Scream Reviews

What can I say? Scream is a wonderful film, a classic of its genre and a real scream from start to finish. The production values are excellent with atmospheric photography and settings, Wes Craven's direction is to date one of his best directing jobs, the music is haunting and the sound effects unsettling. The acting from Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette is top notch, and GhostFace as a character is iconic. What struck me as truly impressive about Scream was its originality, the story is fresh and while there are some funny lines, there are some genuinely scary, jump-out-of-your-seat moments too. Overall, brilliant. 10/10 Bethany Cox

What can I say? Scream is a wonderful film, a classic of its genre and a real scream from start to finish. The production values are excellent with atmospheric photography and settings, Wes Craven's direction is to date one of his best directing jobs, the music is haunting and the sound effects unsettling. The acting from Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette is top notch, and GhostFace as a character is iconic. What struck me as truly impressive about Scream was its originality, the story is fresh and while there are some funny lines, there are some genuinely scary, jump-out-of-your-seat moments too. Overall, brilliant. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Amaizing ! It is one of the best horror movies brings back the slash of the 80s..Craven and Williamson joined forces to produce a film that follows the rules of the slasher game while allowing itself to take a certain ironic distance from it. These were the keys to its success: 'Scream' offers terror for an audience that will also enjoy meta-cinematic winks.

I remember it very well, when this movie was released, I was honestly not really interested. Eventually, there was a massive word of mouth (back in those days, that’s how it worked, there was no internet or social medias involved), everybody was talking about it so I was eventually eager to check it out. And, indeed, it was really good, the genuine rebirth of the slasher flick and an impressive come-back for Wes Craven. Indeed, Craven pushed the genre to a different level, it became really meta and quite entertaining. Basically, instead of the usual naive or even stupid victims, here, the characters were all smart-ass and quite aware of the rules of this genre resulting in some pretty nifty dialogues. Eventually, even though they played with those rules, they actually still remained pretty faithful to the genre so I think it is actually more an homage than a parody like it was sometimes described. Of course, since it was a huge success, they made some sequels, all directed by Wes Craven which was rather unusual, but those other installments were all really disappointing (I especially dreaded the 1st sequel). Anyway, to conclude, I really liked this flick, it is definitely a 90’s classic and it is absolutely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

First we had A Nightmare On Elm Street in 1984, which became the breakthrough in the slasher category, and in 1996, we had Scream that also made a massive impact, not only for slasher films, but the thriller genre itself. Scream honors the older thrillers with the haunting music, the plot twists and turns and the rather basic yet extraordinary filmmaking that became the start of something new. However, that new hope so to speak hasn't been very promising because there hasn't really been very many masterful thrillers since this one was released.


The most extraordinary facts about Scream are the ways the characters use the references of movies themselves (specifically horrors and thrillers) and how they become big influences to some people for good and bad. It takes deep admiration to mix discussed movies in a movie, horrific violence from someone in a black rope and white ghost mask and a very powerful background story behind it and still be a giant success, which is exactly what this became. One thing that is quite a surprising lesson within Scream regarding some of the discussed movies and perhaps movies in general, are that they sometimes go off trap and do not entertain. Therefore, some of them can influence more crime and terrorism within the world, and Scream gives us a very solid lesson about that. It has also increased excitement and influence on the Halloween occasion too.


A peaceful town in California turns into a bloodbath when a masked killer haunts the town. Sidney Prescott, a young teenage girl, whose mother was killed a year before, becomes the target of the mask killer! Her boyfriend Billy Loomis becomes the main suspect along with Sidney's father. Local Tabloid News Reporter Gail Weathers and Woodsboro's Deputy Dwight "Dewey" Riley investigate and try to figure out who the killer is and if it's the same person who killed Sid's mom the year before!


Although we recognize Wes Craven as director of A Nightmare On Elm Street, the majority of the cast within the film were a group of newcomers and soon-to-be shining stars. Neve Campbell leads the pack and portrays the protagonist of the story - Sidney Prescott. Sidney is a very strong and rather important character because she expresses the troubles that a lot of teenagers have, as far as her past is concerned and her occasionally troubled behaviour. Campbell was cast perfectly as Sidney due to her beauty and there was a worn-down teenager inside, so she portrayed that brilliantly. Skeet Ulrich, an almost identical look-a-like to Johnny Depp in A Nightmare On Elm Street, portrays Sidney's boyfriend Billy. It is Billy's movie influences that makes him quite a strong yet quite a hidden and secretive character, and becomes quite a shock as the film progresses.


Courtney Cox plays news reporter Gale Weathers. Gale is one of those characters who really only cares about what she gets and what she can achieve from a case, hence one of the reasons why she doesn't get along well with Sidney. Cox provides not only a cocky yet soon to be heroic side to Gale, but a very sexy style at the same time; especially with the bond she has with Dwight ìDewey' Riley. David Arquette makes his breakthrough role as Dewey, as he helps to investigate the murders within the town as well as slowly falling for Gale Weathers.


After he gave us A Nightmare On Elm Street, Wes Craven goes both somewhere different (the theme, characters and story) and back to what he does best: terrifying the viewers with the violence and haunting suspense. He doesn't quite make thrillers as intense or as psychologically dark as the late Alfred Hitchcock did, but after giving us both of these films, Craven really isn't very far behind. Kevin Williamson wrote a ingeniously creative screenplay by mixing reality with movie references. Together Craven, Williamson and the cast perfectly demonstrates why horrors and thrillers together are my personal favourite genre, because it attracts the audience's attention, you get the most fun from it, there are shocking twists and turns and they are filmed in most extraordinary ways.


Overall, Scream is a terrifying thriller that is a big hug to thrillers of the older generation, but at the same time is a hand reaching out so to speak for more films to follow and continue this great run of thrillers! Just like A Nightmare On Elm Street, Jaws and perhaps Friday The 13th and Halloween too, Scream is one of those films that didn't really need a franchise due to the fact that the story has been told and we know the characters well enough, not to mention they'll kill the series. Despite this, this is an outstanding first installment to a horrifying and intense franchise!

"Movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!"

For horror fans, Scream should not require an introduction. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho introduced the slasher genre in 1960 before John Carpenter reinvented it with 1978's Halloween, and then, 18 years later, Wes Craven's Scream revitalised the genre once again. Craven's tour de force arrived at the perfect moment. By the mid-late 1990s, studio executives had begun writing off the horror/slasher genre and no longer deemed it to be commercially viable. Not to mention, creativity within the genre was at an all-time low. A postmodern horror film, Scream permanently changed the horror landscape; taking film-goers (and Hollywood) by surprise in a way that's rarely seen. Simultaneously an incisive, frequently funny satire which deconstructs slasher clichés with self-aware glee, and a nail-biting, intense horror picture, Scream benefits from an intelligence not often present in the genre. Fortunately, the film was a hit; generating a box office gross of $170 million from a $10 million budget.

In the sleepy town of Woodsboro, a masked killer (armed with a knife, a generic Ghostface mask, and extensive knowledge of scary movies) begins murdering the teenage population. Virginal teen Sidney Prescott (Campbell) appears to be the next target of the Ghostface killer, whose killing spree may be linked to the murder of Sidney's mother a year prior. Meanwhile, Sidney's film-literate friends - boyfriend Billy (Ulrich), cinephile Randy (Kennedy), as well as Stu (Lillard) and Tatum (McGowan) - spend their time at school hypothesizing about who the killer could be.

On the surface, Scream's plot is not overly interesting. However it's the implementation of the plot that allowed Wes Craven to change the face of the genre yet again. Kevin Williamson's script is imbued with wit, humour and cunning references to other horror movies, not to mention a handful of plot twists and plenty of leeway for Craven to craft thrilling set-pieces. Scream never stops making fun of itself, as the characters often make disparaging remarks about the eye-rolling horror movie clichés which they are living (and dying) through. The references to all things scary movie-related are mostly delivered by hilarious film geek Randy, who firmly believes that the authorities would be able to solve the crime if only they watched the slasher films filling the shelves of the video store he works at. Timeworn slasher traditions (sex and drugs equalling death, saying "I'll be right back" is a death sentence, and victims running up the stairs rather than fleeing out the front door) are openly mocked and turned on their heads. By boldly placing the characters in the very situations the film satirises, Craven and Williamson prove that ancient film tricks can still be effective if fresh ideas are behind them. Snappy and intelligent, Williamson's writing also allows the central characters to be identifiable; existing as fully-realised humans rather than knife fodder.

If Scream were a winking nod to horror's past with a slapstick tone, it would be half the film that it is (or it'd just be Scary Movie). The key to its success is the way that the humour is blended with legitimate scares. Both the story and the characters' fates are taken dead seriously. Tension levels seldom relent, and the graphic violence is sobering and dark. Scream also opens with a bang; a riveting opening sequence that stands as one of the best beginnings in the genre's history. Though it runs a full 12 minutes, not a single frame is wasted, and high levels of skin-crawling tension are sustained until the terrifying end. To this day it stands as one of the defining horror sequences alongside the shower scene in Psycho or the initial shark attack in Jaws. While Scream's prologue has been spoofed numerous times since the film's release (most notably in Scary Movie) it has lost none of its relentless power. Craven's efforts behind the camera were also amplified by Patrick Lussier's expert editing, and Marco Beltrami's top-flight musical score which alternates between intense and eerie.

A mix of established actors and relative newcomers (of the time), the ensemble cast of Scream is faultless from top to bottom. In the role of Sidney Prescott, Neve Campbell (at the time known for TV's Party of Five) is outstanding. Campbell's performance exhibits vulnerability and the capacity to be strong-willed - two characteristics which are essential in essaying an endangered slasher heroine who has what it takes to overcome the antagonist but whose mortality is at stake. Courtney Cox (star of TV's Friends) is also superb as tabloid reporter Gale Weathers, while David Arquette is effortlessly amiable as Deputy Dewey. Cox and Arquette share sizzling chemistry, and their scenes together are sublime (in real life, Cox and Arquette eventually got married). Also worth mentioning is Jamie Kennedy as Randy the film geek - his charming, energetic line readings are among this film's myriad of pleasures. Rounding out the main players is Matthew Lillard and Johnny Depp lookalike Skeet Ulrich, both of whom carried out their duties to a high standard. Drew Barrymore cameos briefly as well, and she did a sublime job of conveying fear. From a very early point in the film, it becomes clear that star-power does not mean a particular character will survive the film's events.

In some ways, Scream represents an extension of Wes Craven's New Nightmare (the last film in the original Nightmare on Elm Street series) which also blurred the line between motion pictures and real life. Scream is a horror picture which was designed with movie-lovers in mind. Buried beneath all the violence and gore lies a keen sense of wit and intelligence which sophisticated viewers are likely to appreciate. The film is also supremely entertaining throughout its entirety to boot. And this is why Scream is much more than a run-of-the-mill slasher.

9.5/10

At first, I had no interest whatsoever in seeing this film because I didn't like the look of the killer but when I saw it, I was blown away by it! Scream is a horror film that is already a classic even though it was released just over 10 years ago. It is a very suspenseful film that is very jumpy and is very terrifying to watch because of the violence within it. What I loved the most about this film is that the killer plays mind games with the audience as much as the characters within the film because it?s not why he's there, who it is but where he is because it makes you think he?s there but incase he'll catch that someone by surprise which is what he does do in the film. There are a lot of twists and turns involved within the film. I liked the involvement of scary films in this film which are inspired by the killer to do those things to his victims. The main question of the film is: whodunit?


Neve Campbell's performance as Sidney Prescott was absolutely fantastic!! Her performance was a lot like Jamie Lee Curtis's in Halloween. Sidney is a very emotional character because her mum was mysteriously raped and murdered one year before. This has ruined her childhood and made her feel a bit messed up in the head. Skeet Ulrich's performance as Billy Loomis was absolutely fantastic! His character is a very charming one that is very mysterious as well that has a lot of twists and turns. Matthew Lillard was awesome as well as Stu who is Billy's best friend. Courteney Cox's performance was awesome as well!!


Wes Craven made a big name for himself after his horror classic A Nightmare On Elm Street and his work on Scream was absolutely terrific! The opening scene within the film was very powerful and wanted the audience to experience her terror and for us to be prepared of what's coming up in the film. I found the filming of that scene very similar to the 'Here's Johnny!' scene in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining because of the eerie filmmaking and the music too.


Overall, Scream is one of the best horror films of all time that will stick in your mind for a very long time because it is that suspenseful and it does toy with your mind very easily! Highly recommended!!