(TRIGGER WARNING: mention of events typical to a horror movie, such as murder.) Welcome to my TED Talk. (for legal reasons, this is a joke) I have come here today to explain why Scream is my favorite movie, and how it defies the typical logic and preexisting standards for slasher movies. First off, for some background knowledge, Scream is a slasher movie that came out in 1996. Directed by one of the most dynamic horror directors, Wes Craven, and written by Kevin Williamson. The film is about one hour and fifty-one minutes long, in its entirety. It's a classic horror movie, and in my opinion, the greatest horror movie. Here's why. For starters, it's self-aware in a humorous way. It often mentions titles of other horror movies, often with the intent to regard or criticize the multiple tropes and stereotypes portrayed in them. This element in the movie, contrasting with the way that the movie itself defies multiple slasher stereotypes, already sets the movie up for success, even in the first 20-ish minutes. The first example of this is Sidney (the main character) and the person that she is. In most slasher and horror movies as a genre, the "final girl" (a common horror movie trope meaning the last female character alive) is usually an innocent, pure young woman who made it through seemingly by dumb luck. Sidney, no matter how annoying I find her, isn't like this. She is a complicated character, both through her mentality and through her emotions and morals. (Not to mention some of the stupid decisions she makes throughout the movie) She makes it through using her wits, strengths, and sheer instinct. She, unlike most other final girls, is portrayed as a human character with strengths and flaws. A lot of flaws. (trust me) Another stereotype of horror movies is the motive of the killer (or in this case, killers) Most killers in slashers either have no motive or some stupid excuse that they use as a last-ditch effort to avoid getting in trouble for their actions. There are, of course, a few good reasons, however, one example of this is Mrs. Voorhees in Friday the 13th. Mrs. Voorhees, while chasing Alice, goes into a sort of psychotic cycle of self-reassurance where she keeps mentioning her son, Jason. She was attempting to rectify her crimes by saying she was doing it for her son. Some killers also just don't have motives. Most people would automatically assume that Billy and Stu (the killers) are the same way, but they would be wrong. Billy and Stu are not undisturbed monsters; they have their motives. Billy's being blaming Sidney and her mother for his mother leaving his father (further explanation probably shouldn't be stated here), Stu's motive being his admiration for Billy and the "peer pressure" he felt from him. (There's another reason confirmed by the writers and director, but it also probably shouldn't be mentioned in a school setting) (continued below)
The final stereotype related aspect of Scream I will mention is the "Silent Killer" stereotype (also called the "Looming killer"). This stereotype entails that the killer is a silent, often masked figure who lurks in the shadows and strikes when the time is right before disappearing back into the darkness, returning something like twenty minutes later to resume their dark deeds. In scream, it's the opposite. Billy and Stu play multiple mind games with their victims, often over the phone, but sometimes in person. They have near constant verbal back and forth with their victims and each other, the earliest showing of this when Billy is taunting Casey in the first kill scene, playing mind games at the sake of her and her boyfriend's lives. (Spoiler alert, they lost.) They're also not overpowered killers. There have been multiple instances of people beating the living daylights out of them (for instance, being kicked, punched, and having a glass bottle thrown at them. Thanks Tatum.) Defied and mocked stereotypes aside, Scream proves it's a step ahead of the rest in the way that it's actually scary, and not just in the form of blood and gore. Scream is scary past the graphics, especially the more you think about it. For example, a lot of slasher movie victims are killed off when they're alone, like when Annie is killed in Friday the 13th, she's alone in a forest, injured and targeted. However, in Scream (and some of the sequels) most of the kills happen when the victim (or victims) is in a somewhat public setting (e.g., Tatum Riley is killed while at a party). The whole concept of "safety in numbers" or the sense of security that usually comes with being in a group setting is turned on its head, making watchers subconsciously feel uneasy. The final distinguishable aspect of Scream that I will be mentioning is its character development. This aspect of the movie is extremely important in making it a good one, seeing as it helps connect with the characters and movie on a deeper, more personal level. The characters are given complicated backstories and emotions, the way they are portrayed through their words and actions a window into what goes on in their life, they're more than just planned deaths, they have lives, thoughts, and personal complications, they're shown to be actual people. There are a few cases where a character dies a typical slasher death (cough Casey cough) but most of the characters are given more depth, more relation to each other and the plot. The characterization is also portrayed in the ways they react to the murderous incidents, and their contrast with each other. In other words, the take Sidney has on the murders is sort of grim, serious. Determined, even. She's trying to escape her history while also not becoming history, which is a far cry from Billy and Stu (the best characters by the way) who often joke about their actions and how they impact people. (An example of this is the constant banter and humorous back and forth between the teenage killers, Such as Stu's pun, "liver alone" or the way that they continue to joke around with either even in the presence of Sidney in the ending scene, via taunting her and making lighthearted, joking comments on the topic of her mother's death and their involvement in it.) All in all, Scream will forever be a classic in the eyes of me and many others. It, like all things, has its flaws and things that could be changed, but in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons by a lot, and I hope this has convinced you of that. Thank you for reading and remember to lock your front door tonight.
