Movie Review: Scream (1996)

Horror movies have evolved through the course of history. Many new horror movies come with CGI and involved technology to give us a good scare. CGI was invented in the ‘70s but wasn’t popular until the ’90s.  A very classical horror movie that didn’t follow the nature of CGI was Scream. It was released in 1996, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson.

The 1996 movie was the first of the spectacular movies in the series that lead to the slasher thriller genre. The second movie followed one year after the first movie, the third movie was released in 2000, and the final movie was released in 2011. Scream(1996) starred very know celebrities including Courtney Cox, Matthew Lillard, and Skeet Ulrich. 

It opens up with student Casey backer, who receives a creepy voice call. She picks up and an unknown caller wants to ask her questions. After a few minutes of talking, the phone call becomes terrifying and she no longer wants to answer the caller’s questions. With that being said, she ends up being murdered by Ghostface, the masked killer. Casey’s death was the beginning of Sidney Prescott’s real-life nightmare. She struggles with the anniversary of her mother’s death and she receives threatening phone calls herself. The hunt to find out who Ghostface is is thrilling and brings many scares throughout. The film combines dark humor and mystery to bring out the best in the movie, as well as focusing on suspense to create that classic thriller feeling.

  Inspired by a real-life case, Williamson got his inspiration from a killing spree that happened in Florida that terrorized a college. The real-life serial-killer was named Danny Harold Rolling but was known as The Gainesville Ripper. In the movie, the killer had the nickname “Ghostface”, mostly because the outfit consists of a white mask with black eyes and mouth.  Williamson dedicated this movie to have a similar comparison to what had happened in real life.

Rolling was very discreet with his killing sprees such as Ghostface. Many of the techniques Rolling used on his victims were portrayed in the movie. Very specific details about the murders were used to create more realistic scenarios in the movie, which just adds a bit more terror and thrill for the viewer. One of the most vital comparisons would be the type of victims both murderers would go after. Danny Harold usually went after slim, Caucasian brunettes with brown eyes, except for Taboada (a male). The main victim in the movie was also a brunette girl who is being terrorized by Ghostface. Besides those similarities, the movie had its unique twist that didn’t compare to the real-life crime scenes or other movies.

Scream greatly impacted the world in many positive and negative ways. The movie alone actually inspired other killing sprees around the world. On a more positive note, it gave a thrilling idea of having a Ghostface costume to go trick-or-treating or a Halloween party. It also inspired other projects, such as funny parodies or tv shows.

Overall, the 1996 movie was a great success and greatly impacted pop culture. It had a great comparison to the real-life crime scene to which was very particular back during the time of its release day. Scream is a great choice of a horror genre and it is truly enjoyed by many.