In honor of Scream 4 coming out this Friday, I figured I’d review the original three Scream films.
Scream (1996)
Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowen, Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich
Genre: Horror / Slasher
Rated: R
The small town of Woodsboro California has been rocked by the shocking double murder of a teenage couple. Seventeen-year-old Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) finds herself caught up in this who-done-it slasher/mystery when the killer makes it clear he/she has her in their sights. As the body count continues to rise, Sydney and her friends must rely on their knowledge of slasher films if they want to get out alive.
I have to say, I do not understand all the flack this film receives from horror fans. I understand that it spawned a bunch of imitators and started the trend of placing well-known actors into horror films, but neither of these things actually have to do with the film itself. I personally don’t like many of the clones or the addition of well-known actors into the horror genre either, but it worked for Scream.
The cast did a great job in this. Yes, many of them were popular at the time, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are talented. Drew Barrymore’s performance in the opening scene is incredibly believable. She appears truly terrified and the audience feels for her. Neve Campbell’s heroine, Sydney, is likable and strong, despite the chaos surrounding her. Rose McGowen plays Tatum, Sydney’s best friend, who is loyal, sharp, and witty. David Arquette is Tatum’s brother, Dewey, the Deputy Sheriff investigating the murders. He’s crushing on Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), a reporter who has come to town to get the story. Jamie Kennedy brings Randy, the horror movie geek, to life, and Matthew Lillard gives a fun, slightly over-the-top performance as Stu, Tatum’s frat-boyish boyfriend. Skeet Ulrich wraps it up with his turn as Billy, the dark and brooding bad boy dating Sydney. All the characters are likable and relatable, making the story entertaining and the viewers actually feel for the victims.
The plot of the film is well thought out and fun. It pays homage to several classic horror films such as Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Prom Night. Several films are mentioned throughout and it’s clear from one viewing that writer, Kevin Williamson, really knows his horror movies. It brings something new to the table with the use of cell phones – newer technology that hadn’t been used in previous slasher films. Also the teens in this film knew the horror clichés to watch out for and the rules that “one must abide by in order to survive a horror movie.”
The film was well shot and directed. The sets were beautiful and fairly realistic for depicting an upper-middle class California town. The special effects were also done very well. The film has a nice amount of gore (not too much, but probably a little more than necessary), and fake blood and prosthetics were used, rather than the CGI that is so popular today. These types of effects feel more real to me than those that are computer generated. There was also a good amount of suspense within the film with great tension building moments.
Overall: I really enjoy this film. It is one of the first that really inspired me to get into the horror genre. (I’m a youngin’ – I saw this and worked backwards.) The performances are great, the dialogue witty, the film suspenseful, and we have characters we actually care about. There are also creative kills and just the right amount of gore for my liking. I thoroughly enjoy this film and can watch it over and over again.
8/10
Scream 2 (1997)
Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jada Pinkett –Smith, Liev Schreiber, Timothy Olyphant, Jerry O’Connell and Laurie Metcalf
Genre: Horror / Slasher
Rated: R
Two years have passed since the murders in Woodsboro. Sydney (Campbell) and Randy (Kennedy) are off at Windsor College trying to get on with their lives. However, a new movie, Stab – based on the book Gale Weathers (Cox) wrote about their ordeal in Woodsboro, seems to have inspired a copycat killer. When two students are killed at a viewing of this film, Sydney is sure it’s starting again, and begins to wonder who she can trust.
I didn’t like this film as well as the first. It doesn’t seem as well organized and thought out as the original film. Some of the things the characters do just seem stupid and out of place when murders are being committed. Also, I really couldn’t get into the new characters added to the story. It was almost as if the writer was just writing them to be killed off. They were fairly flat and boring. The only new character I enjoyed was CiCi, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, but I think that is more because I’m a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer nerd than her character actually being that memorable. It was nice that she didn’t come off as the typical airhead sorority girl, though. The rest of the characters were bland to me. I really didn’t care what happened to them. Our four surviving characters from the original are the only ones I care about, and they are still played to perfection by Campbell, Cox, Arquette, and Kennedy respectively.
The suspense and tension wasn’t there to me as much as it was in the first, but I think that relates back to the characters not being very likable. If you don’t like the characters that much then you aren’t going to worry about what is going to happen to them. The first half hour to forty-five minutes of the movie are strong, and midway through it begins to fizzle out. The first kill in the movie theater is intense, and they slowly go downhill from there. There was also an idea that the killer(s) is taking out people with the same names as the victims in Woodsboro, in the order that they died, but that storyline gets dropped fairly quickly, so it seems rather pointless. Also, while the big reveal was shocking, I was kind of disappointed with who the killer(s) turned out to be.
Overall: a decent sequel but doesn’t stand on par with the original. The new characters were bland and it felt like the script and story weren’t as well thought out as the previous film. It does have its great moments, but never really impressed me.
6/10
Scream 3 (2000)
Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Liev Schreiber, Scott Foley, Lance Henrikson, Parker Posey, Jenny McCarthy and Patrick Dempsey
Genre: Horror / Slasher
Rated: R
Three years have passed since the events at Windsor College. Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has gone into hiding and only her father and Dewey (David Arquette) know where she is. She works for a women’s crisis line from home. Hollywood has begun production on Stab 3, the final film about the murders in Woodsboro. Once again, the murders are starting up. It appears someone doesn’t want Stab 3 to be produced, but wants to create their own, real-life version instead. One by one, cast members begin to die as the killer tries to lure Sydney out of hiding for their final showdown.
This film is the lesser liked of the Scream sequels, but I actually like it better than part two. It introduces a lot more comedy into the mix, which makes up for the cast of barely likable newbies. Still, the beginning sequence is reminiscent of the first film with the suspense aspect. It’s drawn out and the viewer actually cares about what happens to these characters. After that, humor is what keeps the audience watching the Stab 3 cast members as they are dispatched one by one.
The sets were nifty. I really liked the scene where Sydney was being chased through the Hollywood version of her old house. Just being in a building that resembled her old home brings back a flood of memories for her, and to be chased again through this building only adds to her anxiety. The mansion where the last quarter of the movie takes place is also a great set because it has so many secret passage ways for the killer to use to sneak around. You never know where he/she is going to pop up.
Sydney’s character is probably the strongest and the smartest she’s ever been. In the first film she was just figuring out what she needed to do to survive, the second she was trying to prove she was a fighter, by part three she proves she’s a fighter with a good head on her shoulders.
Overall: this film relies more on the humor aspect than the previous films did. It seems to acknowledge that the audience isn’t going to really care much about the new characters so it amps up the humor factor. The original characters are better developed and still enjoyable to watch on screen. The sets were cool and the ending has a twist most will not see coming.
6.5 / 10
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