We're All Mad Here

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