Scream
(1996)
Rating:
R
Runtime:
111 minutes
Box
Office (in today’s dollars): 156 million (approximately)
Characters:
Sidney Prescott, Billy Loomis, Stu Macher, Randy Meeks, Tatum Riley, Dewey
Riley, Gale Weathers, Kenny, Principal Himbry, Sheriff Burke, Neil Prescott,
Casey Becker, Steve Orth, Fred the Janitor
Favorite
Quote: “Do you like scary movies?”
Favorite
Scene: the opening thirteen minutes with Casey Becker
Favorite
Character: Sidney Prescott
Other
need-to-see nineties movies directed by Wes Craven: none
I
used to work in a video store, and the night before the new releases were to
come out, I was in charge of rearranging the store after we closed. It would
take me about two hours (alphabetizing and making sure it was perfect) and to
make sure I was on schedule I used to play this movie while I did it. As long
as I was to a certain part of the store during a certain scene I knew I was
doing ok. So I know this movie pretty much word for word. I’ll never forget the
classic lines like “fuck rag”, “goon fuck”, and “liver alone”. There are so
many characters in this movie, though some of them don’t make it all the way to
the end. Everyone probably has a different favorite: Billy the boyfriend, Stu
the boyfriend of the best friend, Randy the movie nerd, Tatum the best friend, Dewey
the deputy, or even Fred the janitor. Mine is Sidney. I always had a thing for
her.
This
movie really changed the rules for horror movies. Wait, you don’t know the
rules?!?! The three rules to surviving a horror movie: never have sex, never
drink or do drugs, and never say “I’ll be right back”. The opening thirteen
minutes of this movie (my favorite scene) are about as perfect a beginning as
you will ever see. The phone rings, the killer asks Casey Becker “Do you like
scary movies?” (my favorite quote), craziness ensues, and (spoiler alert)
somebody dies. The remaining 98 minutes are filled with sex, alcohol, and a few
more somebodies die. Oh, and “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
was a great addition to the soundtrack. It fits this movie better than Tatum
does through a pet door.
This
movie was a big hit and the horror genre was popular again with the younger
crowd. Sequels of Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street were dying at the box office; but cool movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Urban Legend quickly followed the
success of Scream. Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000) would complete the trilogy because like my buddy
Stu always said “You gotta have a sequel!!”
Next
movie to review: Boogie Nights
