Scream - It's, Like, So Meta

To really appreciate Scream, you have to take it in the context it was constructed in - it's the mid-90s, and horror has almost staled through its repetitive reliance on generic tropes and story lines, and there seemed to be little breathing room left in a genre that had all but been exhausted for its fans. Wes Craven's New Nightmare seemed to have been a fluke of fresh air, and times seemed somewhat dire. And then Kevin Williamson wrote Scream, and all our troubles seemed so far away. Here was a collection of characters who inhabit the same universe as we the viewers. They have seen all the horror films we have. They talk about the tropes that they're unknowingly now part of. They are essentially avatars for what our actions would be in a horror movie. And I liked that.

It opens with one of the most daring scenes I've ever encountered at a film's beginning. It's probably not a spoiler to tell you that Drew Barrymore's character gets killed almost immediately - that's right, the biggest name in the cast dies before she's even earned her salary. Her classmates from school are bombarded by the media, and our protagonist Sidney (Neve Campbell) and her various friends and acquaintances are dragged into it all. Then Sidney is attacked by the 'Ghostface Killer' (and yeah, you'll recognise that iconic mask) and all her friends start becoming the targets. Could the killer possibly be a mutual acquaintance? Could it have something to do with the mysterious and slowly revealed pain that Sidney has experienced in her past? And most importantly, why is her boyfriend (Skeet Ulrich) so happy while he's not getting laid? Everyone is a suspect, and everyone is well versed with their horror clichés. Let the party - and the excessive bloodshed - begin.

This comes from one of horror's most notorious bosses: Wes Craven, progenitor of A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left and a number of sequels and other horror classics. It's refreshing to see him pull this out of a hat, and I reckon that having such a strong horror mind behind the helm makes all the post-modern deconstruction work that much better. I can't remember where I read the phrase 'if you love something, kill it', but Craven sets to his life's work with relish and a large butcher's cleaver, and the results are very successful. This was actually the first horror I've watched by myself since I began blogging, and yeah, I managed a number of jumps. So all good on the horror front, and it can be largely credited to Mr. Wes' confident management.

Our cast are exceptional. Neve Campbell is complex and tortured as Sidney, and her seriously toxic family issues add a solid layer of characterisation. She handles being terrified well, but she can also pull of the whole strong, independent woman vibe that develops in so many characters who are the last to survive their film's particular spate of deaths. Rose McGowan acquits her role as the best friend well with the right balance of concern and 'maybe she's just acting it up a bit...'. Old Ulrich is equally appropriate as he treads a fine line between murder suspect and soft/tenderest lover, and the other members of the best friendship group that anyone could have get the job done (especially Jamie Kennedy as Randy - what a name... what a top bloke). Rounding out the major players are David Arquette as McGowan's older brother and the local deputy , who boasts an enviably cute repartee with Courtney Cox as the local reporter/minx, who shares a little unfinished business with Sidney.

The back-up are also seriously talented. The shooting from DP Mark Irwin who worked on Cronenberg's early work is nicely noir - and the shadows conceal some scares well. Editor Patrick Lussier keeps it tight, and plays to the expectations of the genre to really highlight the act of quasi-criticism on screen. But the stand out is undoubtedly Marco Beltrami's debut film score, which - while it plays to some horror staples like the crescendoing strings - is truly unique in its overall role for the film. They put out a call for something that felt 'new', 'fresh' and 'wonderful', and they found exactly that. It still manages to feels modern almost two decades on, with lashings of Morricone's influence in amongst choral arrangements and there's a raw energy that throbs underneath throughout. The track Trouble in Woodsboro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg8beHZSpqc&feature=plcp) was a particular stand out for me, just in the way it brings up the tension generated in the unfortunate school that appears to have been cursed by some gruesome deaths. I'm actually somewhat surprised that it didn't get an Oscar nod, but Beltrami has landed a couple since then.

AND NOW, FOR SOME TIMELY SPOILERS (AND SERIOUSLY, DON'T READ THESE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE - THE TWIST IS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS). Just a fantastic reveal. Simply superb. I haven't witnessed many slashers to date, so I'm not particularly qualified to make this claim, but this is one of the smartest ideas in the history of watching teenagers getting cut up. Lovely touches set up everyone as a viable suspect (for one, the school principal has the same shoes as the killer), but then - there are two killers! Two! How many? Two. Stu (an excellently mental Matthew Lillard) and Sidney's BF have been collaborating to get up to no good, and it comes so far out of left field that it just works. What's more, Stu's rant about a lack of motive is so deranged that it is properly scary in its own right. The pair's plan is pretty genius (not that I condone making serial murder plans in the slightest), and would've worked too (if it wasn't for those meddling kids...). The twist elevates this film, and it was already pretty damn good. Finally, there is a delightful kill that takes place in a garage - though technically it occurs half in and half out of the garage. It needs to be seen rather than described, so check it out for that moment alone.

To wrap this up, I really liked Scream. Its approach may feel slightly familiar to those of who have seen meta classics like Shaun of the Dead, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Funny Games or Zombieland, but its a classic for a reason. Context is key, yet it transcends that to still be incredibly relevant and enjoyable today. Scream gets 7 slices of a cake that has been bisected through a centre point fourfold. And yeah, I like cake. So bite me.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTWf9QGdJCQ