Written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. Starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich and for the briefest of moments, Liev Schreiber and Drew Barrymore.
Plot: (for those who don’t know) A year after Sydney’s (Neve’s) mother is murdered, someone in an awful costume starts killing more people in Sydney’s life
In honor of the new Scream TV series that I cannot get enough of, I bring you the original movie review. My brother doesn’t like the TV show, but he never liked the movies either, so I’m writing this because I actually like them both. Scratch that, I like the movie, I love the TV show. But we’ll get to that.
The original Scream movie is a classic and was dubbed such pretty quickly. It’s smart and funny and it didn’t take itself too seriously. Plus, you get to see Rose McGowan “smushed” and who doesn’t find that entertaining? There’s some great lines which have been epically quoted over the years. It’s got a great cast (including Matthew Lillard, who is one of our favorite celebs we’ve ever met – so nice, so funny, everyone fell in love with him, EVERYONE!). And it also has one of the greatest and most memorable opening scenes of any movie, horror or otherwise.
However, as I said before, DJ didn’t like it much. He didn’t hate it, but he didn’t like it and he’d rather never watch it again. He doesn’t think it’s scary (which it isn’t really), there was no Freddy Claws, he didn’t like anyone except Randy (Jamie Kennedy) and he didn’t like the “rules”. DJ doesn’t consider this an homage to horror as so many others do because while the movie presents very accurate rules for most horror movies, it ends up shitting all over most of them. I think some of this was done purposely, but I understand his concern. The movie talks about big tittied women and gratuitous boob shots, but it offers us none. They discuss “I’ll be right back” being a classic you-won’t-be-right-back line, but they don’t stick to that either. And the biggest lie/rule is that the main girl, the good girl, always remains a virgin and that’s part of the reason she lives to see the end. Well, if you’re not familiar with this movie, SMALL SPOILER AHEAD, she totally gives it up. And even I have issue with this sex scene because a) it’s not much of a scene at all, b) there’s no boob shot, and c) it doesn’t make sense for her to being having sex when she decides to have it.
Now I know that there are always beliefs that need to suspended when watching horror movies. For instance, there is no way in hell that Drew Barrymore could’ve been strung up like that in the short amount of time it took her mom to put down the phone and walk out the front door. But having to believe that Sydney would give up her virginity in the middle of a party, in her friend’s parent’s bedroom, while her father is MISSING! and to a guy she doesn’t completely trust not to be killing people, is just absurd. Even I call bullshit on this count.
But a movie is a movie is a movie and this is a good movie. From the outrageously grotesque opening sequence to the sick humor of Randy to the glorious 90’s wardrobe of Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) to the shock ending that, let’s face it, everyone was hoping wasn’t true the first time we saw it, it’s just good fun.
I gave it a solid 64/100 while DJ settled for a 37.
Now, about this new show…
I am addicted to it. I DVR it because I don’t like commercials, but as soon as I see that’s it’s been recorded, I have to turn it on. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried (well, maybe not literally, but I was already genuinely upset by one death in particular), I’ve made 900 guesses as to who is killing people. It’s good times. Bex Taylor-Klaus is my new favorite actress and Amadeus Serafini is incredibly nice to look at. I don’t dig the new style of mask the killer’s wearing, but whatevs! I recommend watching the show wholeheartedly. It’s a scream!!
*sorry, had to be done*
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