Scream is one of the cleverest horror films ever made, a film that knows the rules of the slasher genre so well it can play with them, subvert them, and still scare you senseless. Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson took everything audiences thought they knew about horror movies and turned it into the film itself, creating something that is simultaneously a brilliant deconstruction of the genre and a terrifying example of it. Nearly thirty years later, it still holds up completely.
At a Glance
Director: Wes Craven
Runtime: 111 minutes
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Drew Barrymore
Release: 1996
Critics Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 stars, a genuine classic)
Audience Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 stars, timeless)
Review Breakdown
Plot
Sidney Prescott becomes the target of a masked killer called Ghostface on the anniversary of her mother's murder. The opening sequence, in which Drew Barrymore's Casey Becker is killed in the first twelve minutes, is one of the great horror openings: a masterclass in subverting expectations that immediately signals this film is going to play by different rules. The whodunit structure is engaging, the kills are inventive, and the revelation of Ghostface's identity is the franchise's most satisfying twist.
Characters
Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott is one of horror's all-time great heroines: smart, resilient, and absolutely not the passive victim the genre had trained audiences to expect. Courteney Cox's Gale Weathers and David Arquette's Dewey Riley are the franchise's most beloved supporting characters, their bickering chemistry providing the film's warmest and funniest moments. Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich are tremendous fun as the film's central suspects, and their eventual reveal is played with a gleeful energy that makes it one of horror's most entertaining villain moments.
Tone
Craven gets the balance exactly right: funny enough to be witty, scary enough to be frightening, and smart enough to make you feel like you are in on the joke without ever letting you feel safe. The film moves between comedy and real dread with complete fluency, which is a much harder trick to pull off than it looks.
Direction
Craven's direction is inventive and confident throughout. The opening sequence is a masterpiece of tension and misdirection, and the party sequence that closes the film is one of horror's great sustained set-pieces. Marco Beltrami's score is perfectly judged, propulsive and atmospheric in equal measure.
Cultural Reception
Scream was a massive critical and commercial hit on its release, revitalising the slasher genre after a decade of diminishing returns and launching one of horror's most successful franchises. It is now consistently ranked among the greatest horror films ever made and credited with single-handedly reinventing the genre for the 1990s. Ghostface became an instant cultural icon, and the film's influence on subsequent horror, from its meta-horror intelligence to its whodunit structure, has been enormous and lasting.
Who Should Watch
Everyone. If you love horror, this is essential. If you are not sure about horror, this is the one to start with. One of the best films of the 1990s, full stop.
Final Verdict: A genuine classic and one of the smartest horror films ever made. Campbell's Sidney is one of the genre's finest heroines, Ghostface is one of cinema's most iconic villains, and Craven's direction gives the whole thing a wit and a craft the genre had not seen in years. Scream is not just a great horror film. It is a great film.
0 comments