Rating: 
Summary: One of the best movies out there.
Review: I admit that I didn't see this movie when it first came out, as I wasn't interested in it. But then I began to hear how popular it was--not to mention how cute all the actresses were--so I decided to give it a try. Reluctantly, at first. But I was hooked at the opening moment. We're talking a thriller filled with horror, suspense, action, and humor, combining it all into a great movie. Neve Cambell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox are a great team, and make the sequels excellent, as well. Sydney Prescott (Cambell) is at the center of a series of gruesome murders. She is a young woman with several skeletons in her closet, the doors ready to be opened by reporter Gale Weathers (Cox) who is in town to cover the murders. Sydney's past and present collide when her boyfriend is the suspected killer, and yet the murders continue. Officer Dewey (Arquette), a not-so-hip cop who has a crush on Sydney, begins to fall in love with Weathers, and still the bodies pile up. Try to guess who dunnit, and then try to stay in your seat as the climax approaches. An engrossing thriller from the master of the genre, featuring a talented cast and an intriguing plot. Don't miss it!
Rating: 
Summary: Cheap Thrills
Review: The crowned king of horror is back, and after a disappointing run with the Eddie Murphy vehicle "Vampire In Brooklyn", Craven has hit pay dirt with a movie that is ironically a satire of his own work in the horror genre. Charmed by first-time screenwriter Kevin Williamson's whimsical draft, Craven partnered with the young go-getter and on a budget of $15 million made a film that grossed over $100 million in the United States alone. Craven is not one to waste much time giving us the goods when it comes to his freaky flicks. In the fashion of "When A Stranger Calls", a young pretty blonde named Casey Becker (Barrymore) answers her telephone in the early evening hours in Woodsborough, a small and virtually crime-free town. Sudden danger is the furthest thing from her mind as she tends to her popcorn on the stove, prepared to watch one of her favorite scary movies. She lifts the receiver and almost immediately is hounded by the menacing tone on the other end of the line, forced to participate in a maniacal game of horror movie trivia to save her own life. Unfortunately, she gets a question wrong and she, along with her hapless boyfriend Steve, are the first in a long line of doomed souls. Although the movie begins with Casey and Steve's brutal demise, the main focus of the film is on Sidney Prescott (Campbell), a precocious high school student whose mother was brutally raped and murdered barely a year before. Once Sidney and other Woodsborough natives get wind of the gruesome homicides the town becomes a media circus. The high school campus alone is swamped by local authorities and insatiable reporters, amongst them all a particularly rapacious tabloid journalist named Gale Weathers (Cox). Gale is no stranger to the town's history - she cashed in on Sidney's misfortune by writing a tell-all chronicle of Maureen Prescott's murder and declaring that Cotton Weary (Schreiber), the man who was indicted, is innocent and that the real killer is still at large. Since then, Gale has become Sidney's worst enemy and she makes it known with her angry fists. Besides her battles with Gale, Sidney becomes the Woodsborough killer's focus and is relentlessly taunted by his menacing phone calls, not to mention his ghoulish get-up and gleaming butcher knife (which he adeptly wipes clean after each kill). All the while, her boyfriend Billy Loomis (Ulrich) becomes the prime suspect and she begins to wonder just who to trust. The body count continues to rise and before you know it, it seems that Sidney has no chance of survival. But like all good horror movies should have, there's a juicy twist at the end and we discover the raison d'etre behind the killer's exclusive list of victims. Upon a first viewing, avid horror fans or ingénues to the genre will be on the edge of their seats all the way and jump at every surprise around the corner. To a seasoned movie critic, a stark realization comes very quickly as to just how tongue-in-cheek this film is but Craven's directorial style still manages to grab you like the rest. There's a lot of inside jokes sprinkled evenly throughout the film that horror movie aficionados will appreciate; Craven even dares to make himself the butt of a few jokes to show what a healthy sense of humor he has. Williamson's screenplay has the characters assuming a rather blasé attitude in the beginning, even amidst all the subsequent chaos. Not only do they have frank discussions about mutilated bodies but one of them even coaches the others on the key elements to surviving a horror scenario. Laughing in the face of death is an approach Craven and Williamson gleefully experiment with the whole way through. "Party Of Five" veteran Neve Campbell is the beleaguered Sidney Prescott, investing her character with as much personality as possible. A lot of what she does here is get upset and - of course - scream her lungs out. There are times when I think she's not putting enough into her role, but I have to realize she's playing a teenager and it's a much more realistic portrait than, for example, the ridiculous traits that the neophytes of Dawson's Creek are endowed with. Skeet Ulrich fairs well as Billy Loomis, the boyfriend that is ever under suspicion. He's a fairly handsome chap but someone PLEASE get his hair out of his eyes, for crying out loud! Those scraggly bangs that never seem to stay tucked behind his ears were quite an annoyance for me, not to mention his constant upward glances when conducting his dialogue - he seldom looks a character full in the face. Aside from Rose McGowan's continually tacky sense of fashion, she's the worst performance in the movie. Her delivery is so snide and her character is such a twit that you wish Tatum were added to the body count earlier in the film. Matthew Lillard is overblown with his obnoxious surfer boy shtick (which can also be seen in "She's All That"). This is one of his worst performances, not to mention his most grating. Like Tatum, I prayed for Ghostface to skewer Stu in the first half hour. David Arquette is the strangest casting choice of all and he seems paranoid every minute he's on camera. I kept thinking to myself, "What the hell is wrong with that guy? Get him some Valium, for Pete's sake!" Fortunately, Courtney Cox is the luminary of this mediocre troupe as the love-to-hate-her Gale Weathers, a part completely out of type from her sunshiney role as Monica on "Friends". She gleefully takes advantage of the cutthroat nature of her character, playing her to the hilt with her mega-bitch aura ever intact. Consistently clad in vivid-colored ensembles and fire-engine red lipstick, Gale is a force to be reckoned with and she lets no one forget it. I have realized that after seeing this film for the third time, it's not the acting that's to be commended but the general idea. The concept alone is the movie's greatest asset and without it or its innovative creators, "Scream" would've choked on its own breath.
Rating:
Summary: This was a very funny movie. Better than "Scary Movie"!
Review: I actually give this 4 1/2 stars because this film is very funny and not scary at all. As I said above this movie IS funnier than Scary Movie. If you have a quality sound system buy the DVD edition and listen to all the sounds of pain that the killer makes when the people kick him in the family jewels and when one of the girls hits him in the head with a freezer door. Some of the scenes are scary, but not to the point where I would scream. They went a little overboard on the blood, gore, and guts in the beginning but, still I managed to watch the ENTIRE movie without throwing up (Which I am prone to when I watch horror movies). Another good movie that is scary yet irresistably funny is "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2". Look in "Scream" for the cameo appearance by Linda Blair of "The Exorcist" as a reporter.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific popcorn slasher movie.
Review: Some hailed Wes Craven's "Scream" as overrated and pretentious dumb teenage junk. Others called it, "OMG! THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE!" To me, both of these claims are false. It is not the best movie ever made and, seriously folks, it's not a bad movie at all. Don't put this film down just because it's become trendy to do so, as it has spawned numerous mediocre excuses for horror films. Judge the film on itself. To me, 1996 was THE year for blockbuster Hollywood movies this past decade. Independence Day, Mission: Impossible and The Rock became some of the highest-grossing films of the 90's. And then, without so much as a fair warning, "Scream" opened in December and changed the teenage horror genre thus far. Back then, I highly enjoyed it. And of course it was the talk of the town in the teen community for months straight. This is what destroyed the credibility of this film. It got WAY too much publicity and attention and, as I said, started the horrendous trend which we know as the "teeny-bopper" slasher films. But, come on people. I don't care how many sequels or imitations this movie dished out. "Scream" is a very good thriller. And just because it's gotten "old" or "played out" or whatever doesn't mean that I've forgotten when I was glued to my seat on my initial viewing of the film. If you haven't seen it yet (not bloody likely), just watch it with an open mind and you'll really be pleasantly suprised. Don't follow the teen-movie-hating trend just for the hell of it.
Rating:
Summary: "Scream" resurrects the "slasher" film
Review: A crazed horror film buff wearing a "Father Death" costume is making mincemeat out of the locals in the sleepy little town of Woodsboro. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) discovers that the killer is getting closer to her as the one year anniversary of her mother's murder approaches. A coincidence? Lots of scares, laughs, suspense, in-jokes for horror film buffs, red herrings, and a few cameos (Linda Blair, Henry Winkler, and Wes Craven) as well as memorable characters. Probably the most complete and satisfying horror film trilogy ever; writer Kevin Williamson wrote drafts for the two sequels at the same time!
Rating:
Summary: A crowd-pleasing hipest scary movie of 1996!
Review: After a series of mysterious deaths, a seemingly peaceful community becomes a place where no one is safe...and everyone is suspect!That's when an offbeat group of friends rally to unlock the town's deadly secrets...and get caught up in a lively mix of thrills, chills and surpises! Featuring all-star talent including Drew Berrymore,Courteney Cox,Neve Campbell,Skett Ulrich, and David Arquette,this strikingly original and entertaining motion picture delivers nonstop edge-of-you-seat excitment...and fun!Scream is a crowd pleaseing smash hit with a sizziling cast - criticsa are calling SCREAM the hippest thriller of the year!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Slashers out there
Review: Now, I've seen all the Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street movies. All I have to say is, BORING! Same thing over and over! But with Scream, everything is changed. Scream isn't just a horror movie, it's also a spoof of the old slashers, like Halloween. Some parts are pretty intense, others funny (especially how goofy Dewey acts, or at the party). This time it's also fun to watch Neve Campbell [and some of] Drew Barrymore get chased around by the killer. This is a great DVD with great features. Scream is the best of it's kind.
Rating:
Summary: Ingenious horror at it's most formal
Review: Scream Score: 98/100 Not since Alfred Hitchock's 1960 masterpiece Psycho has a horror tale been so thrilling and refreshing as Scream, a psychological thriller with all the right ingredients. The only way for this movie is to go up in time, and since 1996, Scream has already become one of the most memorable, amazing films ever put to screen. For Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), being a teen in a '90's life is hard. Her mum was brutally murdered when she was an early teen, and her father is continuously away on business trips, never really sparing much time for his daughter. Add to that, she has a spooky boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich) with an overload of hormones, and you have a young woman on the verge of collapse. But, it's not until Sidney's mothers story is brought back to life by yet another series of murders in her hometown Woodsboro that Sidney's life really starts to fall to pieces. As each of her friends are picked off by the ghost-masked serial killer, Sidney is rammed in the head with emotional and mental impact. In one moment or another, the characters in Scream seem to point the finger at themselves and it becomes part-obvious part-guessable who the person behind the sharp end of the knife is. Either way, the movie is still endlessly fun to watch, one that I have seen at least a dozen times. When you watch it, your head spins, and you lose your mind with all the frightening hoo-hah going on. Wes Craven controls the film like a master, and Kevin Williamson's script brilliantly spoofs off our old favourite horror movies, while at the same time being it's own movie, with all new original ideas. The performers are great, Neve Campbell brings Sidney stunningly to life, she plays the best heroin ever put to cinema. Also on the hot-hand is Oscar-worthy Rose McGowan in a sarcastically amazing portrayal of Sid's best friend, Tatum who is slowly slipping away from her long-time mate. Matthew Lillard is excellently uncontrolled, David Arquette is silly and amusing and Courteney Cox plays tabloid pest Gale Weathers with eagerness and greatness. Scream is an ingenious piece of cinema, not to be missed by anyone who has a major or occasional interest in film.
Rating:
Summary: Hip, fresh play on horror clichés!
Review: Watching "Scream" is like taking a trip the movie store and browsing the horror section, recalling all those old memories of horror film stories that were truly inspired. It contains all the classic elements of a horror thriller, and here's a new twist: it plays all of the tired horror clichés to its advantage, giving it a new and fresh feel that makes it innovative and intense. Featuring an all-star cast, "Scream" is one clever and intense suspense ride that is crowd-pleasing and fun. All the suspense and terror begins with the murder of two high school students in the small town of Woodsboro. The victims' gruesome deaths touches a chord with Sidney Prescott, also a high school student, whose mother was killed a year ago in a quite similar manner. Soon, she begins receiving phone calls as well as visits from a person dressed up in a black cape and ghost mask, with a voice distorter to hide their true identity over the phone. The movie plays frequently on Sidney's emotional instability in certain moments, but through it all, she remains a strong character that we have no problem rooting for when the good gets going. As the bodies pile up, the police start asking questions. The school turns into a secondary police station as students are put through questioning, while outside, reporters are crawling like ants on a sandwich to get the scoop on the latest news. One such reporter is Gale Weathers, whose book on the murder of Sidney's mother has sparked her aspirations into high gear. Her confrontations with Sidney give us the real spark of the suspense: Sidney's accusations against the man that she thinks killed her mother were the reasons for Gale's book, and while she would like to disbelieve, there is no turning her back on the fact that the killer may still be on the loose. The movie never really has a point at which it decides to pick itself up and move faster; from the beginning it keeps us involved immensely, giving us many thrills, jumps and chills. The screenplay, written by Kevin Williamson, is one of the fresher horror scripts to come out in a long time, and under the direction of horror master Wes Craven, the film has nowhere to go but up. The movie has a lot of surprises, and while it's not one of those nightmare-inducing type scary movies, it scares us by making us jump as well as peaking our interest as to what the plot is going to do next. This is what makes it so clever: it never gives away any of its secrets until such time as it is necessary. All the fingers point to at least two different suspects at each moment of the movie, proving and disproving theories and accusations as to whether or not the presently accused is really the killer. Even the characters themselves point fingers to their own guilt. In the end, when all the secrets are revealed, will you find yourself gasping in awe at who the killer actually turns out to be. The movie also is unique in the way that it plays on all of the past horror film clichés through its dialogue and following twists. Even one of the characters, the film store worker, Randy, stands up during a party to deliver a speech on the rules of surviving a horror movie. His education in the horror genre serves for a lot of insightful dialogue into horror movies of the past, and the movie uses this to its advantage by having its characters act in the ways he warns them against. The movie's message is simply one of "Don't say that people running up the stairs is silly, because what would you do?" The all-star cast is full of bright faces (when they're not smeared with blood) that know the material and know how to play it out. Neve Campbell plays the terrified Sidney Prescott, in one of the better roles of damsel-in-distress to come out of a movie like this. Campbell brings out the fact that underneath her fear and pain, she has a strong side that refuses to give up, which grows with the movie. Courteney Cox plays the self-involved Gale Weathers, who perseveres in getting her story just as Cox does in bringing this attitude to life. David Arquette is Deputy Dewey, the silly, out-of-sorts cop who has a very big soft spot where his badge should be. When it comes time to get serious, though, he does a good job of it. The rest of the cast includes such talent as Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, Matthew Lillard and Rose McGowan, all of whom bring sass and originality to the movie. Filled with stunning surprises and intense moments unlike anything you've experienced before, "Scream" is a rocket ride into suspense, dazzling us with an original and refreshing story that plays on all its characters and twists while making the movie hip, fresh and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Horror at Its Best
Review: This is an amazing horror movie very different from classics like Halloween & Friday the 13th. This modern horror movie still has all the gore but has a fresh cleverness never before used in horror movies. This is the first movie that has really changed the horror genre. Nearly all of the cast is really great. Neve Campbell did an amazing job. You gotta love Gale Weather's style and Deputy Dewey is almost funny! Overall a good movie but the killer/killers aren't much of a surprise.
|
