Scream

Director - Wes Craven (The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare on Elm Street)

Starring - Neve Campbell (Wild Things, Scream 2), Courtney Cox (Murder, She Wrote, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective), and David Arquette (Eight Legged Freaks, Ready to Rumble)

Release Date - 1996

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Someone has taken their love of scary movies too far.  Solving this mystery is going to be murder"

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was born in the mid-80s but I'm very much a product of the 90s.  I lived through the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, N64, PSone, and PS2 years.  My evenings were spent in the local video store and in 1998 my family got their first computer.  I was constantly rushing to Rite-Aid, K-Mart, and other local stores to get the newest Goosebumps releases.  The 90s were a big factor on who I am today and with all that time spent in the video store I've seen so many movies pass through the "new releases" shelf.  In 1996 I was 10 and I made one of my many trips to the video store when Scream was released.  I remember that a few people I knew were there rushing to snag a copy of it on tape before they were all rented out.  I picked up the sleeve and looked it over but it didn't look like something I was interested in.  I can remember going over and renting a few games instead of movies that weekend because nothing really caught my eye.  I wouldn't watch Scream until the year I was married in 2010.  I don't remember it standing out to me but I knew that so many genre fans loved it.  When I received the press release a few weeks back stating that the film was getting an UHD release I was kind of looking forward to revisiting it since I had only seen it once.  I reached out and was lucky enough to a copy of the film to review.

     The film follows Sidney (Campbell) who is approaching the year anniversary of the murder of her mother.  In the days leading up to it some of her friends at school are murdered. The police is exhausting every lead they can but Sidney and her friends suspect that it is someone close to them.  The town issues an early curfew but that doesn't stop the teenage population from getting together for a house party and soon the masked killer arrives finally revealing who it is.

     Scream is a slasher that is extremely self-aware and is credited with revitalizing the dying sub-genre and inspiring a new generation of angsty slashers that almost feel like a parody of themselves.  There was a few cool moments that I enjoyed but the overall film was not enjoyable.  Honestly, I'm a little confused as to why so many genre fans like it when it's so cringy.  I found myself rolling my eyes more than anything which is saying something coming from a guy who absolutely adores Thankskilling.  I love goofy movies but I'm not a fan that of movies that takes themselves too seriously while trying to mock or poke fun of films before it.  I don't mind a parody.  In fact, I encourage them because they are done in a comical way that.  However, the way Scream almost mocks classic horror films, especially slashers, while trying to keep the serious tone comes across as dated and trying too hard.  The acting in this one is one of the few redeeming aspects of the film.  I don't really care for Neve Campbell but the remainder of the cast makes the film as enjoyable as it is.  Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy made the film for me.  I loved their characters and I wish that the film was centered more around Kennedy's character instead of Campbell.  I also loved the remainder of the cast as well but I always felt that Campbell's performance was the weakest part of the film.  When she screams or shows any sort of distress I found myself chuckling because it doesn't feel genuine.  It reminded me a lot of a teenager on YouTube acting out a skit.  The story for this one has so much potential but it feels like Wes Craven is flexing his own name while somewhat mocking the genre that made him famous.  The idea of a killer using horror cliches and tropes is pretty fucking awesome and one hell of an idea for a slasher.  However, Craven name drops himself while referencing his other films is a bit cringy.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Craven fan with A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Hills Have Eyes being two of my favorite genre films but this is extremely awkward.  I don't mind paying tribute to the films that inspired us but Craven having one of his characters name drop himself was poor taste.  Also, the way the film approaches the horror stereotypes feels like it's done in a mocking way.  If you look passed the mocking tone and the way too serious atmosphere of the film you can find a slasher that has a pretty interesting concept but I would personally prefer the parody Student Bodies.  Finally, the film has some standard slasher kills that are another entertaining aspect of the film.  They are stock slash and stabs kills with a lot of blood and solid practical effects but it's not as gruesome as I was expecting.  Overall, Scream has a huge fan base and is one of the most popular horror titles to come out of 90s cinema but I don't find the appeal.  There is a few aspects that I enjoy but the overall film just misses it's mark with me.  Fans of this one will want to snag this release but if you are looking for something as a first time watch I could recommend other films in it's place.