Be warned: This column contains spoilers! Go watch “Scream” if you haven’t already!
Happy Spooky Season (Part 2)!
If you couldn’t already tell, my reviews for this month will mainly highlight some of my favorite Halloween-adjacent movies. I admit that I have never been the biggest fan of horror movies, but recently, I have started to gain a larger appreciation for all of the almost-horror movies out there, like 1996’s “Scream.”
This movie is not only a cult classic but reinvented the slasher genre for the early 2000s. Slasher horror films often include a final girl, a small town setting, a killer wearing a mask and certain attitudes about the sinful nature of teenagers. When “Scream” was first released, the slasher was not a foreign idea–franchises like “Halloween,” “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” had already been very successful.
What makes “Scream” so iconic is what it did for the slasher sub-genre of horror. It was the first mainstream film to recognize the slasher genre as its independent entity, separate from horror. While these kinds of films can undoubtedly be scary or disturbing, “Scream” was one of the first movies to self-actualize about the trademarks and borderline-comedic recurring themes in the slasher genre. There’s even a scene where a character in the film delineates three rules of surviving a slasher: never have sex, never do drugs or drink alcohol and never say, “I’ll be right back.”
“Scream” elevated the slasher genre to new heights, combining sheer comedy with a genuinely scary killer. While Ghostface–the name given to the film’s killer as an homage to his iconic mask–ruthlessly murders an innocent girl for seemingly no reason (rest in peace, Drew Barrymore) in the film’s first few minutes, he is also constantly tripping and falling over himself. He is sometimes hilarious to watch, even though the audience is always fully aware of his capabilities.
The film incorporates a self-aware levity into the familiar blueprint of a slasher that had yet to be fully embraced by the genre and fully leaned into some of the concept’s absurdity. It expertly toes the line between funny and scary, making it the perfect watch for a group of friends—there are plenty of moments to laugh, jump in your seat or be shocked by Ghostface’s true identity.
While I can’t say the same for the rest of the franchise, this film captured lightning in a bottle. Neve Campbell as Sidney instantly became the face of final girls everywhere, and the entire cast became a part of something that’s still just as fun to watch–even almost 30 years after its release.
