"Scream" is one of the most unusual franchises of modern cinema. Horror, which gave rise to the slasher subgenre, ridiculed genre stereotypes and people's attitude to horror films from the very beginning. Surprisingly, the "Scream" has always maintained a balance between the scary and the funny. And over the years, he has not changed himself.
The first part was released in 1996. By that time, horror movies were in decline. Original films rarely received public recognition, and franchises turned into a boring conveyor by the third picture. It was obvious that a reboot was needed.
Fresh thoughts appeared in an unexpected person — a loser actor. Kevin Williamson was worried about his career, which was not developing in any way. By the age of 30, he had only a few roles. There were no prerequisites for the fact that producers would suddenly start calling him. And he decided to try himself as a screenwriter. The first idea turned out to be successful — Williamson combined elements of horror, detective and comedy . The cliches peculiar to horror films began to play with new colors after fictional characters started talking about them. That's how the "Scream" appeared.
Throughout the entire "Scream", the characters discuss what to do in case of an attack by a maniac while he is preparing to pounce. It is worth the main character to be outraged because the stupid horror characters run from the criminal to the second floor (and not to the street, as they should), as she tries to escape by climbing the stairs. And the killer's attack on teenagers who are watching a movie and shouting "Turn around!" into the screen becomes the culmination of the connection between "Scream" and other pictures.
The predictability of actions did not affect the tension — it was preserved thanks to excellent directing. The filming was managed by Wes Craven, the author of "A Nightmare on Elm Street". He managed to keep the balance, so scary and funny scenes quietly get along in the neighborhood. It's funny that there are several elements in the film that almost completely migrated from the picture about Freddy Krueger. For example, the famous sweater of a maniac appears in the most unexpected place — a school janitor wears it. The tapes are also connected by a soundtrack: the same music is used in several scenes.
Perhaps the most daring was the first scene of "Scream", in which the heroine Drew Barrymore dies. There were only two stars among the actors — she and Courteney Cox, both were placed on the poster. One can only imagine the viewer's surprise when he saw the death of one of them already at the beginning of the film.
The first "Cry" ridiculed other classical techniques. By the end of the picture, the question of who is hiding under the mask has turned into a farce. The motives of the killer also turned out to be strange — no complicated backstories, just a desire to fool around. The mask of a maniac has existed for several years — the authors of the film did not invent something new, but simply bought it in a souvenir shop.
The success of "Scream" allowed the authors to start working on sequels — and there were many of them.
In the sequel, the screenwriters ridiculed people's attitude to horror. Cruelty in cinema, which activists constantly accused of having a negative impact on society, became the main theme of the second part (1997).
The third picture (2000) "attacked" the film industry and the production of cheap horror. Some jokes turned out to be too relevant and not at all funny — the writers talked about producers harassing actresses and giving out roles for sex. Years later, Harvey Weinstein, whose company filmed "Scream", was sent to prison for sexualized violence.
The fourth "Scream" (2011) mocked the ridiculous sequels of franchises, being one of them. The fifth part (2022) mocked social horror — a trend that has become fashionable in recent years. At the same time, "Scream" has always been the most social and intelligent horror — it just allowed itself to joke.
Despite the fact that the sequels focused on the industry and the perception of horror films, sequels did not forget to ridicule genre cliches.
"Scream" is not the first and not the last "mocker" of horror, but it definitely turned out to be one of the most successful. Over the years, this status has not changed, and the audience's love for the film has not disappeared. So, in March 2023, the premiere of the sixth part of "The Scream" took place. The starting fees turned out to be a record for the entire series: the picture earned more than $ 67 million in the first week.
Kevin Williamson wrote the script of the film "I know what you did last summer" right after the first part. This slasher, which also became a classic, was much more serious, so its ridiculous episodes can disappoint. "The Scream" has always covered awkward scenes with a layer of irony. Apparently, it is she who has been keeping the franchise afloat for 27 years.
