ClobberBlog | Mormonism, Evangelical Christianity

9. Scream (1996) ~ If you want a movie that spoofs horror movies while telling a compelling slasher mystery itself, look no further than the original Scream. This film made fun of the more common horror movie clichés, paid homage to them, and then broke them: the surviving virgin, death by sex and alcohol, it’s always the boyfriend, and never say “I’ll be right back!” It was a movie that knew how to make fun of itself and yet stay scary and exciting. At one point the film’s heroine proclaims her disdain for scary movies: “It’s always some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who’s always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door.” A few minutes later, she finds herself running up the stairs to get away from the killer instead of going out the front door.

I was only an impressionable 15 when I saw it, but I remember the film’s plot twists being truly surprising, and I still think they were pretty clever today. Drew Barrymore had figured prominently in the film’s advertising so that many were surprised when her character was disposed of as one of the opening fatalities, and as to the identity of the killer… well, my guess was half-right. I think everybody’s was.

The sequels were both admirable, though I sort of fell out of love with them when the character of Seth Green Randy (Jamie Kennedy) perished. Of course, Courtney Cox and David Arquette met while filming Scream and are still married today, so seeing them as an on-screen couple in this movie always makes me go “Awww!” It’s a romantic horror movie. Kind of.