Scream Review
by James Berardinelli (berardin AT bc DOT cybernex DOT net)December 26th, 1996
SCREAM
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.0
Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1996
U.S. Release Date: December 20, 1996 (wide)
Running Length: 1:50
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, gore, profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Neve Campbell, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Courteney Cox,=20 David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, Drew Barrymore,=20 Henry Winkler
Director: Wes Craven
Producers: Cary Woods and Cathy Konrad
Screenplay: Kevin Williamson
Cinematography: Mark Irwin
Music: Marco Beltrami
U.S. Distributor: Dimension Films
SCREAM is a rarity: a horror movie spoof that succeeds almost as=20 well at provoking scares as laughs. That's because director Wes Craven=20 (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), in addition to having a genuine affection=20 for the genre, understands how wildly improbable and easy to lampoon it=20 is. And, with SCREAM, he skewers it at every corner, using self- referential humor and a flood of in-jokes (some subtle, some obvious).
The list of movies mentioned or satirized is amazingly long, and=20 features everything from the 1931 Universal classic, FRANKENSTEIN, to=20 Tom Cruise's ALL THE RIGHT MOVES ("if you pause [the video] at the right=20 place, you can see his penis"). Craven, never one to take himself too=20 seriously, pokes fun at his own reputation and his movies, at one point=20 calling himself "Wes Carpenter" (an allusion to the numerous people who=20 confuse him with director John Carpenter). References to Carpenter's=20 original HALLOWEEN abound; several minutes of footage from that film are=20 used here in a uniquely effective manner.
SCREAM opens with a 12-minute prologue that introduces us to Casey=20 (Drew Barrymore), an all-American girl who's popping popcorn in=20 preparation for watching a video. The phone rings, and there's a=20 mysterious voice on the other end. He asks her what her favorite scary=20 movie is, and she replies that it's HALLOWEEN. He then invites her to=20 play a game, but she gets freaked out and hangs up. When he calls again=20 and she demands to know what he wants, his response is simple and=20 succinct: "To see your insides." The cat-and-mouse game continues=20 until both Casey and her boyfriend (who has the misfortune to stop by)=20 are gutted like fish.
This double murder is only the beginning, however. It appears that=20 the killer's real target is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell, from TV's=20 PARTY OF FIVE), a high school girl with a troubled past. One year ago,=20 Sidney's mother was raped and murdered in a highly-publicized case. =20 Now, when Sidney is attacked by someone wearing a Grim Reaper mask and=20 her boyfriend, Billy (Skeet Ulrich), is arrested, her life is turned=20 upside down. From the bathrooms at school to a friend's house, the=20 stalking continues. Meanwhile, an aggressive tabloid reporter=20 (Courteney Cox) begins harassing Sidney for a story. =20
SCREAM never stops poking fun at itself. Craven and screenwriter=20 Kevin Williamson allow their characters to make all sorts of disparaging=20 remarks about the horror movie cliches they're living (and dying)=20 through. In describing why she doesn't like slasher flicks, Sidney=20 claims that "they're all the same=85 Some big-breasted blond who can't=20 act" does stupid things. Another character, a video junkie (Jamie=20 Kennedy), describes all the gory, real-life events as "standard, horror=20 movie stuff=85 There's a formula to it -- a very simple formula." Then,=20 as a group gathers to watch HALLOWEEN on TV, this same guy recites the=20 three rules of surviving a horror movie: never have sex, never drink or=20 do drugs, and never say "I'll be right back." =20
The most obvious and inventive parody in SCREAM involves a direct=20 takeoff of the killer-stalking-Jamie Lee Curtis-through-the-house=20 sequence from HALLOWEEN. While that scene is playing on a TV, similar=20 events are happening in the very room where the TV sits. In fact, as=20 Michael Myers is approaching Curtis' character from behind, the death- masked killer is sneaking up on the guy watching the video, who is=20 screaming at the TV, "Look behind you!" Since he's so knowledgeable=20 about the genre, he should consider heeding his own advice.
The director doesn't do everything right. The film's self-parody=20 aspects are sometimes too cute, and there are occasions when they dilute=20 attempts at shocks and suspense. There are also a few too many twists=20 and turns in the script, and the ending is unnecessarily protracted. In=20 general, SCREAM probably could have benefited from a little more=20 tightening up during either the scripting or the editing stage.
Some of the casting choices are unusual. Most of the major roles=20 go to fresh faces. Neve Campbell, who doesn't have much feature=20 experience, finds the right tone for her character, allowing Sidney to=20 be a little tougher than the typical damsel in distress. Courtney Cox,=20 on the other hand, is never believable as the tough-as-nails, career- obsessed reporter. Drew Barrymore and Henry Winkler (a.k.a. The Fonz,=20 as a high school principal) have cameos (Winkler's is uncredited).
Craven couldn't have made this movie if he didn't understand both=20 his craft and what his fans expect. Of all the mainstream horror=20 directors, he has been the one most willing to take chances. In some=20 ways, SCREAM is an extension of WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE, which also=20 blurred the lines between motion pictures and real life. This is a=20 horror film designed with movie-lovers in mind. Beneath all the gore=20 and violence (and there's a lot of both), there's a keen sense of wit=20 and intelligence which sophisticated viewers are likely to appreciate. =20 And that makes this much more than a common slasher flick. Have fun,=20 and remember that "movies don't create psychos; movies make psychos more=20 creative."
- James Berardinelli
e-mail: [email protected]
ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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