Scream - MegaThread

 I will be seeing Scream (2022) FINALLY tomorrow with my wife and daughter. Really psyched about it since I've had to avoid a lot of spoiler videos and articles about the film. I've had to avoid reading WIKI when monitoring the Box office and such. I revisited all four other films the past few weeks and thought I would post a January mega thread of Letterboxd content posted. I actually prefer 5cream.

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Scream 4

When I went to see this film in 2011, something was missing. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe 2011 just wasn't the right time. Or maybe the film just needed to find its audience. Not every film hits on arrival but needs time to breathe, to hang around and find its fam. I don't think it was any fault of Campbell's, or Arquette's, or Cox's. Sidney still kicks ass and remains steel and strength despite everything thrown at her. Gale still has the ability to go after the story, the determination and piss and vinegar to swap attitude and get to a point in order to get her next story...and potential book deal. Arquette still works as hard as he can to catch killers while far too often ending up unconscious, bleeding, or injured...he means well, though, and even if he seems to always be bamboozled and hoodwinked, the man tries. And I like the addition of Mary Shelton as the pretty blond deputy with a loyalty to (and perhaps crush on) Dewey (the sheriff of Woodsboro), drawing the ire of Gale when she tries to keep her from interfering in their new murder investigations...there is a scene where Shelton's Judy Hicks is quite creepy, shaded in dark while telling Sidney she knew her from high school.

The young cast have some standouts besides the cool, chic, and charismatic Panettiere as Kirby, who can't drive for shit but knows how to rule every scene she's in, Roberts really hits it as the psycho capable of pulling out the normal, girl-next-door disguise personality in order to lure Sidney into her trap, and Jaffe has precious little time with her teen friends as the sexy savaged victim who gets stabbed a lot and disemboweled. I didn't care for Culkin as the too-cool-for-school film buff partnered with webcam-obsessed Knudsen, or Tortorelli as Roberts' cheating boyfriend and ultimate patsy (she shoots in the crotch because she is "not the girl you cheat on"!), but they fulfilled a certain kind of character within the story so all's well that ends well, I guess. Alison Brie -- who I just love in "Community" and "G.L.O.W." -- has a standout as an agent, quite the sociopathic opportunist who eyes big book deals and television for Sidney, failing to realize how off-putting and disgusting she can be for not realizing the horror going on around her, much less lacking any empathy for the loss.

I don't mind this sequel. I know it gets a lot of flak from a certain section of horror fandom that really seemed to tire of the Scream franchise and formula. I know the "overexplanation" and dialogue referencing "meta" this and "meta" that (I love the line from Gale to Dewey who has no idea what meta means, acknowledging she overheard the kids saying it) has tired and exhausted certain horror fans who seem to have fatigue with the Scream franchise. I guess I'm just cool with all of that because I dig Part 4 quite a bit. I do think Gale remaining in Woodsboro and married to Dewey seems to not be in the cards, though. Nothing against Dewey -- I love the guy -- but Gale really isn't a smalltown retired reporter.

The shock paddles kill never tires with me, though, maybe it should be retired. The "stabby stab" Scream knife killing sure bleeds more a lot in Part 4...I'm guessing they felt the need to make up for the lack of stabby-stab gore in the Hollywood 3rd Scream.

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"Sick is the new sane."

You know they could have ended the franchise right here. Two stabs to Sidney Prescott by Jill and that would be that. I have to admit that while Kirby is my reason for really liking this sequel, Jill beating her own ass (reminding me of Jim Carrey from "Liar, Liar") "for effect" just had me cracking up in the theater back in 2011, and revisiting for October last year, I was again reminded of how outrageous and lunatic that was. It got quite a reaction in the theater, for sure. It was quite an idea from Jill -- sick as fuck but within her narcissistic need for attention and fame, this felt like quite an opportunity, since Sidney was back in town promoting her book -- but when you stab Sidney Prescott, you better make sure she is dead.

Timelines in films sort of throw me askew. Jill really had to operate within a small frame in order to kill her mom and get to Kirby's. Wes doesn't show Jill arrive...she's just there with Kirby on the couch. Charlie seemingly with Robbie so much, having to find time to get into costume, the same for Jill, the tandem team really had to work within quite a crunch. These movies, though, sort of depend on us to go with it. The effect of Jill startling her cousin and then laying out the entire reasoning behind why and how is par for the course...but even as each film shows the killers popping back up, Sidney knocks them back down. And Sidney takes a licking and keeps on ticking. She's a survivor. In this film, though, Sidney is not exactly the intended target, as much as, the final one. Jill wants to claim the spotlight Sidney occupies, taking extreme measures to do so. But, even if she claims her own infamy, Sidney will remain famous. Sidney isn't a shrinking violet. * * * ½ / * * * * *

January 16, 2022 - Brian

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Scream 3

It has to be said that the entire sequence set at a fake Woodsboro neighborhood on a Hollywood set with Sidney having to evade the Ghostface killer, as he plays recorded voices to her from the past in order to further stick the knife in (I seem to have so many of these, it is just too easy) is inspired. Even a film not set in Woodsboro manages to get its likeness in a sequel set in Hollywood.

"This is not the city for innocents." "You want to get ahead in Hollywood? Play the game or go home." I still wonder to this day, now, if Craven was digging at Harvey with the Henriksen character. He talks about what women did for parts with powerful men in the industry and it strikes a chord.

As far as "retconning" the series; Sidney's brother orchestrating what happened to her from the beginning just didn't quite gel with me. I get that it is official canon, but never when I watch "Scream" do I say to myself, "And this entire time, Billy and Stu were motivated to this by Sidney's brother." But Maureen's ghost haunting Sidney is old school Horror Maven Wes Craven.

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I remember when I revisited this last October for the first time in probably 20 years, "Scream 3" wasn't nearly as awful as I had remembered. I am still a bit "eh" about the film, mainly because it is set in Hollywood and the Ghostface killer is picking off or attacking cast members (or those closely aligned to or inspired by...) of Stab 3, so my investment in who lives and dies has less oomph. I do think this is my favorite Sidney of the franchise and performance of the character from Neve Campbell. I don't think it is quite as fun as the previous two entries, but the three returning leads still retain my fandom, even if the film surrounding them didn't always work for me.

I did like the Hollywood backstory regarding Sidney's mother, Maureen, and how 25 years from 2000 she had went to Hollywood for two years before turning to Woodsboro left behind secrets (including how the Ghostface killer felt resentment towards Sidney and jealousy of her)...it was something a bit different, and allowed Wes to shoot in LA, with plenty of "stabs" at the film industry (including an interesting critique on bad behavior that seemed to symbolize the very producer of the film, Harvey Weinstein).

Some fun casting including Dempsey as the detective trying to figure out who is knocking off actors/actresses, Corman as a producer on set trying to determine if Stab 3 will continue, Henriksen as another producer with a tie to Maureen Prescott, Jenny McCarthy as the sexy early victim hired to be naked and killed, Foley as the director arguing and complaining with anyone who will listen about keeping the production alive for his movie (and someone with a lot more going on than first believed), Warburton as the hired security for irritating Posey (portraying Gail) who lets Dewey know he doesn't take orders from him, Kennedy in a cameo as Randy on a pre-recording prior to his death in "Scream 2", and Carrie Fisher as a sarcastic office employee.

Anytime Posey is on screen I cringe. She just has "go away heat" with me. I know she's a favorite with some fans, though. Randy explaining the rules is fun but also leaves me with a feeling of the suck because he never should have been killed. God, I will need a separate review block on "Scream 2" just to vent about that bad idea. Although they did Courtney Cox a disservice with the hair cut, she's still got that news story doggedness and focused determination to get that story for some big book deal down the road. And Dewey just keeps going, though I still wonder why Stab 3 would hire him as a consultant...would he be needed by that point. But Sidney as a crisis counselor, working from home, I rather liked that she was dedicating herself to victims since she herself understands all too well what it is to endure to go through traumatic experiences. * * * / * * * * *

January 12, 2022 - Brian

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Scream 2

I won't bellyache too much about the loss of Randy. I still think it blows, but what can ya do, right? They decided to take him from us. My favorite scene -- besides Sidney kicking that ass as only she can -- is Randy and Dewey discussing who might be the killer or killers. I just love how Arquette has Dewey surmising each and every one of Randy's hypothesis. I truly thought they killed Dewey, too, in the theater and appreciated how Gale got to have some of that Sidney shine in the booth. I always wondered how many lives Wes and company were willing to give Dewey because that poor guy got stabbed a lot. I appreciated how Arquette sold the injuries, too. Damn good job.

I thought the campus setting was cool. "Urban Legend" did the same thing, but I prefer "Scream 2" because it has Sidney, Gale, Randy, and Dewey. And I do like O'Connell, and I thought it was rather tragic and quite emotionally potent that his boyfriend to Sidney was legit a good guy who was in love with her. It really made the statement that Sidney's life had just been wrecked by Ghostface killers never cutting her any slack. 

Both Randy and Buff--er--Cici getting "sliiiiced and diiiiced" is such a bummer. Randy, bless his heart, never got the girl. She was just always unavailable. Billy's mom and Mickey, the "freaky Tarantino film student", being the killers were probably not my favorites, admittedly, but they served their purpose. This one had a shit-ton of "villains paint the entire canvas of why they did what they did" explanation, but that was just part of the formula...I expected it and just took it for what it was.

That opening of Stab with Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps kicked all kinds of ass because of how Wes Craven shot it; the rowdy crowd all dressed up provided quite a cover for the killer. Jada collapsing in front of the crowd right in front of the screen was dramatically a homerun.

Killing off another of Sidney's friends in the crashed car, to me, was just a bit much. I'm like, "Damn, you take her boyfriend and her bestie, too? Harsh."

Courtney Cox and Arquette just had mad chemistry. You could really tell those two were really riding a high in their relationship. It was undeniable.

***Oh, and I always forget to mention Cotton "Fucking" Weary. The guy was really wanting to get his 15 minutes, putting himself in a lot of trouble. Sadly in the next film, he finally got it...and got the knife that comes with being attached even remotely close to Sidney Prescott. * * * * / * * * * *

January 15, 2022 - Brian

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Scream

Finish watching it, it really is hard to force my mind to accept that Roman orchestrated the events that occur when the film really emphasizes how Billy and Stu were committing the stabbings for psychotic kicks.

I grow to appreciate this for not just all the "hey, slasher and horror tropes dissected and analyzed for your viewing pleasure" meta dialogue but for the attention to Sidney's past with Cotton (who is mentioned, only showing up in a sequel that wasn't even planned yet) and her mother. Billy trying to nudge Sidney into fucking him, Stu cockblocking Randy's curiosity in if he would have any chance with Sidney, Gail and Deputy Dewey flirting while both trying to get either a story or a suspect, Tatum making sure Dewey is embarrassed as much as possible because she considers him such a joke, studying when Stu and Billy tagteam as the Ghostface killers since their tandem actions would need to be on point, and how Woodsboro seems to be teetering on public panic despite all the teens gathering at Stu's house (his parents absent despite the fact a killer is on the loose) a bit too easily dodging curfew. 

I have noticed those who aren't such fans of Scream -- and there are plenty -- and the franchise really point out how Sidney just isn't the final girl they prefer, but I've always liked Neve's interpretation of the character. And how Sidney has had to navigate her life considering the traumatic experiences that have come her way time and time again. But Randy in the Blockbuster getting more than a bit caught up in his horror fandom and upon first appearance with Billy, Stu, Tatum, and Sidney, going full Jerry Lewis steals every scene he's in. As does Lillard -- a really cool guy -- as Stu. Maybe Stu is more than a bit over the top as a character, bordering on histrionics.

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I still recall the gasp and real feeling of shock and awe when Drew was killed in the opening of the film while in the theater. This was actually a chance viewing of the film since it wasn't planned. My wife, then girlfriend, watched Party of Five, so that is where I mostly knew Neve, other than The Craft. Jennifer Love, also, later for I Know What You Did Last Summer was on that show. A lot of talent was about to break out of television into the movies. Hell of a time to be young. Late 90s, horror practically dead, Scream was the shock paddles.

But in this film, we didn't have a clue at the time just what kind of phenomenon Scream would become. It was a hell of a ride. It's crazy to think there is another film released in 2022, with Sidney, Gail, and Dewey once again returning.

As far as memories go, when Sidney punched Gail, that got a big reaction. As did Gail actually contributing to helping Sidney against Billy and Stu. Wes just knew how to really cover a lot of action, especially chases between Ghostfaces and victims, even as the jump scare sound effects and music cues brought about a whole slew of imitators exploiting that trick to death. * * * * * / * * * * *

January 15, 2022 - Brian