Scream

I’m home sick today so of course I’m marathoning my favorite series… What’s not to love about this movie? It has arguably one of the most effective opening scenes of a horror movie sitting next to other masterpieces like Halloween, sinister, and midsommar in establishing the tone and the horror. One thing that’s sets this cold open apart from the rest of the series is that it stays around after the kill. Seeing her parents arrive home and their immediate reaction to what’s happening makes this scene so much more effective and along with Drew Barrymore’s fantastic acting goes a long way to make Casey Becker feel like a full fledged person even though she’s only around for the first scene. And that kinda leads into the other thing this movie does so well overall which is the characters. No one here is just another body for the kill count but feels so real and grounded and important to Sydney’s story. The characters are complex and remind you of the people you probably went to high school with. I know in hindsight it’s obvious the boyfriend was the killer, but the chemistry between Sydney and Billy in their first seen goes such a long way in making you see the history these two have and makes you feel this is the real deal. Tatum, the best friend, is bubbly and fun but also smart and sassy at times. Her relationship with Dewey and seeing her home life even if briefly sells her as a character. I could do this for every character but I’ll just talk about one more. Neve Campbell IS Sydney Prescott. She portrays this character so well with such nuance it is no wonder why people can’t picture this franchise without her. Giving Syd the backstory they did made her a much more interesting character and also gave the franchise the legs it needed for pretty much every future installment.  Anyways I love this movie.