Scream did two very significant things- First, it put the horror genre back on the map as a bankable Hollywood product. Second, it showed that you could infuse a film with the self-aware, self-deprecating and tragically hip attitude carried by the 90s generation. Both of these landmarks were groundbreaking and set the tone for cinema that even now is still with us. More importantly, both of these landmarks lost their luster very quickly.
Horror master Wes Craven’s Scream is a one-in-a-million film. It recognizes not only the faults and incongruities of its genre, but also of its own story. The writers then took these clichés and incongruities and told us that they know they’re there, and that, try as anyone might, they’re always going to be there, which causes us to not only enjoy the film even more, but also to actually enjoy the clichés for a change.
Let's face it, the plot is nothing new. Local large-chested girl is being tormented by a homicidal maniac, who intends to kill her eventually but wants to make life even worse for her by taking aim at her ridiculously gorgeous and witty friends. Everyone is a suspect, and remains as such until they either die or the true killer reveals their identity. It’s the same cat and mouse we’ve seen played out countless time before.
But Scream embraces poking fun at itself and plants its tongue firmly in cheek. Characters openly discuss potential motives (should they be the killer). They engage in debates about what to do and what not to do when in a scary movie type situation, then consciously break the rules they come up with. Most importantly, they ask the big questions that are on the viewers’ minds. You don’t have to worry about figuring out what’s going on, because the characters are doing a much better job of it for you.
This is Scream’s greatest asset. It changed the way we look at horror films, but it also changed the way they make horror films. Now producers and writers feel obligated to include some kind of self-awareness in slasher flicks, which really isn’t necessary. Scream raised the bar for what horror can be and very few will ever live up it.
If you can handle some language and a few graphic depictions of murder, you need to see Scream!
Scream did two very significant things- First, it put the horror genre back on the map as a bankable Hollywood product. Second, it showed that you could infuse a film with the self-aware, self-deprecating and tragically hip attitude carried by the 90s generation. Both of these landmarks were groundbreaking and set the tone for cinema that even now is still with us. More importantly, both of these landmarks lost their luster very quickly.
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