Film reviews - Scream

Film review
Scream (Wes Craven – 1996)

Scream was Directed by Wes Craven and released in 1996.

Scream is one of them movies that open’s straight into the action, preparing the audience for a thrilling ride of viewing intensity and a warning of bloodied gore early on. The opening sequence to the film is almost the most memorable part of the film and we make a connection with the Character Casey, played by Drew Barrymore, almost instantaneously. She is in effect the MacGuffin of the movie, as she is what is referred to throughout yet taken out of the film physically very early on.

The movie is about the murder of a School Girl, who is one of a number of people targeted by a Hooded, Ghost faced costumed killer on the loose in a small American Town. The first Girl to be killed, Casey, sets off a local pandemonium mainly within the Towns High School. The Teenagers are all both suspects and to be protected, incase this killer goes loose again.

In typical slasher movie style, there are tension build-ups, chilling music and almost predictable outcomes. The classic sign given in Scream that a character was going to be killed was by receiving a phone call from the killer infamously called “Ghost face”. If anything this film is an attempt at recreating the slasher effect of the early films of this style while avoiding an initial cliché. It pays homage to a lot of old characteristics of film making origin of its kind, yet somehow still upholds a modern, more lighthearted feel.

The film, although always being drove onwards by the initial panic and mystery of Casey’s murder, follows a young Student named Sidney (Neve Campbell) who comes to find she is the new prey of the killer. In her efforts to evade the killer, other students and people become victims of the killer and this helps to drive to story forward into its somewhat relentlessly unforgiving conundrum.

The original suspect of the movie is suggested early in the film itself once Sidney becomes the apparent target, so therefore we can initially suggest that this isn’t our killer. This is due to a year before the film being set we come to learn that Sidney’s Mother was brutally raped and murdered, which puts the characters eyes upon Sidney’s missing Father. As the film progresses we start to see links to other key characters and events, such as Sidney’s Prince Charming Boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich). It is almost obvious when Billy climbs in through the window immediately after an attack, with a phone falling out of his sleeve. The Character Billy has something dark about him that we initially see right through, with a swift change in the flow of the plot the film diverts our suspicions away from Billy and we feel more comfortable with him afterwards. This is not to last however, as Billy has merely had a close shave and we come to find that he is actually involved in the murders taking place.

The indulgent fear that strikes into the tension of the film almost becomes like a game, the movie portrays it almost as if the murders are fun and with an excitement to find out who exactly is causing the problems. This is why I think this film is very clever, it can appear funny, referencing itself through comparisons of other horror films and as we see in later sequels even referencing its own success as a horror movie. Even through a rusty sense of humour this film can drive panic into the audience, it can make people jump, it can confuse you, it always has something new every time you see it and strangely enough it can separate you to either will on the hero or the villain in the movie.

I like how the film can really drag you into a typical “American Dream” style suburbia, where even through horrific events such as murder there are still elements about the surroundings that make you feel a comfort that its too perfect to be true. This perfection is almost balanced back to normality by the murders themself which to me somehow is what makes the film less scary than it could be and if anything puts a subconscious form of relief into the audience. If something is too pretty and too good to be true then how can it exsist in an imperfect world? It can’t and it shouldn’t, that’s what drives people who want order by chaos.

The way in which the cameras seem to focus on the scenes derives in two main ways; first we have the typical longer shots, with longer cuts and fewer pans. This keeps the feel of the moment to be more relaxed, chilled out and without too much care. We can take in the beauty of a setting or comfortably get a relaxed shot of a character while they announce their lines. Then there is the other form of camera work used, which is faster cuts, cameras panning around a character to make them seem surrounded, close up’s of a characters panic driven face and even the odd cheesy zoom in during a chase.

The music used within this film is typical for a jumpy horror movie, there are subtle build-ups in tone and then explosions of edgy chaotic string based instrumentals.

To go along with the “perfect” culture driven along in this movie, we come to find the film reference itself in a meta narrative way of depicting the “rules” of a horror movie.



Randy: “There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie! For instance, Number One: You can never have sex. (crowd moans and cheers) Sex equals death, OK? Number Two: You can never drink or do drugs. (crowd moans and cheers) No, it’s the sin factor, it’s a sin, it’s an extension of Number One! And Number Three: Never, ever, ever, under any circumstances say ‘I’ll be right back’, ‘cause you won’t be back.”



It is also interesting to note how there are some characters seemingly obsessed with horror movies throughout, how they seem to know how they work to pull of a decent killing. This helps to further invoke a suspicion into who the killer could be, either by an obsession with how to go about murders or by the person who seems to know less about it. It leaves the audience in a perplexed state of mind, which is later carried out as a true example of how the remaining murders are carried out. Interestingly enough when the character Randy explains the rules to a horror movie the groans and mumbles of the other characters in the room almost makes it seem like the characters are aware of being within a horror movie.

Unfortunately this film had such an effect of comparing itself to other movies of its sort and how to go about being a successful horror film, that it strangely became the grounds for a real murder using the exact voice changer and costume as seen in the film in real life. This was called the Scream Murders and happened in the January of 1998. It is almost as if it is basing itself on a meta dictatorship and consuming the rules of “Scream” and “Scream 2” as if it is a guide and our reality is merely a film that we choose a genre for. It is a scary reality but on open terms it is a correct notion, especially considering we are filmed nearly every day of our life’s in public, or what we see with our own eyes is no different to that of a cinema screen, we direct the cuts as we direct our life’s.

Overall I believe this film to be highly interesting and Wes Craven really did his homework to make this twisted Teen Horror flick come to life.

Brilliant film 8/10

Chris