Scream is a rarity: a horror movie spoof that succeeds almost as well at provoking scares as laughs. That's because director Wes Craven in addition to having a genuine affection for the genre, understands how wildly improbable and easy to lampoon it is. And, with Scream, he skewers it at every corner, using self-referential humor and a flood of in-jokes (some subtle, some obvious).
In a way, this movie was inevitable. A lot of modern film criticism involves ``deconstruction'' of movie plots. ``Deconstruction'' is an academic word. It means saying what everybody knows about the movies in words nobody can understand. ``Scream'' is self-deconstructing; it's like one of those cans that heats its own soup.
But this movie is not just a horror film. The self-referential tone of the movie allows us to step back from the horror. Also, the presence of detectives and inquisitive characters focuses our attention away from fear and toward curiosity. We can stop the killing if we can only unmask the killer.
For those who know horror movies, the self-referential tone provides some funny moments when characters point out the "rules" of a horror movie, mention director Wes Craven, or comment on what would be happening "if this were a movie."
And, for those looking for a good scare, Scream is an excellent choice. The mask the killer uses (which appears to be derived from Munch's "The Scream") is really quite frightening. The killer is more human than in most horror films, and therefore more terrifying. He is not invisible, but he is only seen in a quick flash. His advantage is not supernatural power - victims can lash out against him and have some effect - his advantage is surprise and fear. The killer's humanity and thus his potential vulnerability makes him all the more frightening, and makes us all the more tense for his next victim.
MESSAGE - Horror films may breed copycat killings.
Conclusion: This is a modern type of heart-thrilling horror movies and it really does scare you who are not a real fans of horror movies. I rate this movie as a good movie and it is also a good way to thrill the audience. So it realy does had a very strong effects on the thrilling part. I rate it 3,5/5. But for the story of the movie I rate it as a fair story. Great score for a movie like this.
In a way, this movie was inevitable. A lot of modern film criticism involves ``deconstruction'' of movie plots. ``Deconstruction'' is an academic word. It means saying what everybody knows about the movies in words nobody can understand. ``Scream'' is self-deconstructing; it's like one of those cans that heats its own soup.
But this movie is not just a horror film. The self-referential tone of the movie allows us to step back from the horror. Also, the presence of detectives and inquisitive characters focuses our attention away from fear and toward curiosity. We can stop the killing if we can only unmask the killer.
For those who know horror movies, the self-referential tone provides some funny moments when characters point out the "rules" of a horror movie, mention director Wes Craven, or comment on what would be happening "if this were a movie."
And, for those looking for a good scare, Scream is an excellent choice. The mask the killer uses (which appears to be derived from Munch's "The Scream") is really quite frightening. The killer is more human than in most horror films, and therefore more terrifying. He is not invisible, but he is only seen in a quick flash. His advantage is not supernatural power - victims can lash out against him and have some effect - his advantage is surprise and fear. The killer's humanity and thus his potential vulnerability makes him all the more frightening, and makes us all the more tense for his next victim.
MESSAGE - Horror films may breed copycat killings.
Conclusion: This is a modern type of heart-thrilling horror movies and it really does scare you who are not a real fans of horror movies. I rate this movie as a good movie and it is also a good way to thrill the audience. So it realy does had a very strong effects on the thrilling part. I rate it 3,5/5. But for the story of the movie I rate it as a fair story. Great score for a movie like this.