Must-Watch Film | Scream

*No Spoilers*

The 90's! What was so great about the 90's? Well, for me its "Scream", as it is the best teen-horror film I have ever seen, possibly even being the 'king' of all teen-horror films, as it was iconic, definitive and all-new.

Before going any further, it is worth noting, that before "Scream" horror films, especially slashers, were all focusing on brute psychopaths, monsters, vampires and werewolves, but never straying away from the typical horror frights. Which by 1996, when "Scream" was released, I'm sure I speak for everyone, when I say we all wanted something fresh and out of the ordinary.

"Scream", directed by Wes Craven, brought to movie-goers a type of film which took all the usual horror clichés, like; falling up the stairs (as the killer is behind them), running into the killer (rather than away from them), trusting the wrong people (usually the person who turns out to be the killer) etc. and makes them funny, but at the same time, scary.

Now, by the second decade of the 21st Century (2010's), film-makers have taken Wes Craven's idealistic, unique ideas for "Scream" and have worn them out, to death. Although, no-one can criticise "Scream", as it is still a brilliant film, worth dusting-off and watching, today. Especially as Halloween looms around the corner, once again, resulting in us all finding out our favourite horror films to watch, as we feel the intense need to... well... for sakes of being the perfect word, 'scream'.

The cast is perfect for the film, not all being the best and well-known actors/actresses at the time, however, now, some of these actors are very-well known, including the likes of Neve Campbell (plays Sidney), Courteney Cox (plays Gale Weathers) and David Arquette (plays Deputy Dewey).

The most famous character from "Scream" isn't a person, but rather a mask, known as "Ghost-face". Who's "Ghost-face"? ...You'll have to watch the film to find out.

This film is best not to be thought too much about, as it will only ruin the overall experience watching it, as it is the type of film you'll want to watch with your friends, as you'll spend half of the time guessing who the killer is. Then, the other half of the time, wondering why the killer is killing all of these people.

Either way, it is a brilliant teen-horror film, demanding your complete and undivided attention, as it will test all that you know about horror films and then tell you everything about the horror clichés, literally. As the teens in this horror film, have all seen one-to-many horror films and they spend a wild amount of time talking about the usual horror clichés.

Stopping you from complaining about any horror clichés, as nothing about this film is a cliché, but rather a unique horror film which will make you ask yourself why other film-makers hadn't thought of this idea a long time ago, way before "Scream" was released.

Its great, watching a horror film which isn't afraid to be different and take advantage of everybody's hate towards bad clichés, and literally have characters expressing their distaste to this very same thing.

The killer is among them, but who? The fact that whilst watching this film, you know the entire time that the killer is someone inside of the high-school, but you just don't know who, is a little unsettling.

The film constantly throws clues at you, but you never quite know what's trying to throw you off track and what is in-fact a worthy clue worth looking into. So, to be quite honest, it is nearly impossible to know who the killer is for-sure until the end.

So, how does the film pace, from start-to-finish?

The start of the film is 'different', not like anything you have ever seen in horror films before, as it isn't the typical slash and death that we are all so used to, without any real fun for the audience. The first scene, immediately lets you know that this is not going to be your typical slasher film, but rather one that wants to break all of the rules and create its own.

This is almost like a horror film within a horror film, which was generally the idea anyway, so they certainly achieved their aim there. It had everything needed to start a film franchise, again, achieving this long(er)-term target as well.

Midway through the film and it feels as though the film has only just begun, as it is that entertaining to watch, making it the only irritation, that the film wasn't longer.

Towards the end of the film, the pace quickens, if that is even possible, as it all begins to unravel before your eyes, as it all gets that bit more exciting.

The 90's was a fairly drab year for the horror genre, as there were a lot of horror films being produced, that wasn't the issue, except these horror films were all just revamping the same tripe we had seen time and time before.

Making it a nice surprise to see "Scream" released, in 1996, as it moved away from what all of the other horror films at the time were doing, creating something unique which would later become a successful franchise.

The same, however, could not be said for other 90's films.

To be honest, the 90's audience by 1996 were all seeking out a horror film which didn't have a haunted house, deformed monster, vampires or were-wolves or any of the other worn-out ideas. So, as "Scream" was released, it was like a breath of fresh air, being something horror genre fans had be depraved of for some time.

Although, many horror films since "Scream" have tried to re-master the "Scream" idea, it has never been done as-well-as this unique original. Which just goes to show that originality really is the key to a successful film, released in the 90's, or any decade.

"Scream" has shown what can be done to create something that has never been seen before in the horror genre, changing the rules we had all come to accept as being the must-dos for creating a good horror film.

But, as it turns out, horror films need-not abide by any rules at all to become a success, as "Scream" proved, back in 1996.

Even today, horror fans turn back to watch "Scream", not because it was a classic, although it clearly is, but because it is such a scary (and somewhat funny) horror film, well-worth watching.

I don't think that I have ever seen a horror film quite as many times as I have seen "Scream", which is based purely on the fact that it was original (in all aspects) and had everything required to make you scream, laugh and gasp uncontrollably.

The one-liners in "Scream" are worth it all, as they are the most memorable one-liners anyone has ever heard in a film (not just the horror genre), just because they were so good, in a simple, yet brilliant way.

No matter how many times I watch "Scream", the one-liners are always entertaining to hear, as they impact in a way, one-liners have never impacted before. Making you laugh, making you scream, but most importantly, making you remember the film for future reference.

As I said before, this serial killer goes by the name of "Ghost-face", being so scary because no-one ever quite knows who he or she is. I guess they're a ghost, right? No! But it's still near impossible figuring out who they are... for more reasons than one.

This serial killer isn't like others you've heard of, like; Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Jason or even Leatherface. As "Ghost-face" is far less easy to identify, as they constantly wear a mask and the killer behind the mask is never quite who you'd expect.

"Scream", the fifth in the must-watch series, is one of my all-time favourite horror films. The perfect beginning to a horror franchise with its own unique set of rules.

Is "Scream" one of your favourite horror films? Or, maybe it isn't... but why? ...Leave your answer in the comments box below.

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"I do the research, so that you don't have to"

Your friendly movie, games writer: Craig Easom