The Fantasy Review‘s Spoiler-Free Review of Scream (1996).
Rating: 5/5
Scream (1996) is one of my favourite horror movies and one of the first that really got me into watching the genre. It’s a classic, riffing off all the slasher tropes, taking the mick while following the formula – it’s a funny and engaging movie.
Positives
There are lots of positives! First, we have Sidney, our “final girl” and main protagonist. We follow her almost a year after her mum’s murder, when mysterious murders begin happening all over town. She’s a badass main character and we need more like her! There’s no helpless screaming and giving in – she gives Ghostface a hard time.
Next would be Ghostface – so-called because of the generic halloween mask the killer wears. Scream gives us a genuinely scary and relentless killer, but also dashes in a bit of humour too, with the masked murderer being his in the face by doors or choosing hilariously inventive ways of killing someone in a garage…
These characters feel like real people (for the most part). We know enough about everyone involved to be rooting for their survival in a chase scene, or be heartbroken for them when they lose a friend. And there is a good range of types of characters too, instead of copy-and-paste high-schoolers you can get in some slashers.
Negatives
These aren’t real negatives as I think there is a good reason for these things being the way they are, but they do sometimes take us out of the movie, even in moments of suspense, which can be jarring:
- It’s obvious who the killer is (with a mildly surprising twist)
- Some of Ghostface’s victims don’t make sense to the plot – they didn’t get in the way, they aren’t related to this thing with Sidney…
Final Thoughts
Overall, Scream (1996) is a fantastic start to one of the most consistently good franchises in the horror/slasher genre. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but will also get your heart pumping at all the right moments.
