Freddy is kind of like Bruce Willis with a lot of scar tissue --David Schow
Okay, if a bit overbearing in its presentation (the production really wants to take host Mark Kermode into the places of its subjects, *the* Camp Blood of Friday the 13th, the neighborhood of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the woods and dark house, etc. with a really encroaching score), "Scream and Scream Again" is yet another doc taking a look at slasher film's interest and popularity, why there is such a draw to this polarizing subgenre of horror. I like Kermode and firmly believe the guy knows what he's talking about, but the material just feels shopworn and familiar, with only certain interviewees adding extra value to the subject. I liked hearing how Wes Craven felt about "Scary Movie" coming out not long after his "Scream". Neve Campbell is a curious inclusion as she is really only connected to the Scream series, not particularly to the subgenre elaborated. Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Scream share equal time, so you get a generalized view of their influence and success as a template for the subgenre's continued durability. I always enjoy listening to the likes of Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Tom Savini (make-up maestro), Anthony Timpone (Fangoria), and David Schow (horror novelist) as their insight and opinion on the topic of the slasher film could command attention and respect. John Carpenter isn't featured as much as Craven, Hooper, and Cunningham, but there's plenty of content available if one feels disappointed here. There's the "tale of the hook" as it refers to a boogeyman story told to teenagers in order to keep them from having sex, but I especially enjoyed how Craven looked at the hook (with the flesh of its owner) left on the door handle instead of the intended message of maintaining your virginity. I think each film specified have better docs focused completely on them out there, so "Scream and Scream Again" might be of some interest to those slasher fans still preferring to hear from a number of talking minds behind the subgenre's longevity and a narrative which ponders the myriad of sequels and rip-offs that follow after successes, addressing such why horror suffers lulls before another movie comes along to the rescue. I think for die-hard fans of the slasher film will prefer, though, "Going to Pieces" as that doc looks at the subgenre a bit more intimately, not just broadly selecting the staples and their direct influence, as the lower and middle rung movies also get some rub. What you hear in other docs about the origins of the popular horror films listed in this doc will also be familiar.
Okay, if a bit overbearing in its presentation (the production really wants to take host Mark Kermode into the places of its subjects, *the* Camp Blood of Friday the 13th, the neighborhood of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the woods and dark house, etc. with a really encroaching score), "Scream and Scream Again" is yet another doc taking a look at slasher film's interest and popularity, why there is such a draw to this polarizing subgenre of horror. I like Kermode and firmly believe the guy knows what he's talking about, but the material just feels shopworn and familiar, with only certain interviewees adding extra value to the subject. I liked hearing how Wes Craven felt about "Scary Movie" coming out not long after his "Scream". Neve Campbell is a curious inclusion as she is really only connected to the Scream series, not particularly to the subgenre elaborated. Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Scream share equal time, so you get a generalized view of their influence and success as a template for the subgenre's continued durability. I always enjoy listening to the likes of Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Tom Savini (make-up maestro), Anthony Timpone (Fangoria), and David Schow (horror novelist) as their insight and opinion on the topic of the slasher film could command attention and respect. John Carpenter isn't featured as much as Craven, Hooper, and Cunningham, but there's plenty of content available if one feels disappointed here. There's the "tale of the hook" as it refers to a boogeyman story told to teenagers in order to keep them from having sex, but I especially enjoyed how Craven looked at the hook (with the flesh of its owner) left on the door handle instead of the intended message of maintaining your virginity. I think each film specified have better docs focused completely on them out there, so "Scream and Scream Again" might be of some interest to those slasher fans still preferring to hear from a number of talking minds behind the subgenre's longevity and a narrative which ponders the myriad of sequels and rip-offs that follow after successes, addressing such why horror suffers lulls before another movie comes along to the rescue. I think for die-hard fans of the slasher film will prefer, though, "Going to Pieces" as that doc looks at the subgenre a bit more intimately, not just broadly selecting the staples and their direct influence, as the lower and middle rung movies also get some rub. What you hear in other docs about the origins of the popular horror films listed in this doc will also be familiar.
