Melanie -
I LOVE the Scream movies - All of them - yes including 4 that people seem to like to hate on, and I am looking forward to Scream 5 ...... or for some unknown reason as it is now branded "Scream". Can someone PLEASE explain the logic there? It's not new... It's not a reboot or a remake ... it has the original cast .... AND IT IS A LITERAL CONTINUATION OF THE STORY! I am getting really annoyed that people can't read and think it's a "remake" - but WHY marketing people - WHY DID YOU DO THIS? Did you think because "Halloween" did it earlier you have to copy them. They had a REASON - they were trying to LITERALLY ERASE A BUNCH OF STORY!! UGH OK enough about that ...... as Dave is breaking down each movie in his part - I am focusing on the original, general thoughts, and the upcoming new release. Ready? Cos here we go .....
I remember being one of the people going to see this in the movie theater and expecting, well something completely different. All the set up for your average teen slasher movie were there in the preview (and on the poster), it was directed by horror legend Wes Craven himself, but I don't think any of us expected what we saw AND IT WAS BRILLIANT! To this day it remains one of my all time favorites and I re-watch it at least once a year. Little did I know then that Scream was penned by Kevin Williamson, who has gone on to write some of my favorite stories including The Following and Vampire Diaries. His twisted mind it nothing short of genius, and he doesn't mind having the movies move meta (always a favorite with me) and laugh both at themselves, and at the genre in general, whilst STILL providing great watching. Scream 5 (I am refusing to call it "Scream" is releasing this week and I can't wait. It's been over 25 years since this franchise started and it is crazy to think it is still going strong. I do wonder how the film will stand being that this will be the first time Wes Craven can't work his special blend of magic, but I am very hopeful it will be fabulous! Dave - Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more. He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses. Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"
If I told you a movie only pulled in $6 million at the box office opening weekend, there is a pretty good chance that is going to be an epic failure and never to be talked about ever again, except maybe for a Razzie Award. But Scream defied the odds and rose against that, gaining popularity through word of mouth. Each week after the initial release, it kept increasing its box office intake. The masterminds behind it, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson, had a bona fide hit on their hands.
FYI, if you haven’t seen the movie or know the twists, avert your eyes. I'm dropping spoilers!)
SCREAM - On with the story. Scream is credited with resurrecting a dead genre. Or at least nearly dead. The last couple of outings from slasher heavyweights Freddy, Jason, and Michael had less-than-stellar results and hadn’t the slasher been just about done? An original, fresh idea brought it back to life. Scream has been called meta and self-referential, poking fun at typical horror ploys without being an actual spoof. The first surprise of the movie is the biggest star (Drew Barrymore) is killed off first letting you know that you are for a wild ride. The killer seemed to be everywhere all at once, moving at lightning speed from one end of the house to the other without being seen or heard. Typical of your horror villains but the unexpected part is there are 2 killers! Wow! No one expected that! They usually stick with a single killer, superhuman strength, or so it seems. But this just have 2 average guys.
SCREAM 2 - Reigniting the flames and grossing over $170 million of course meant a sequel was the works. It didn't take a lot of convincing since Williamson already had a 5-page outline for Scream 2 when he was pitching the first one. While I was sitting in the theatre for Scream 2, I found myself wondering if they would stick with the 2 serial killers or make the twist be that there is only one this time. The script had to be changed since the original ending was leaked while in production, chopping down from 4 killers (might have been a little overkill) back down to 2.
SCREAM 3 - Continuing to kill at the box office, they set to round out the trilogy a few years later. Unfortunately, Williamson had other obligations and couldn't finish the script so the script polishing duties were handed off to Ehren Kruger. A few more changes in the script stages as this one originally also had 2 killers but then changed to just one for a twist. Funny thing is this was the end. Or was supposed to be. I decided to re-watch the commentaries when Scream 4 was about to be released and Wes said something like "this is it unless we decide to do Scream 4 in 10 years". And 10 years later Scream 4 was coming out!
SCREAM 4 - Scream 4 gets a lot of flack. Some of it is just, some of it is not, at least in my opinion. I try to keep an open mind to remakes, reboots, and the like. Even as I sat in the theatre opening day on this movie, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Is it time to finally kill off Sidney? Or any of the other original returning characters? In this case, this "screamake", as the dubbed it in the movie, was very familiar. It was repeating the screamake tone, pulses and echoes of the original, which is admittedly cringe-worthy. But in the final act when the killer and motivations are revealed, it makes sense that has to be that way. The whole point of the movie to be an echo, a shadow of Sidney so it had to duplicate everything that was happening to her.
SCREAM 5 - (NOW BEING RELEASED SIMPLY AS SCREAM) Scream 5was announced with Sidney returning once again for 2022 release that is actually happening this week. Without the magic of Wes Craven behind the camera, I'm not sure if it can capture the feel. Williamson is still writing so that may hold a little hope. Guess we will just have to wait and see.
Code Word For This Article Is - Scream
And Now For The Giveaway!
Melanie's Muses will be giving away an "Scream"" Prize Pack featuring Scream 1,2,&3 on DVD, A pair of Ghost Face earrings, and a Horror Movies Heart Pin from Dennifer, plus stickers From the Melanie's Muses Prize Hoard!
For your chance to win- FILL OUT THE FORM and tell us: Do You Like Scary Movies? (Feel free to share your favorite!)
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