SCREAM

US, 1996, 103 minutes. Colour.
Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Rose Mc Gowan, Jamie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber, Henry Winkler, Linda Blair, Wes Craven.
Directed by Wes Craven.

Wes Craven has been making horror films for 20 years and began the Nightmare on Elm Street series. He stays with the basic ingredients and conventions of the genre (Halloween, Friday 13th) but has a bigger budget and has developed more flair. However, the screenplay and direction constantly refer to many of the films themselves (and parallel plot developments) as well as partly satirising them. The film also satirises teenagers influenced by the movies and the way they watch them.

After a rather harrowing opening with Drew Barrymore, the film is a familiar horror murder mystery (with a twist) that works by involving the audience in being scared but also making them realise all the time that it is only a movie. Those not familiar with this kind of film will be baffled and put off. Later, three sequels.


1. The impact in the 1990s? The work of Wes Craven, innovating with horror films? His imagination? His understanding of the horror conventions? Horror in the suburbs? The screenplay and Kevin Williamson capitalising on the audience’s movie mentality? The technology of the 90s, especially video?

2. The play on horror movies, the talk about movies, the references, the rules and laws and their explanations? The audience and the characters understanding this? Commenting on the conventions and the rules – going out into the dark etc? The genre? Breaking through the conventions?

3. The creation of the ordinary town, the high school, homes, the police? The importance of screenings of horror films?

4. The action and the effects? The mask of the killer, the cloak? One and two killers? The mystery? The killers striking at any time? The portrayal of the deaths, the final confrontations? The build-up of the menace, to the climax?

5. The prologue, Drew Barrymore, the phone calls, the talk about horror films, her doing ordinary things, the nature of the voice, the killer arriving, her fear, in the house, outside the house, the boyfriend, his arrival, finding her hanging? Only a prologue with a major star – the shock value?

6. The story proper, Sidney Prescott, Neve Campbell portraying this character – and in later films? Her age, in herself, her relationships, the memory of her mother, her mother’s death, Cotton Weary and his being accused of raping and murdering, his prison sentence? His presence in the film? Her relating to him? Her relationship with her father, his being absent? The anniversary, the occasion of the deaths? Tatum and her friends? At school? The deaths of her friends? With Billy and Stuart, attracted to Billy? Stuart and his silly style? Randy as the movie geek?

7. Sidney, the murders, her fears, yet tough? Her reliance on the police, the meetings with Dewey, friendship with Dewey? Her meeting Gale Weathers? The interactions with Gale? The effect of the death of her friends? Her growing fears? At school, with the boys, reliance on Billy? The discussions with the principal – and his death? Her phone calls to the police?

8. The character of Deputy Dewey, a bit dim, genial, his work in the force, the sheriff? His involvement in the investigations?

9. Gale, intrusive, the journalist, along with the other journalists, interfering, her own investigations, cameraman, using the media?

10. The use of the technology of the time? Capitalising on these?

11. Sidney and her relationship with Billy, in love, sexual relationship, his being under suspicion, his continued appearances, disappearances? In prison? Getting out, his soft-sell talk with her? Stuart, giggling, maniacal?

12. Billy, his mother, his family background?

13. The character of Randy, the friend, his knowledge of the movies, his presence, people discarding him?

14. The build-up to the threats on Sidney? The two murderers? The unmasking? Billy and his motivation? Stuart and his madness?

15. The dialogue of the film, adapted to a horror movie style? The use of the various setups, the frights? Fears? The video store clerk and the video atmosphere?

16. The final confrontation, Sidney and having to take a stand, the deaths? Billy and Stuart? The solving of the mystery?

17. The extraordinary success of the film? Its sequels? Scream 4 after a gap of ten years? The continued popularity of the franchise?