Scream (1996)

A killer known as Ghostface begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer:

Kevin Williamson

Stars:

Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Courteney Cox

7 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Drew Barrymore	...	Casey
Roger Jackson	...	Phone Voice (voice)
Kevin Patrick Walls	...	Steve
David Booth	...	Casey's Father
Carla Hatley	...	Casey's Mother
Neve Campbell	...	Sidney
Skeet Ulrich	...	Billy
Lawrence Hecht	...	Mr. Prescott
Courteney Cox	...	Gale Weathers
W. Earl Brown	...	Kenny
Rose McGowan	...	Tatum
Lois Saunders	...	Mrs. Tate
David Arquette	...	Deputy Dewey
Joseph Whipp	...	Sheriff Burke
Matthew Lillard	...	Stuart

Storyline

One year after the death of Sidney Prescott's (Campbell) mother, two students turn up gutted. When a serial killer appears, Sidney begins to suspect whether her mother's death and the two new deaths are related. No one is safe, as the killer begins to pick everyone off one by one. Everyone's a suspect in this case.

---

Plot Keywords:

death | mask | tabloid | murder | high school | 

---

Taglines:

Now someone is victim and someone is a suspect

---

Genres:

Crime | Horror | Mystery

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic horror violence and gore, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scary Movie

Filming Locations:

Bradley Video, Santa Rosa, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,354,586 (USA) (20 December 1996)

Gross:

DEM 14,564,502 (Germany) (12 December 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, Woods Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Drew Barrymore was originally cast as Sidney Prescott (eventually played by Neve Campbell). But Drew Barrymore insisted that if she played Casey then it would make the audience think anything could happen.

---

Goofs

When Gale is driving the news van, she brakes suddenly while in reverse, causing the cameraman's body to fall onto the windshield. Since she was going backward, inertia would have cause the body to continue going backward, falling instead from the back of the vehicle.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Casey: Hello?
Phone Voice: Hello.
Casey: Yes?
Phone Voice: Who is this?
Casey: Who are you trying to reach?
Phone Voice: What number is this?
Casey: Well, what number are you trying to reach?
Phone Voice: I don't know.
Casey: I think you have the wrong number.
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

Right before the credits roll, there is a quick flash of the killer's face (Ghostface), so quick, it causes the viewer to doubt they actually saw it.

---

Connections

References The Exorcist (1973)

---

Soundtracks

"First Cool Hive"
Performed by Moby
Written by Moby (as Richard Hall)
Courtesy of Mute Records Limited UK/Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Thrilling, refreshing horror tale

Watching this film for the first time in the basement of a four story house, with no-one else in was the perfect setting for this film. From the very first scene I was gripped and I could not wait for the climax to discover the murderer and his motives. The script was extremely original, as they had purposely set out to parodie the typical slasher style movie.

It was written in a way that deceived and tricked and had you jumping out of your seats but also laughing at the paradoxical black humour. For anyone looking for a good horror film with a twist, you won't find a better one than Scream.

Overall I give it 9.5/10