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| Scream |
| Rated: | R |
| Stars: | Drew Barrymore, Henry Winkler, and some people I haven't heard of. |
| Score: |  |
There are no more scary movies. I can't remember the last time I was
genuinely scared watching a movie. Producers of contemporary "scary"
movies seem to rely on the shock factor associated with excessive
violence. But there's a problem. We've seen it all before. We've
become desensitized.
It would seem that, after the first Nightmare on
Elm Street, the sequels were just excercises in finding new and more
unique ways Freddy Krueger can kill someone. I'm sorry, but that's not
scary. Disturbing, perhaps, but far from frightening.
Unfortunately,
Scream fits that mold, although it tries not to. I'm sorry, but as a
horror flick, Scream falls flat on its face. It's scary elements
are limited to the tiresome Blood and Jumping Out From Behind Things.
"But wait," you're thinking, "why did you give this movie three
stars?" As much as Scream is not scary, it's suspenseful. It
makes a far better whodunit than a horror; and, based on that premise,
it's a very good movie. Call it a suspenseful film about horror movies.
It's keeps you guessing right up to the end (oh, man, was that a bad
chiche or what?). Nonetheless, it's a good movie to watch, so long as
you don't expect to be scared. If you do the latter, you'll be
disappointed. You'll enjoy the movie more if you treat it as a
suspense thriller. It has a good plot, smart, with twists and surprises,
and it has blood. I'm not talking nosebleed, here, I'm talking buckets.
Bowie knife bonanza. The amount borders on excessive and unnecessary,
but isn't terribly distracting. After all, we Generation X'ers are
used to it by now.
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