Phil's Horror Watch, Day 15: Phil watches SCREAM (1996)-October 15, 2011

Hello there and welcome to Day Fifteen of Phil's Horror Watch. So after a long day at work, I meet up some friends, had a few drinks, and pondered what film to watch when I got home. A friend of mine suggested the film SCREAM, and I thought, "That's not a bad idea."

Theatrical Movie Poster (1996)

Ok, now I usually talk about the film plot right here, but since it's late at night (and I had quite a few drinks), I think I'll skip this part. But I mean, let's face it. If you have never seen the film yet, then you really need to come out from under that rock you've been living in! Or come out of that dark, dank cave!

By the early 90's the horror genre was literally dead. The slasher genre was over. Major studios were not making any real horror films. Psychological thrillers were popular at this time. Films like MISERY (1990) and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) were hugely popular and very successful. Combining strong storytelling, popular actors, and real scares (and in some cases some very cool gore), these films were deemed acceptable, but in disguise, these were horror films. When you have a serial killer cut up person, peels his skin off and makes a suit out of it, if that isn't a horror film then I don't know what is! Thankfully, by 1996, along comes director Wes Craven screenwriter Kevin Williamson to inject new life into the horror genre.

It cannot be overstated just how important SCREAM is. It single-handedly revitalized not only horror films, but slasher films as well. With its very clever script, the film recognized and acknowledged all the horror films that came before it (HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and Craven's own masterpiece A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) while also reinitiating the rules of the genre and poking fun at them, while scaring the audience with those same rules. The film was a boxoffice success, leading to three sequels. The fourth film of the franchise was released earlier this year to great fanfare. The original film was released by Dimension Films on December 20, 1996.

SCREAM is one of the top ten horror films to come out in the past fifteen years. Combining horror and fun, it is now become part of pop culture. If you don't believe me, on Halloween night, count how many kids dressed up in Ghostface you see. Then tell me that I'm full of it! That's right!

SCREAM is available on DVD and on Blu-Ray. To purchase a copy, visit your local retailer, or visit the Amazon website at www.amazon.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!