"Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

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Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I doubt I can say anything new about this film, I've seen it at least a dozen times. It's not that it's a particular favorite really, just seems to be on a lot or chosen by others. The Netflix stream was a good picture, and I found it entertaining as always.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I have had the Blu-ray for awhile but I did not watch it until this past Tuesday for the challenge. It's been many years since I have seen it but it held up pretty well -- it was weird seeing young people using wireless home phones and not cell phones. :lol: Scream certainly led the way for a new generation of slasher films in the mid-to-late '90s.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I remember back in the 90's when the horror community would lambaste this as 'WB Channel horror' and lump it alongside actual crap like "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Urban Legend". Funny how it stood the test of time and everyone's so accepting of it now.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Loved this film when it came out and still enjoy it today. A lot of the horror that's come out in the last 10 years probably wouldn't exist without Scream. It revitalized the genre.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

It was interesting revisiting Scream. The opening segment with the telephone call is a great intro. I like the television reporter as sort of an media/observer figure; it was great when the TV crew was fruitlessly yelling at their van monitor about someone in watching a slasher film on TV to watch out when someone was actually behind them. The meta-horror angle was a great concept. So many of the characters seem obnoxious (especially Willard) and pointing out of horror rules as they occurred seemed to weaken it for me breaking to forth wall too much. Other movies, like Zombieland, have cloned this in a more stylized way and been effective but in Scream I think it was just the interruption in action/tension. It's always been hard for me to get past The Fonz as a principle, Henry Wrinkler seems out of character in that role (maybe it was intended to be ironic). Some of Scream seemed oddly reminiscent of Nightmare on Elm Street to me (maybe just both being based in part at a school, the boyfriend being accused of the crime).

If I can fit them in I'm looking forward to checking out Scream 2-4 too.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I remember it was fun because it was a horror movie about how horror movies worked. It was similar to how Last Action Hero played up all the action movie references, but without the true parody. Scream usually just came out and told you what reference they were using, though there were still lots of "Easter eggs", whereas you had to have seen all the other action movies to get the inside jokes in Last Action Hero.

Drew Barrymore's death was supposed to unsettle the audience in the same way Janet Leigh's did in Psycho. If the biggest star of the film gets gutted like a fish right off the bat, then NOBODY was going to be "safe".

And of course there was the twist about the killer that made it impossible to solve the mystery because of the preconception that there was only one.

Unfortunately, it seems that each sequel was made to showcase a new plot twist instead of telling a really good story.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Scream and Halloween (78') were my first forray in to slasher films and made me fall in love with the subgenre. I was 9 years old when this came out and it is nostalgic to me. I remember this film being the choice scary entertainment at sleepovers around that time used as a tool to keep us awake all night. I love all of the scream franchise because it doesn't take itself too seriously, funny one liners, and fun nods to the horror genre. I also like the opening sequences and twist endings in all of the films. I am now tempted to watch the rest of the franchise either tonight or the other days leading up to halloween.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I already gave in and am spinning the second one right now.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I kinda like the 2nd one more (it changes depending on my mood) cool opening and like the college atmosphere plus sarah michelle gellar's cameo.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Certainly one of the smarter, meta horror movies of all time. I really liked it when it was first released, though its replay value diminishes each time you watch it.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Having not seen any of the others, can a person jump right to 4? It's the only other one I have.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

When you mention this movie to people, many of them refer to it as a spoof. It really isn't, but it is self-aware. I don't know how to describe it, but it is NOT a spoof really.

That Drew Barrymore segment is really well done. I really realized she could act when I first saw that.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Definitely not a spoof. Scary Movie is a spoof; this was a real horror film that didn't take itself too seriously.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I bought my first DVD player because of this film. My brother gave it to me for Christmas on DVD, trying to coerce me into taking the plunge into digital media. It worked.

Unlike PhantomStranger, I find that I like it MORE every time I see it. There's always some previously unnoticed reference to catch. I just wish that Matthew Lillard had taken his performance down a few notches. Fifty years from now, this will probably be seen as Wes Craven's best movie (unless he makes something better in the meantime).

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Oh, one other thing bothered me... They went on and on about what is required in a horror movie, garnered the R rating, mentioned the necessity for a boob shot, and then NEVER SHOWED ONE! What's with that???

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Neve Campbell flashed her boyfriend at the beginning, so at least somebody got to see some boobs, unfortunately it wasn't the audience. :(

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

And she even prefaced that with the statement about "PG-13 sex". And then the audience doesn't see it in an R movie that just told you it was required!

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Saw this three times when it was released and it was one of my favorites of 1996. I took out my old laserdisc (which is the totally uncut version unlike the blu-ray) and was happy to find that this held up so well. None of the sequels were bad; but none of the them capture this moment in the cultural horror zeitgeist as well. Nobody cared about slashers at this time in the '90s. This made all that horror love okay again. Love the music score and Rose McGowan's memorable scene. The quick pace to the kill scenes was very effective in this one. Craven got a bit of that energy back in 4.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I finished watching the third movie last night and the voice of Ghostface really helps sell these movies. Roger Jackson's cadence is equal parts terror and fascination.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I'm a fan of the Scream series. Just returned from Target where they have the first three films on BD (including 2 documentaries) for $9.99. See this thread for more information. Pretty excited about this deal and the opportunity to revisit these movies in the next few days.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

It can stand on it's own, you just won't get the references or know the characters well from the previous films. I'm pretty sure that some of the characters are re-explained but not sure.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

Thanks! After seeing your comments here I watched 2 and 3 on Netflix. I'm sure you're right. It will help with the character development. Especially because of how much Cox's character changes over the two movies. Now onto 4 before the end of the month! So little time!

By the way, boob count still 0.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

I know Scream is much maligned in some circles, but I have always loved it. I remember the first time I saw it, I was on the edge of my seat. I found it to be so suspenseful and funny at the same time. I was also totally caught off guard by the ending reveal of two killers. I wasn't expecting that at all.

This is one of the few films I can say I saw in the movie theater multiple times, too. I was a college student in a small town. We didn't have many screens in town, so options were a little limited. If I was bored, I would go catch a matinee of Scream. I loved seeing the movie in theaters because it always brought such a reaction from audience members. Now that I think about it, I remember it played in theaters for a really long time, thanks to word of mouth and repeat viewers.

I hadn't seen the movie in a number of years, mainly because I had seen it so many times in theaters and then on DVD, so this was the first time seeing it on Blu-ray. First, about that Blu-ray, I was very underwhelmed at how it looked. The picture just didn't look very sharp at all. It's obvious this was an old transfer and didn't do the film its full justice. Of course, it's better than the old non-anamorphic DVD, which isn't saying too much. As for the film, I thought it held up remarkably well. The intro scene is still a standout, and the meta references play even better now. The thing that really bothered me that didn't before was the overacting from Skeet Ulrich and Matt Lillard at the end. Lillard still was ableto bring some laughs, but it just made things feel far goofier than they needed to be. But overall, I still really like the film.

And here's a brief comment about the sequels. I always felt like Scream 2 was an overall more entertaining film but the first one was a scarier one. Scream 3 was a big step down despite the inclusion of Parker Posey. Scream 4 was an improvement but still not to the level of the first two.

Re: "Scream" Reviews/Discussion - 2013 Horror Challenge: Day 24
 

What cut from the blu-ray?

I'm a sucker for Matthew Lillard and love the original. Part 2 & 3 could have been if they went with their original ideas, but sadly they had to change things up for different reasons. The first one is a classic and the best thing Jamie Kennedy will ever do.