Scream (1996) Review

There is a new Scream film out, but I haven't had the chance to see it yet, so I decided to watch the previous films in the franchise and here is my review for the original film. The premise of the film sees a slew of killings inspired by horror movies that aims at mostly young girls. 

Main Character 

Neve Campbell plays Sidney and she is good in the film. She plays the damsel in distress pretty well but there is also some toughness to her that made her more interesting. She isn't amazing but I think she deserves a lot of credit for a good performance as a female lead character in a horror film can be a difficult role to play. 

Supporting Characters

Courteney Cox plays Gale, a news reporter who is trying to get a scoop on the murder investigation. She is good in the role and it is nice to see her play a different role as this would have been amongst the friends pomp. David Arquette plays Dooey and he is fun but doesn't really stand out, he is a young but lets face it pretty inept police officer. There is enough charm there though that manages to make him a good enough character. But the rest of the cast are just a bit too over the top, it comes across as a bit cringey and I am sure that is due to the age of the film but it is something that I noticed.  

Story 

The story is interesting, it spoofs other horror films and basically deconstructs them which I really enjoyed. The focus on ghostface's killings is well handled and I liked seeing the variation and suspense that was given in each one. However, I thought a few elements were a bit rushed and underdeveloped, alongside a really rushed and uninformative ending holds it back a little bit. 

Script 

The script is a bit like the characters, it does a decent enough job but hasn't exactly aged too well. It deals with the horror really well and the drama. At times the humour raises a wild chuckle but the film clearly thinks it is funnier then it actually is and it does suffer with this. But there is no doubt that there is some clever writing here. 

Style 

The film is filmed really well, the horror scenes are great. They keep you on the edge of your seat throughout and when they do take place they are energetic and frenetic which really helps make this horror film stand out. The film is paced really well with plenty of death and scares, the first 10 mins alone is some of the best you will see in any horror film and makes you want to keep watching. 

Overall

Overall, Scream is a good film. I am not a huge horror fan but this is one of the better ones and if you like horror I can see this being right up your street. 

Rating - 7/10