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It’s hard to reconcile fifteen years has already gone by since Wes Craven struck gold twice with a new horror franchise. It’s equally hard to reconcile that this style of self-referential and self-aware horror is nothing but a cliché. But of course, in 1996, Scream was a blockbuster for a reason, and one of those reasons was its originality. Back then, horror was in the doldrums, with most offerings relegated to the low budget, direct to video market, with no name players and little impact in their wake.
A young hungry screenwriter, Kevin Williamson, locked himself awake and wrote what was to become the incendiary for an explosion of new generation slasher flicks, and horror flicks, on the big screen. In very short order, Williamson’s inspired style propagated sequels, imitators, and lampooners. Within a few short years of Scream’s amazing debut, his freshness was stale and, as with most successes in Hollywood, reused to the point of audience fatigue.
The world of movies is in a very different place in 2011 than it was even just a decade ago. With that in mind, the release of a fourth Scream film left this reviewer a little cold, after copious horror remakes, sequels, sequels to remakes, reboots, and anything else that Hollywood would coin to prevent them taking a chance on something original.
Having just sat through all four Scream films, it has reminded me both that the Scream series may not be immune to this epidemic, but it sure as hell was original to begin with.
Scream (1996)
Drew Barrymore was attached. Wes Craven wasn’t interested in the slightest. The film was called Scary Movie. This could have been a very different movie. Drew backed out of the lead and suggested she go the Janet Lee route. Craven changed his mind. A cast of then relatively unknowns (with the exception of Friends star Courtney Cox and Party of Five’s Neve Campbell) all of them destined for solid careers, was assembled, and, in short, movie history was made.
Scream tells the story of Sydney Prescott (Campbell), a troubled teen who is still reeling from the brutal murder of her mother. But a new killer is terrorizing teens in Woodsboro, and as the body count rises, and suspicions transform into paranoia, Sydney must overcome her demons to discover the truth and survive.
This was a one of kind movie. Taking all the long established conventions of a slasher film, having the characters themselves reference such clichés, and then tilting it on its side and killing them with it, was inspired and engrossing carnage at its very best. The script is, pardon the pun, razor sharp, and insanely complex—and written within a couple of weeks, so Williamson tells us.
The performances are equally impressive from the raw cast, and it is no wonder than most of them went on to have very productive careers thereafter. All of the characters in this film are well drawn, uniquely inhabited, and impeccable performed. You actually do care for them as their fates are sealed come the spectacular ending.
This film is a class act all the way, and it was never matched in any of the sequels.
Scream 2 (1997)
The amazing opening of this film had this reviewer’s apprehension about proliferating Scream into a franchise abated momentarily—but only momentarily. Craven and his surviving cast returned very quickly, and their sophomore effort comes out of the gate boldly and impressively, but this horse just wasn’t as sturdy as its forbearer.
Sydney Prescott is now in college. Her real life ordeal has been turned into a film Stab, and with its publicity in full swing, Sydney is faced with a lot of unwanted attention and a new killer determined to grab some fame of their own.
Despite an awesome prologue, this film quickly loses traction. This is, by far, the best sequel in the Scream series, and it has its moments, but this time out the characters are not as well draw or memorable (there are a few exceptions; Roseanne’s Laurie Metcalf being one of them.) Even returning characters are starting to slip into one not representations of themselves; Arquette’s Dewey, in particular, is on a rapid descent into self-parody that only gets worse in later instalments. A little more depth would have gone a long way. It is still clever enough to keep you guessing until the end, this one, and the reveal of at least one of the killers is satisfying and believable.
The kills are more elaborate in this one, some effective, some starting to smack of that horrid bigger is better mentality, but overall, as sequels go, you can do a lot worse. Unfortunately, they did…
Scream 3 (2000)
In the third one, Sydney Prescott is a reclusive work from home gal. The Stab series continues, and its latest cast start falling victim to a new killer. Sydney is reluctantly drawn back into the terror to find the answers one last time (at least that was what they were saying way back when) and finally put all this behind her.
Kevin Williamson, the original writer, was a very busy man come the third entry. He has mentioned to the press of the time that he envisioned a trilogy of films from the outset. But he was committed to a successful TV show (Dawson’s Creek) and in the end, had little to do with the third outing. It shows. This one is, tonally, completely different; the black humour is now bad humour trying to be clever.
Wes Craven is an extremely intelligent and articulate man, so it defies belief that this movie is directed by the same man that helmed the first two. It’s quite simply, terrible, and smacks of too many cooks spoiling the broth, and a lack of cohesion in the final product.
The characterizations of the original three in this one are lacklustre at best, and the supporting players are irritating, unsympathetic, or totally forgettable. There is a distinct effort to consciously comment on Hollywood and its excesses in this chapter, but the heavy handed, slapdash execution only serves to sour the viewer completely. Not even our heroine is enjoyable to follow in this one. She is just a morose, reactionary character and a total bore.
The big reveal in this one is ludicrous and uninteresting, and, due to such shoddy characterisations and poor story construction, no one gives a damn by the end. I remember actually hoping Prescott would by the farm, I was that irritated with following her.
Awful sequel that soured the series. We all thought that was the end. Scream had one more surprise for us.
