13 Days of Halloween: The Rules of Horror
Day 2: “Scream” (1996)
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Rose McGowan and Skeet Ulrich
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Kevin Williams
“What’s your favorite scary movie?”
Where yesterday ended, today begins. In “Scream” the rules of horror are set, and made fun of. Williams put together a solid script that focuses on what a horror movie is supposed to be. “Scream” always makes me ask, “if I were in a horror movie, would I survive?” I was talking to my roommates about this when we watched the entire “Scream Trilogy” the other day.
The first time I saw this movie I was probably around 7 or 8. I am pretty sure that is how old everyone was when they first saw this movie. At the time I didn’t know Barrymore was famous, or that it was a big deal that she signed on to be killed off. I had no clue what Campbell or Cox were doing in a horror film when I had only ever seen them on “Party of Five” and “Friends,” respectively. I didn’t get the utter genius in the script.
Most people would argue with me … “Scream” was supposed to be a major flop, most hate it for its inability to carry a story and many find everything wrong with it because it “can’t be true.” In my opinion, and it is the popular one, this movie makes horror real. This is an event that destroys a small town, the media are in a frenzy, the town is shut down and the youth ran wild. Why isn’t this a “real” depiction of what would happen if an event like this existed. This is where the line “my motive is the movies” comes into play. We watch movies because we want entertainment, we want an escape … the same reason we watch horror films. The positive is that they aren’t aken as reality, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a good depiction.
Fight me all you please, I know my horror genre.
“Scream” attacks the horror genre, and attacks it hard. From the three rules of surviving a horror flick, which Jamie Kennedy so nicely prescribes everyone, to using the horror film as a motive for murder, “Scream” gives a critical look at what the horror genre was up until the 90s. While the movement that Williams and Craven pushed for lasted only the decade, it was successful in the sense that it managed to create a new generation of horror fans … myself include.
If you are feeling adventurous, and your midterm week is over, venture to watch the entire trilogy.
Check out the trailer: Scream
An interesting side note: a new trilogy is on its way to the silver screen. Announced earlier this year, after nearly 10 years of debate, “Scream 4″ was announced and the cast of Campbell, Cox and Arquette will be returning; what the nature of the roles they will be playing is unknown. Kevin Williams will pen the new trilogy, which is a reboot (not a remake) set to begin a decade after “Scream 3.”
Tags: 13 Days, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Halloween, Jamie Kennedy, Kevin Williams, Neve Campbell, Reboot, Rose McGowan, Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4, Scream Trilogy, Skeet Ulrich, Wes Craven
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