big success considering that it made over $100 million. A movie series like Friday the 13th almost depends on the interchangeable killer fodder that appear on screen. The virginal final girl Sidney has some family trauma which keeps her distant from her kind of creepy boyfriend. Her father is absent. Her friends are mostly self-absorbed. In a typical slasher, that is basically the extent of any character development. Even if I don’t always care for the underlying story, Williamson has always been able to create characters that are fully fleshed out and even sympathetic to a point.
Another big part of Scream’s success was the way it is able to handle the awkward pairing of horror and comedy. It helps that the backbone of the film is satirical which lends itself to poking fun at not only other movies but also itself. Even some of the non-horror elements are written and delivered so perfectly such as the requisite bitch Gale Weathers berating her cameraman or the subtle sarcastic remarks muttered off-screen about the absurdity of the events. The actors too are easily able to handle the Sorkin-lite verbiage about youth, life, and horror movies (most of the time at least).
Neve Campbell as Sidney starts off rather meek and reserved but transforms into a full-fledged heroine with seemingly minimal effort, even though she had the most bumpiest of the performances. Everyone else played wonderfully but especially the typecast-shedding Courteney Cox, the goofy gumshoe David Arquette, and the nerdy everyman Jamie Kennedy. Of course, these are the characters who not only lived the longest but had the most support from fans. Also of note is the score from Marco Beltrami who is not as regarded as say John Williams but can manage effective music to fit every scene with perfection (except those random parts of Halloween H20).
Just as I mentioned in an early episode, Scream is a comfort movie for me. Everything fits together so well and the characters are so genuine that you can’t help but be sad when the film draws to a close.
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