Scream
3/4
Starring: Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Courtney Cox, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, Drew Barrymore, voice of Roger Jackson
Rated R for Strong Graphic Horror Violence and Gore, and for Language
Although history has clearly showed that "Scream" has played well to audience members who are not slasher movie aficionados, this is one of those movies where the more movies of the genre, the more references and enjoyment you'll get from the movie. I've seen my fair share of slasher movies, although few of the "classics" (I have seen "Halloween," and own "Friday the 13th" but haven't seen it), although not many before I saw Wes Craven's film for the first time. After watching a few of these, some good ("Wrong Turn"), some awful ("The Nun"), I realized how much more of the humor and the references I got.
The film gets off to a great start. In fact, it can be easily argued that the opening scene, which takes up 12 minutes, is in its own way, almost brilliant. Not only is it scary and well-made, it sets the stage for what kind of a slasher movie the film is. Once Casey Becker (Barrymore) and Ghostface (Jackson) start talking, any presumption that this is going to be another generic teen slasher goes out the window immediately.
After Casey and her boyfriend (Kevin Patrick Walls, who was given the role after he didn't get the part of Billy) are gutted like fish, the town of Woodsboro is in a state of shock. Well, not really. The parents are, but the teenagers gossip about it (as they are wont to do). Sidney Prescott (Campbell) is on edge not only because her father is out of town, but her mother Maureen (Lynn McRee in photos) was brutally raped and murdered a year ago minus a day. They know that they're in a horror movie, and openly discuss how the murders relate to the movies they've seen. But as is required for movies like this, there are more attacks and more teenagers end up in the morgue. And of course, Sydney is at the center of it.
Known horror director Wes Craven (who directed the overrated "A Nightmare on Elm Street," which is one of the many movies parodied in this movie) and Kevin Williamson lampoon the genre at every turn. Although not as obvious or openly funny as its "real" parody, "Scary Movie," there are plenty of grin-worthy moments and a few laughs among the scares. For example, Craven makes a cameo in the film as a janitor dressed as Freddy Krueger, and there's a brief bit where a scene from a horror movie is mirroring exactly that is happening to the characters. Some of these are too obvious and cute for what is a mostly straight horror movie, but not enough to damage the movie's flow too much.
The acting is as effective as it can be for a horror movie, although to be frank acting is rarely a strong suit for this genre (there are a few exceptions, however. "Halloween" and "The Descent" come to mind). Neve Campbell is good, but is rough around the edges. She's more low-key than your usual scream queen, and I'm not sure that is the right way to go. Better to go with someone like Jamie Lee Curtis than Michelle Williams when you need a hot actress with a great set of lungs (although Williams did star in "Halloween: H20" with Curtis). Skeet Ulrich is better as her rebel-looking boyfriend Billy Loomis (ha ha). He looks, sounds and acts far too much like Johnny Depp (who starred in Craven's "Nightmare") for this to be a coincidence. Rose McGowan is pretty decent as Sidney's best friend, Tatum, and David Arquette is okay as her brother (who's a cop, no less), but he sometimes fades into the background. Courtney Cox makes for a very bitchy and very sleazy tabloid reporter. Jamie Kennedy is good as the local movie nerd, Randy Meeks. The weak link is Matthew Lillard, whose mannerisms and facial expressions can get a little annoying.
Frankly, I think Wes Craven's reputation as a horror icon is a bit overblown. He's a competent director, to be sure, and many of his movies are good (especially in a genre infamous for its crap). However, he has his flops ("My Soul to Take" ranks as as one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen). This film really doesn't show him at his best. His direction isn't as crisp as it should be, and the acting isn't the best. Its latest sequel, "Scream 4," was a lot better, scarier and funnier.
"Scream" is a pretty good horror movie. In fact, it's a pretty good movie, period. I'm not surprised that it did a lot better than expected ($173 million against a $15 million). The script is smart, knowing and able to use it's knowledge of horror film conventions to make a unique film that still fills every requirement of the genre (Williamson's script caused a bidding war in Hollywood...one of the few times where Hollywood recognized a good script and actually went after it). Craven knows the genre and how to tweak it just enough to provoke both laughs and scares, and it's got plenty of gore. There's no T&A, though, and that's the only requirement that the film is missing (Campbell has had a no-nudity clause in her contract for all of her career except for one film, "When Will I Be Loved?" in 2004. For the record, Campbell does take her top off, or at least appears to, once in the film, but she is blocked by Ulrich). Not that that makes much difference.
Starring: Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Courtney Cox, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, Drew Barrymore, voice of Roger Jackson
Rated R for Strong Graphic Horror Violence and Gore, and for Language
Although history has clearly showed that "Scream" has played well to audience members who are not slasher movie aficionados, this is one of those movies where the more movies of the genre, the more references and enjoyment you'll get from the movie. I've seen my fair share of slasher movies, although few of the "classics" (I have seen "Halloween," and own "Friday the 13th" but haven't seen it), although not many before I saw Wes Craven's film for the first time. After watching a few of these, some good ("Wrong Turn"), some awful ("The Nun"), I realized how much more of the humor and the references I got.
The film gets off to a great start. In fact, it can be easily argued that the opening scene, which takes up 12 minutes, is in its own way, almost brilliant. Not only is it scary and well-made, it sets the stage for what kind of a slasher movie the film is. Once Casey Becker (Barrymore) and Ghostface (Jackson) start talking, any presumption that this is going to be another generic teen slasher goes out the window immediately.
After Casey and her boyfriend (Kevin Patrick Walls, who was given the role after he didn't get the part of Billy) are gutted like fish, the town of Woodsboro is in a state of shock. Well, not really. The parents are, but the teenagers gossip about it (as they are wont to do). Sidney Prescott (Campbell) is on edge not only because her father is out of town, but her mother Maureen (Lynn McRee in photos) was brutally raped and murdered a year ago minus a day. They know that they're in a horror movie, and openly discuss how the murders relate to the movies they've seen. But as is required for movies like this, there are more attacks and more teenagers end up in the morgue. And of course, Sydney is at the center of it.
Known horror director Wes Craven (who directed the overrated "A Nightmare on Elm Street," which is one of the many movies parodied in this movie) and Kevin Williamson lampoon the genre at every turn. Although not as obvious or openly funny as its "real" parody, "Scary Movie," there are plenty of grin-worthy moments and a few laughs among the scares. For example, Craven makes a cameo in the film as a janitor dressed as Freddy Krueger, and there's a brief bit where a scene from a horror movie is mirroring exactly that is happening to the characters. Some of these are too obvious and cute for what is a mostly straight horror movie, but not enough to damage the movie's flow too much.
The acting is as effective as it can be for a horror movie, although to be frank acting is rarely a strong suit for this genre (there are a few exceptions, however. "Halloween" and "The Descent" come to mind). Neve Campbell is good, but is rough around the edges. She's more low-key than your usual scream queen, and I'm not sure that is the right way to go. Better to go with someone like Jamie Lee Curtis than Michelle Williams when you need a hot actress with a great set of lungs (although Williams did star in "Halloween: H20" with Curtis). Skeet Ulrich is better as her rebel-looking boyfriend Billy Loomis (ha ha). He looks, sounds and acts far too much like Johnny Depp (who starred in Craven's "Nightmare") for this to be a coincidence. Rose McGowan is pretty decent as Sidney's best friend, Tatum, and David Arquette is okay as her brother (who's a cop, no less), but he sometimes fades into the background. Courtney Cox makes for a very bitchy and very sleazy tabloid reporter. Jamie Kennedy is good as the local movie nerd, Randy Meeks. The weak link is Matthew Lillard, whose mannerisms and facial expressions can get a little annoying.
Frankly, I think Wes Craven's reputation as a horror icon is a bit overblown. He's a competent director, to be sure, and many of his movies are good (especially in a genre infamous for its crap). However, he has his flops ("My Soul to Take" ranks as as one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen). This film really doesn't show him at his best. His direction isn't as crisp as it should be, and the acting isn't the best. Its latest sequel, "Scream 4," was a lot better, scarier and funnier.
"Scream" is a pretty good horror movie. In fact, it's a pretty good movie, period. I'm not surprised that it did a lot better than expected ($173 million against a $15 million). The script is smart, knowing and able to use it's knowledge of horror film conventions to make a unique film that still fills every requirement of the genre (Williamson's script caused a bidding war in Hollywood...one of the few times where Hollywood recognized a good script and actually went after it). Craven knows the genre and how to tweak it just enough to provoke both laughs and scares, and it's got plenty of gore. There's no T&A, though, and that's the only requirement that the film is missing (Campbell has had a no-nudity clause in her contract for all of her career except for one film, "When Will I Be Loved?" in 2004. For the record, Campbell does take her top off, or at least appears to, once in the film, but she is blocked by Ulrich). Not that that makes much difference.
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