Review: Scream (1996)

Scream is a film about family structure, and the effects that infidelity can have on everyone's lives; most notably, rape and brutal murder. It's also about a guy in a black dress and a creepy ghost mask that has an obsession with Horror movie trivia, rape, and brutal murder. He also totally rips off the name Ghostface from one of the best MC's of the Wu-Tang Clan; then again calling himself Old Dirty Bastard probably wouldn't be as scary. 

Then again, Ghostface Killah clearly ripped off the Jason Voorhees look in his early days, so let's just call it fair play.

Sweet, virginal Sidney Prescott is still dealing with her mother's brutal rape and death, an annoyingly pouty boyfriend who constantly pressures her for sex, and having Matthew Lillard as a friend; how that last bit didn't drive her to rape and kill random people herself, I'll never know. Then again, dating Skeet Ulrich isn't exactly winning the sexual lottery, so I digress.  

You could do so much better than Skeet Ulrich; like abstinence, for example.

After Drew Barrymore loses a game of movie trivia (in which she's disemboweled), Ghostface sets his sights on Sidney, killing anyone else who gets in his way, including The Fonz. Yes, Ghostface from Scream killed The Fonz. Is nothing sacred to this maniac? As if it's not bad enough that he's deprived the world of  Drew Barrymore's boobs, he has to go and kill the fucking Fonzie? 

I just hope that Chachi isn't next. I always liked Chachi. *Fun fact: Chachi is the Korean word for penis. True story. Google it.
  

"Hello, Chachi. Do you like scary movies?"

Needless to say, murder and mayhem break out all over the place, along with clever in-jokes, and a severe lack of female nudity. I won't spoil the ending for you here, in case you're one of the four people who hasn't seen the movie, but suffice it to say that Matthew Lillard gets his, and Courtney Cox is a total bitch.
 

That's a fancy lookin' Internet machine you got there, Sydney.

Love it or hate it, this was the film that brought the Horror Genre back to life in the mid-90's, and especially the Slasher film. Before Scream came along and reminded everyone that it was alright to like Horror movies again, the 90's were all about sequels, with everyone trying to cash in on part's 2, 3 and 12 of series' that had been going since the 80's. Check out THIS LINK and see for yourself the sad state of affairs that we call 90's Horror.   

Wes Craven (along with writer Kevin Williamson), one of the all-time Masters of Horror, decided to poke a little fun at the genre that made him a legend, while at the same time doing it justice, which paid off huge. Of course this also was the start on the cookie-cutter Teen Terror flicks that flooded the market for the next decade or so, but hey, at least Horror was relevant again.
  

Uncle Wes Krueger.

Also notable is the creation of a new Horror Icon, Ghostface. He may not be Freddy, Jason, Michael or Leatherface, but he's right behind the big boys as far as iconic status goes.

Would you really stab yourself or allow yourself to be stabbed multiple times to cover up your being a killer? Maybe once in the arm, or the fleshy part of the thigh, but no midsection jabs for me, and especially not multiples.

Matthew Lillard may be the worst actor in the history of film. Fine, maybe not the worst, but definitely the most annoying, and yes I'm counting Carrot Top.

No Matthew Lillard, you're not quirky, inventive or funny.

An unedited cut of this movie is rumored to exist overseas, but the regular old Region 1 (N. America) version isn't all that gory. It does have its moments though, and it gets pretty bloody towards the end, but I would have liked to have seen a few kills go longer and be a bit more close up, though. 

Die, Matthew Lillard!

Nothing. What a waste of an R-Rating, not to mention a slew of QT actresses.

"Do you like scary movies?" or "My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!"

Slashers can be fun and still work. Also, never give up your v-card to a Johnny Depp wannabe.

"Um, no one named Mike Hunt lives here."

This movie is a modern day classic. Not only did it make Horror legitimate again for mainstream audiences, but it was just plain old fun. If you love Slasher flicks, and for some reason haven't seen this movie yet, you really need to.

A

Scream is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD. 

 

Scream was packed with some true 90's Hotties. Please allow us to give examples...