Scream: Do You Like Scary Movies?

“Hello?”

This is the first word uttered in what I believe to be one of the smartest horror films ever made. The exchange continues with the caller mirroring the response. The questioning tone is one we have not heard before. “Who is this?” the caller asks, to which Casey Becker, the call’s recipient, responds, “Who are you trying to reach?” Rather than give an answer, the caller asks, “What number is this?” With an unguarded smirk, Casey asks, “What number are you trying to reach?” Most horror audiences have not seen a telephone exchange like this. Casey hangs up and starts to go on about her night.

The phone rings again.

The camera pans in on her face and the audience gets its first inclination…they’re watching a horror film. Still, the following exchange is rather benign. When she answers, Casey begins a rather flirty conversation with the caller. Three full minutes into the film, things take a turn when Casey has had enough and the killer responds with, “Hang up on me again, and I’ll gut you like a fish – understand?!”

NOW, we’re in a horror movie!!

This opening scene stars Drew Barrymore, a recognizable actress and one older audiences would know from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Firestarter, or Cat’s Eye. Younger audiences, at the time, might recognize her from Boys on the Side, Batman Forever, or even Wayne’s World 2. A meet-in-the-middle film for both might be Poison Ivy. However you found Ms. Barrymore, audiences knew her face. They would be lulled into a masterful sense of security. After all, nothing could happen to Drew Barrymore, right?

This might be a good time for a SPOILER disclaimer. If you’ve not seen Scream and don’t want it ruined, stop reading, now!!

Casey Becker does all the right things. She locks the doors, doesn’t go outside, and even arms herself with a letter opener! She runs! She puts up a fight! It looks like she’s going to get away from this strange, masked killer. Again, spoilers…

She doesn’t.

Aside from Drew, Scream‘s cast read like a 90s Who’s Who.

Neve Campbell, who played Sidney Prescott, did a television series called Catwalk and guest-starred on several others. Most audiences would know her from the hit, Party of Five. Audiences around in 1985 might have caught a show called Misfits of Science or saw the 1987 movie, Masters of the Universe and glimpsed a very young Courtney Cox. If not, most would know tabloid journalist, ‘Gale Weathers’ from the hit show, Friends. Deputy Dwight “Dewey” Riley, David Arquette had done several episodes of the television show, The Outsiders and Parenthood. He had been on Blossom and starred in the film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If you had seen Encino Man, you might have glimpsed Rose McGowan, who would be Dewey’s sister, Tatum. Before meeting Billy Loomis, eagle-eyed movie-goers might have seen Skeet Ulrich for a brief moment in Weekend at Bernie’s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or a CBS Schoolbreak Special. Viewers of Serial Mom would know Matthew Lillard, who played Billy’s friend, Stuart “Stu” Macher. A sharp-eyed filmgoer familiar with Dead Poet’s Society might have seen Jamie Kennedy before seeing him as Randy Meeks, loveable nerd and the film’s deux ex machina.

When the audience sees Barrymore – killed – they realize, this is going to a film unlike any other! The marketing for this film has Drew in the center of the movie poster. She’s the focal point of almost all of the teasers and full trailers. If she could die, then no one is safe! This meant everyone was in some sort of jeopardy, giving the film an added edge audiences don’t always see in horror films.

Sure, the phone-call aspect isn’t new. The films, When a Stranger Calls, When a Stranger Calls Back, and Black Christmas have the same theme, but it’s the way it’s done in Scream which sets it apart.

Another aspect of the film was the acknowledgment of the ‘real world’ by characters in the film. On the phone, Casey references Halloween, Friday the 13^th,  and even slams Scream’s director, Wes Craven’s other Nightmare on Elm Street films.  After coming into her room via the window, Billy tells his girlfriend, Sidney about watching The Exorcist. Tatum references Basic Instinct one out of three times. Stu references The Candyman in school. Randy compares Billy to Leatherface, the killer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A bonus moment is when someone in the video store Randy works in asks, “What’s that werewolf movie with E.T.’s mom in it?” (The film is, The Howling, by the way.)

These meta moments give the film an anchor in the real world. Doing this makes the peril the characters find themselves in real, as well.

One bit of fantastic script-writing is the moment we see Sidney Prescott flipping through the television channels and landing on a news story about her mother’s death. The audience sees her reaction to the reporter recapping the story, the same one Sidney saw at her school. This lets the audience piece together the overall story for themselves without it being ‘fed‘ to them. Later, when Sidney is confronted by the reporter, Gale Weathers, the payoff is much, much sweeter. Excellent instances of show-don’t-tell, like this, are rare.

Night-time scenes are often how most horror films build tension. Scream achieves its tension by doing things audiences do not expect. After being told by Deputy Dewey, “Don’t worry, Sid, it’s school, you’ll be safe here,” Sidney is attacked in midday in the bathroom of her school. In a similar scene, the school’s principal is murdered in his office, again, in the middle of the day.

Scream‘s lead, Sidney Prescott is very much like the leads in many other films. She is relatable, clever, smart, and resourceful. Unlike so many of the random girls in the Friday the 13^th films, the audience not just hoping Sidney will survive, they are rooting for to triumph – like they did Laurie or Nancy.

The film’s reveal of the killer(s) is also amazing storytelling. When I saw this film for the first time, I could not remember there ever being two killers before. It was, in my mind, a genius move. Even the use of Billy’s Psycho reference to reveal himself was excellent.

In my opinion, what sets Scream apart is the way it treats its audience as intelligent and capable. For instance, clues to the film’s ending are given throughout the film. The first comes when the main cast sits outside after their individual questioning. After Stu gives a detailed response to Sidney’s question, “How do you gut someone?,” Billy rebukes his mouthy friend, adding in a rather sinister look.

At this point in the film, it just appears as though he’s protecting his girlfriend. At the film’s conclusion, this look could be seen as one of “Be quiet, idiot – do you want to get us caught?” Later, when Randy refers to Billy as “Leatherface,” and accuses him of being the killer, he’s confronted about his theory. Stu moves in behind Randy and props on his shoulders. His shared glance with Billy is very telling.

Even if you don’t guess they’re the killers, you know something is not right with them. Then, very near the end of the film, after Billy is ‘stabbed,’ a keen viewer can see, there are no cuts in his shirt. Hmm…

Another aspect of Scream which sets it apart is how it treats its secondary character, Tatum. She is not just the Best Friend but she has depth and dimension. When Sidney is attacked, she shows genuine concern and stands up to Gale Weathers, who is attempting to exploit the young girl. At the police station, she hovers, making sure her friend is all right. Did you notice, Tatum is the only girl in her household, yet she has two beds in her room? This suggests she is the safety net Sidney falls onto when her working father is out of town and she needs a friend. It’s rare for secondary characters to have this level of development in horror.

The ending of Scream stands apart from most other films, as well. One by one, the cast has been whittled down. Sidney watched Billy get stabbed. Tatum is killed in the garage, Deputy Dewey has been stabbed. Gale has been killed in a vehicle crash. Even poor Kenny has been killed. Stu and Randy seem to be the only survivors but Sidney can’t trust them and locks them out of the house.

Watching this for the first time, I was wracking my brain to try and determine who was the killer! I pondered the possibility of Sidney’s father, who had been missing for the entire film – or – Cotton Weary! Why have Liev Schreiber in the film for just one, quick scene, after all?

A reveal in a horror film is difficult. For the entirety of Nightmare on Elm Street, we’ve seen Freddy massacre the cast. Even though masked, we know Michael Myers is behind the Halloween killings. Scream‘s masked killer, though, is a true mystery. When Billy shoots Randy with the line, “We all go a little mad, sometimes,” the audience may think they have just seen a psychopath execute one of the film’s most likeable secondary characters. Sidney turns to run but Stu blocks her way. Lillard’s expression, though, tells a very different story, even before he raises the voicebox.

As I stated before, I don’t remember ever seeing dual killers in a horror film, before. How this film unveils their antagonists is satisfying. Their motive is simple, for the most part, how they expound on their master plan makes sense (for the most part), and there is even a quick little moment where Stu leans on Billy and gives Sidney a curious look which can be interpreted many ways. Even the demise of the killers is interesting and satisfying.

No review of Scream would be complete without mentioning some of the film’s Easter Eggs. Tatum’s mention of Wes Carpenter, a mash-up of directors, Wes Craven and John Carpenter is a favorite. The director, himself, making a cameo as Fred, the janitor, in a red and green sweater sporting a dirty hat is another. Perhaps my favorite is toward the end when Randy is watching Halloween and encouraging its star to “Turn around, Jamie!” while the killer sneaks up behind him. Get it? Jamie Lee Curtis is in the film Jamie Kennedy’s character is watching. Nice, right?

Unlike so many horror films, I can finish watching Scream and just start it over with no difficulty. I enjoy the cast, the story is sound (with only a few minor difficulties), and the way the film is shot remains engaging and interesting. The scares are organic and real, the deaths (while a little over-the-top) don’t rely on special effects and gore to sell them, and the pacing of the killings seems right. The audience has a chance to breathe before the next victim falls. The end might be a bit of an exception, but this is forgivable. I’m not sure if many would agree with me but I give Scream a solid five out of five – because I can overlook the minor flaws in favor of the major fun I have watching it.