"Do You Like Scary Movies?" Re-Watch: Scream (1996)

 "Scream" (1996)

Ghostface: "Do you like scary movies, Sidney?"

Sidney Prescott: "I like that thing you're doing with your voice, Randy, it's sexy."

Ghostface: "What's your favorite scary movie?"

Sidney Prescott: "Oh, come on You know I don't watch that shit."

Ghostface: "Why not? Too scared?"

Sidney Prescott: "No, no. It's just what's the point? They're all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big breasted girl who can't act who's always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door. It's insulting."

Gale Weathers: "Kenny, I know you're about fifty pounds overweight. But, when I say 'move it,' please interpret that as MOVE YOUR FAT, TUB OF LARD ASS, NOW!!"

Much like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," it's kind of wild that this is the first time I'm talking about the "Scream" series on this blog. It's kind of strange that I love these movies so much because overall I am not a horror girlie. In fact, I don't think that I watched the whole opening sequence of "Scream" until I saw the sequel in the theater with my mom. This is a movie that I watched piecemeal. I would like hype myself up to watch it and then stop. Start, then stop. But, eventually I watched it all and I've now seen it a million times. To the point that I can probably quote it from memory. It's one of my favorite movies of all-time. Who would have ever guessed?

Principal photography on "Scream" took place from April to June 1996. The film stars David Arquette as Dewey Riley, Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks, Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher, Rose McGowan as Tatum Riley, Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary, Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis and Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker. The film was written by Kevin Williamson. It was directed by Wes Craven. "Scream" was released on December 20, 1996.

I'd scream if that was my reflection.

"Scream" is a phenomenon. It re-invented the slasher genre and brought it back to life in a way. It created its own genre with it's meta commentary on scary movies. It created its own language that other films that were made after it attempted to replicate but could never get quite right. It was never expected to do well. It was released in the midst of the holiday season, a time when scary/horror movies aren't really known for doing well. But it turns out that audiences had time for a smart, scary movie and based pretty much on word of mouth "Scream" went on to gross $173 million, which is pretty impressive for a little horror movie that kills off it's biggest star in the opening few minutes.

The opening scene of "Scream" is a cinematic classic and each subsequent sequel tries to top the one before, but nothing will ever top the original. The film opens with blonde, Woodsboro High student, Casey Becker, being tormented by sinister voice that quizzes her on horror movie trivia imposing brutal penalties if she gets a question wrong. This entire 13 minute opening sequence pays homage to the 1979 classic "When a Stranger Calls." It does a great job of ratcheting up the tension. The initial conversation between Casey and the voice on the phone is playful. You understand why this girl would entertain this stranger for a bit but things turn when he says "I want to know who I'm looking at." From that moment on, we are thrust into a tense cat and mouse game that ends with the disembowelment of Casey's boyfriend, Steven Orths and with Casey herself gutted and hung from a tree for her parents to find. 

This scene is almost indescribable. Even though we spend such little time with Casey, the audience is endeared to her immediately. You feel for her. You're rooting for her. You think maybe she'll get away. There's a split second when she sees her parents's car approaching that you think that maybe she will survive this. They keep you on the hook until the moment that Ghostface crashes through the window and his knife sinks into Casey's chest. It's really just a masterclass from beginning to end.

"Scream" upends audience's expectations from the jump. They kill off the movie's biggest star within the first fifteen minutes of the movie. "Scream" built it's entire marketing strategy around Drew Barrymore. Anyone who went to see this movie thought that she was going to be the lead, so for them to kill her off at the very beginning is extremely ballsy and immediately gives you an idea of what sort of movie you're going to watch for the next two hours. I know what some of you might be thinking, well, the movie also has Courteney Cox in it. Which is true, but "Friends" had only been on for 2 years.

Don't answer the phone.

"Scream" was stock full of pretty, young actors who look a little too old to be high schoolers. The real lead of the movie is Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott. Sidney is the ultimate scream queen. And if anyone tries to say otherwise I will fight you. Sidney is still reeling from the rape and murder of her mother the year prior when she becomes the target of the Ghostface killer. Campbell was most well known for her role on "Party of Five" and she is great in this movie. She has this fresh faced innate likability. You want her to succeed. You feel for her. She is sort of the virginal female lead, but she's not prissy. She's relatable. She's fierce. She lights up the screen every time that she's on it. 

Campbell is surrounded by more fresh faces of late '90's cinema. Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard. I want to give a special shout out to Rose McGowan's, Tatum Riley. She's so good in this movie. She's definitely playing the archetype of the big breasted, sex positive girl, but she's so much more than that. She's feisty and funny. She's a great friend to Sidney. She always has her back. It's wonderful. One of the things that I wish is that Tatum had survived. I mean, you know she's not going to. You know she's destined to die, but I'm always curious what it would have been like if she had survived past this film.

The other two stalwarts of the "Scream" franchise are Deputy Dewey and Gale Weathers. Arquette is dorky and charming as Dewey. He wants to be taken seriously, but can't get past the stigmas that are placed on him from living in the same place his entire life. Courteney Cox was looking for a role that was extremely different from Monica on "Friends" and she found it in fame hungry tabloid reporter, Gale Weathers. She had to convince director, Wes Craven, that she could do it and she does. Cox is a force of nature as Gale Weathers. You can't stop watching her every time that she is on screen. You love her. You hate her. You see how Dewey is so taken by her immediately and basically lets her in on an investigation that she really should have stayed far away from. This is also the first movie where Gale gets punched by Sidney, a trend that will continue and will be picked up by other characters when Sidney isn't available.

Hanging by her head.

The original "Scream" introduces all the elements that will appear in the subsequent films. There is the aforementioned opening kill sequence. The calls from the killer voiced by Roger L. Jackson. There usually being at least two killers working in tandem as Ghostface, "Scream 3" and "Scream VI" notwithstanding. The rules that people must abide by to survive a horror movie: never drink or do drugs, never have sex and never say you'll be right back (all rules that the characters in this movie break). We get imaginative kill scenes and chases. Ghostface routinely being knocked around. The cleaning off of the knife. It's all there.

Then there is the Ghostface costume. It was originally manufactured by Fun World as part of their "Fantastic Faces" collection in '91-92. They found this mask and then tried to re-create it, but since they couldn't they worked with Fun World to secure the ability to use it in the film. It's wild to think that this random mask has now become so famous. The Ghostface mask is just as recognizable and popular as Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Pinhead or Michael Myers. I can't imagine any Halloween for the rest of my life where someone isn't dressed up as Ghostface.

The pacing of "Scream" is extremely well done. I love how they sort of slowly reveal the back story with Sidney's mother, Maureen. There's not just one exposition dump. You get bits and pieces through news stories or bits of dialogue from other characters. It's really great. It makes the final reveal that Billy and Stu killed Maureen because she was having an affair with Billy's father hit even harder than it would have had we been told about Maureen outright. The motives for the killers in "Scream" movies can sometimes be a little suspect, but this is the best one.

I'll send you a copy.

"Scream" is written by Kevin Williamson. It launched a pretty prolific career. He would go on to write "Scream 2" and "Scream 4." He also wrote the screenplay for "I Know What You Did Last Summer." He created "The Vampire Diaries," "Dawson's Creek" and "The Following." And he was able to do all this due to the success of "Scream." The script for "Scream" is full of all the hallmarks of what Williamson would be known for. There is the meta commentary. The pop culture references. The self-referential mentions. 

The film is directed by horror master, Wes Craven. Craven was probably most well-known at the time for directing and writing "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Not only was "Scream" kind of like the rebirth of the slasher genre, it was also the rebirth of his career. Craven gives you a masterclass on how to direct a suspenseful film. This is a master craftsman at the top of his game. Craven would go on to direct the first four "Scream" films and sadly passed away from a brain tumor in 2015.

This is such a great movie. It is so many things and it does them all so well. It is a horror movie. It is a whodunnit. It is suspenseful. It is funny. I could literally go on and on and on about this movie. If you haven't seen "Scream," I'm not sure what you are doing. It is the perfect movie to watch and cuddle up with someone during spooky season.

Next up, Sidney and the rest of the Woodsboro Massacre survivors head to college and a new Ghostface killer follows.

What do you all think? Where are my "Scream" fanatics? I'd love to hear from you. What are your favorite moments? What did I not touch on that I should have? Let me know in the comments.