“Scream” Review

Ghostface emerged from the shadows to become one of the most iconic horror killers in 1996’s “Scream,” a film which revived interest in the slasher genre and horror at large.

Earlier this year, the fifth installment of the “Scream” franchise premiered and I found it to be a highly entertaining installment in one of the few horror franchises that has managed to stay consistently good. But this Halloween, when we celebrate horror, it’s important to acknowledge just how important “Scream” is to one of my favorite genres. The 1996 film practically revived horror, made slashers cool again and introduced Ghostface who’s now become just as iconic as Micheal Myers or Jason Vorhees.

In Woodsboro, California, a serial killer dressed in a black cloak and ghost mask has been killing teenagers. As the bodies begin to pile up, high schooler Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) begins to suspect that she’s the main target of Ghostface and decides to take him out before he can kill her and her friends. 

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, American horror cinema was essentially a shitshow. While some phenomenal horror films would come out like “Misery,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “The Silence of the Lambs,” this was a time where most horror films, especially slashers, were just expected to be bad. Groundbreaking films like “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” had spun out of control into big franchises with so many of the sequels being terrible and convoluted. 

However, it wasn’t just critics and audiences who noticed this trend of mediocrity. Wes Craven, who was quickly crowned the king of horror after making films like “The Last House on the Left,” “The Hills Have Eyes” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” made a film in 1994 that would serve as a spiritual precursor to “Scream.” “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” was the seventh film in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise which was set in the world where the other films were works of fiction and now Freddy Krueger was trying to hurt the filmmakers and try to become a part of the real world. It was a great satire of horror while also containing legitimate scares and a more satirical look at the genre Craven had made popular. 

But “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” didn’t do too well at the box office, despite being acclaimed by critics and fans. Despite this, it was obvious that Craven liked this approach to horror and was ready to take on an original story. Enter Kevin Williamson, an aspiring screenwriter who took cliches from iconic slashers and incorporated them into a brand new story. At first, it seems like “Scream” is like any other slasher: a masked killer is taking out teenagers who are being promiscuous and indulging in drugs/alcohol. Except there’s a pretty unique twist: the teenagers have seen horror films and know “the rules of survival.” 

Williamson, who would go on to write two more “Scream” films, “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “The Faculty” and create “Dawson’s Creek,” had a great understanding of teenagers and used this to create memorable characters you actually care about instead of victims to be executed one by one. 

Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott is a compelling horror protagonist who commands the screen with a strong presence and will to survive.

Sidney Prescott is one of the best horror protagonists in history because of how tenacious she is and how quickly she rises up to take on Ghostface. A year prior to the events of “Scream,” Prescott’s mother was murdered which creates a sense of anger within Sidney as she is confronted by this new killer who claims to be the murderer, despite another man (Liev Schrieber) being convicted of the crime. Neve Campbell’s performance is truly stellar and it’s been wonderful to see her reprise the role for several sequels.

Joining Prescott are a cast of memorable teens who are incredibly aware of horror’s cliches and are written with great humor. Actors like Rose McGowan, Mathew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich take stock characters like “the best friend” or “the bad-boy” and bring life to them. I particularly enjoy the antics of Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), a video store employee who’s clearly seen a lot of horror and informs the rest of his friends about the rules. 

Other characters that would go on to become mainstays in the “Scream” franchise are Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), a television reporter who is at odds with Sidney over the two’s differing accounts of the murder of Sidney’s mom, and Dewey Riley (David Arquette), the somewhat clueless Deputy Sherriff, who both become incredibly strong by helping Sidney fight the Ghostface killer. 

While Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson set out to make a satire, they also understood that “Scream” had to have kills and suspense. “Scream” certainly has that and it’s apparent from its opening scene which is one of the best in the history of horror. As Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) is making popcorn and preparing to watch a scary movie, she gets a mysterious telephone call that begins to turn menacing, ultimately becoming a victim to Ghostface. Seeing Drew Barrymore, who was quickly becoming one of the biggest stars of the 1990s, getting killed in the opening was the equivalent of seeing Janet Leigh being murdered in “Psycho.” It completely twisted people’s expectations. 

Also upending the audience was the twist that there were two killers: Sidney’s boyfriend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and his best friend Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard). In a genre where there’s usually only one killer, seeing how multiple people became Ghostface would become an important part of the “Scream” franchise. 

The satirical elements of this film not only have characters being aware of horror, but even openly mocking some of the most beloved films. This includes the rules that only virgins who don’t do drugs can survive horror films or that going upstairs is a terrible idea. There are exceptions to these rules and Sidney Prescot is that sexually active, stair-climbing, gun-wielding exception. When she takes on Billy and Stu, this isn’t a scream queen. This is a badass horror character who will shoot and stab her way to survival. 

After being released, “Scream” would go on to become the highest grossing slasher film of all time until “Halloween (2018).” The satire, scares and overall fun tone of this film single handedly revived slashers and turned horror from a dead genre into a vital part of American cinema. “Scream” is a must watch for Halloween, preferably with the sequels following.