Scream
Sub-Genre- Slasher
In Attendance- Me
Cast Members of Note- Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Drew Barrymore, Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich; Directed by Wes Craven.
What's it about?- This is a film about family structure, and the effects that infidelity can have on everyone's lives; most notably rape and brutal murder. It's also about a guy in a black dress and a creepy ghost mask that has an obsession with horror movie trivia, rape, and brutal murder. He also totally rips off the name Ghostface from one of the best MC's from the Wu-Tang Clan; then again calling himself Old Dirty Bastard probably wouldn't be as scary.
Sweet, virginal Sidney Prescott is still dealing with her mother's brutal rape and death, an annoyingly pouty boyfriend who constantly pressures her for sex, and having Matthew Lillard as a friend; how that last bit didn't drive her to rape and kill random people herself, I'll never know. Then again, dating Skeet Ulrich isn't exactly winning the sexual lottery, so I digress.
After Drew Barrymore loses a game of movie trivia, Ghostface comes after Sidney, killing anyone else who get's in his way, including The Fonz. Yes, Ghostface from Scream killed the Fonz. Is nothing sacred to this maniac? As if it's not bad enough that he's deprived the world of Drew Barrymore's boobs, he has to kill The Fonz?... I just hope that Chachi isn't next. I always liked Chachi.
Needless to say, murder and mayhem break out all over the place, along with clever in-jokes and a sever lack of female nudity. I won't spoil the ending here, in case you haven't seen the movie, but suffice it to say that Matthew Lillard gets his, and Courtney Cox is a total bitch.
The Good- Love it or hate it, this was the film that brought the stale mid-90's horror genre back to life, especially the slasher film. Before Scream came along and reminded everyone that it was alright to like horror movies again, the 90's were all about sequels, with everyone trying to cash in on part's 2, 3 and 12 of series started in the 80's. Check out THIS LINK and see for yourself the sad state of affairs that we call 90's horror.
Wes Craven (along with writer Kevin Williamson), one of the all-time masters of horror, decided to poke a little fun at the genre that made him a legend, while at the same time doing it justice, which paid off huge. Of course this also was the start on the cookie-cutter teen terror flicks that flooded the market for the next decade or so, but that was just a necessary evil.
Also notable is the creation of a new horror Icon; Ghostface. He may not be Freddy, Jason, Michael or Leatherface, but he's right behind the big boys as far as iconic status goes.
The Bad- Would you really stab yourself/allow yourself to be stabbed multiple times to cover up your being a killer? Maybe once in the arm, or the fleshy part of the thigh, but no midsection jabs for me.
The Downright Horrendous- Matthew Lillard may be the worst actor in the history of film. Fine, maybe not the worst, but definitely the most annoying, and yes I'm counting Carrot Top.
The Gory- An unedited cut of this is rumored to exist overseas, but the regular old Region 1 (America) version isn't all that gory. It does have its moments though, and it get's pretty bloody towards the end, but I would have liked to have seen a few kills go longer and be a bit more close up.
The Naked- Nothing. What a waste of an R-Rating... and a bunch of cute actresses.
Best Line- "Do you like scary movies?" or "My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!"
What did we learn?- Slashers can be fun and still work. Also, never give up your v-card to a Johnny Depp wannabe.
Rating- A (9.0/10) This movie is a modern day classic. Not only did it make horror legitimate again in the mainstream, but it was just plain old fun. If you love slasher flicks and haven't seen this movie yet, you should.
Final Thoughts- Ladies and gentlemen, Drew Barrymore.
The review for parts 2 is coming soon... most likely Sunday evening.
