Scream (1996)

	Directed by: Wes Craven	COUNTRY USA Genre Horror NORWEGIAN TITLE Skrik RUNNING TIME 111 minutes
	Produced by: Cary Woods Cathy Konrad
	Written by: Kevin Williamson

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Casey	Drew Barrymore	-
Sidney	Neve Campbell	½
Billy	Skeet Ulrich	½
Gale Weathers	Courteney Cox
Tatum	Rose McGowan	½
Dewey	David Arquette
Stuart	Matthew Lillard
Randy	Jamie Kennedy	½

Review

The ending of Wes Craven's latest discharge, entitled Scream, has got most every hallmark of the worst B-horror movies of the 1970s. But of course, by then he has already accomplished his partly honourable, partly sneaky objective: to pay tribute to the horror genre, and to make people jump in their seats. He does it by utilising every genre convention and technique that horror films in general, and the slasher movie in particular, cultivated and popularised during the '70s. It starts in the film's very first segment, in which Drew Barrymore is killed off brutally and (some would say) beautifully. The stage is set.

Craven's real trick here is how he balances so delicately between spoof and homage. For younger or less informed audiences, the distinction may not even be noticeable. And here's the brilliance of this film: For those audiences, the film works aptly and elegantly as the mother of the movies it's capitalizing on. Whereas for anyone who grew up with or is familiar with said movies, Craven sprinkles his film with an abundance of clever references and fun innuendos. The killer's favourite film is, of course, A Nightmare on Elm Street, while a non-connoisseur cites "Wes Carpenter" as the greatest director in the genre. That's one of several nods to John Carpenter, whose horror classic Halloween is repeatedly referenced here.

Scream is an audacious movie made by a filmmaker who is willing to risk ridiculing himself for the sake of showing off his brilliance, and that's a form of egotism I can respect and enjoy.