Do You Like Scary Movies? | “Scream”

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With “Scream 4″ opening in less than a month, I felt it was time to revisit the first three films in the series and see how they hold up. The original 1996 film, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, came out of nowhere, redefining dead teenager movies for post-Tarantino, pop-culture savvy audiences in the latter half of the 1990s. It was a period of self-reflection as the century wound down and we all braced for a technological apocalypse that never came about. During this time, horror films had to become smarter to keep pace with a more cynical audience. The cheap thrills of ’80s slashers like “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” were no longer enough to satiate the appetites of self-important viewers who’ve seen everything.

And so, “Scream” became the first dead teenager movie that ’s about self-important viewers who’ve seen everything trying to survive a dead teenager movie. This heightened awareness was, up until that point, largely absent from the genre. Typically, dead teenager movies are about a group of interchangeable nitwits being eviscerated in no particular order; the only cleverness on display is in how they meet with their gruesome ends. There’s an amusement park value to such films, but rarely do they stick with you after the experience is over.

I think “Scream” has since become a victim of its own overwhelming success. The imitators it spawned with rapidly diminishing returns ultimately cheapened the genre once again. A subsequent backlash would see a rise in Americanized J-horror remakes, torture porn and endless reboots of dead teenager movies that collectively stunk up the aughts.

15 years on, “Scream” has a charming simplicity to it. The viewing experience is like revisiting an old friend you haven’t seen in far too long. So, let’s break down “Scream” and see what new light can be shed on the film. First, let’s do a high-level overview.

Body Count: 7

Best Kill: Tatum (Rose McGowan) becomes trapped while trying to escape through a doggie door built into a garage door. Trapped how? Well, her ginorous breasts get in the way. Then, Ghostface raises the garage door, and Tatum’s fake rubber head is crushed.

Most WTF Line: Billy (Skeet Ulrich) tells Randy (Jamie Kennedy), “Maybe your movie freaked mind has lost its reality button.” I have no idea what that means. Do minds have reality buttons? Is it like the “Esc” key?

Most Hilarious Exchange: Intrepid reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and her cameraman Kenny (W. Earn Boen) show up at the scene of a Ghostface attack and Gale says, “Jesus, get the camera!” to which Kenny responds dryly, “My name isn’t Jesus.”

Best Quip: After miraculously surviving a gunshot wound, Randy remarks, “I never thought I’d be so glad to be a virgin.”

Best Scare: Immediately after Randy reveals himself to be a virgin, the believed-to-be-dead Billy springs up and lays out Randy with one punch.

Most Obscure Pop-Culture Reference: “The Town That Dreaded Sundown.” Even I haven’t seen that movie.

Most Anachronistic Line: “What’s a kid like you doing with a cell phone anyway?”

I remember the first time I saw “Scream.” At the time, I was working my first job at a crappy fast food joint. They let me off early one night, and after hastily changing out of my uniform and into my street clothes, I boogied across town to the now-defunct Cineplex Odeon in Alderwood. I liked that venue for horror movie watching because it seemed like a theater where you could actually be killed by some lunatic in a mask.

I didn’ t have high hopes for “Scream.” I figured it was another forgettable dead teenager moviet. But when I arrived at the theater, it was packed. And this was a week or so before Christmas. All these people were here to see a slasher film, not whatever holiday flotsam was playing at the time. There was a buzz in the lobby, like we were really in for something special. Turns out, we were.

“Scream” is about Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), a teenager still reeling from the murder of her mother a year ago. Sidney’s being stalked by a velvety-voiced psycho in a ghostly mask when she’s not rebuffing the sexual advances of her boyfriend, Billy. (Remember when Skeet Ulrich was hailed as the next Johnny Depp? Then Johnny Depp turned out to be the next Johnny Depp.) Meanwhile, opportunistic reporter Gale Weathers is trying to unmask the killer who she believes is the actual culprit behind the murder of Sidney’s mother; Sidney, however, fingered Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber in a brief cameo) for the crime, landing him on death row. As the bodies of Sidney’s classmates and close friends pile up, Sidney tries to stay alive while skirting some of the rules to survive a scary movie. Can Sidney confront her fears and overcome the unstoppable Ghostface? Well, she’s in “Scream 2″ and “Scream 3,” so signs point to yes.

“Scream” starts with an oft-discussed opening scene that bumps off the biggest star of the film (Drew Barrymore) ten minutes in. It’s been compared to “Psycho,” and I guess that’s fair if “Psycho” were geared towards a more ADD audience; Janet Leigh doesn’t buy it until we’re well into Act II. The opening scene is a bold bit of business and expertly sets up the shocks and the smarts that make the film such a success. I still marvel at how Craven balances a sense of humor and menace throughout. There isn’t a false note to be found.

On a whole, “Scream” holds up quite well. Though some of the hairstyles and clothing choices are true relics of the Clinton era, the movie doesn’t feel particularly dated. Well, people still went to big box video stores and watched movies on VHS tape. “Scream” is also probably one of the last horror movies in which cell phone ownership was anomalous rather than omnipresent. How I long for those days.

So far, we’re off to a good start. “Scream” still owns. But what about its first sequel? Stay tuned.

-Brad Lohan

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