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[TV Review] “Scream” Episode 1.04: ‘Aftermath’

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Scream 1.04

After last week’s major character death, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that “Aftermath” slowed things down a bit and allowed the characters to actually deal with a good friend’s death. Scream has been criticized for having unlikable characters, and “Aftermath” was a step forward in making some previously unlikable characters (Brooke) somewhat relatable. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for all of the characters (Jake and Will, again), so the episode was sort of a mixed bag.

“Aftermath” marks the first episode of Scream where no one was killed off. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it means that we do get to spend more time with these characters. The downside of this is that there wasn’t a lot of suspense to the episode. The teen soap opera feel was in full effect this week. It was an exposition-heavy episode that slowly built the mythology of the series and gave us some insight into the Brandon James story. It was nice to get an explanation on the masks design as well (it was used to protect Brandon’s face after his facial surgeries).

I want to take a moment to talk about Brooke. Based on the comments over the previous weeks, many people seem to loathe her. I can kind of understand this, as she has been portrayed as a selfish bitch. This episode is pushing her into “misunderstood and damaged” selfish bitch territory, which is kind of predictable, but if it gets more people on her side then I’m all for it. It was nice to see that Brooke wasn’t a robot and actually felt something over Riley’s death. Her breakdown was something we didn’t see when Nina died (though to be fair, no one really seemed to care when Nina died), and it was important to instill some humanity in her. You can see the series gears at work to make Brooke a likable character. I suspect it will be some time before we see her get killed off, especially since a blackmailing subplot with her dad just came up.

The less said about this subplot this better, as it is undoubtedly the weakest part of the episode. I have no doubt that will and Jake are behind the blackmailing, which makes it even less interesting. Why is Brooke’s dad even getting his own subplot? It seems counterproductive to take more screen time away from the central cast of characters, so we will just have to see how it pans out in future episodes, but my hopes are not high.

Scream 1.04 - 2

Faring slightly better is Piper, who gets a bit more to do this week, albeit not much. Her screen time is mostly devoted to her eavesdropping on other characters. She does get some interation with Emma (and shows some brains when she tells Emma that she can tell the police aren’t confident), but other than that nothing really happens with Ms. Shay. With only six episodes left this season, Scream would be smart to start giving her more to do.

The main focus on the episode was on Emma, Noah and Audrey, as they followed clues sent by the killer to a very creepy section of the hospital. After following a trail of blood to a room with a pig corpse (the same pig whose heart was sent to Maggie in the pilot) they stumble upon Nina’s laptop with a bunch of video files with people’s names on them. This is obviously an attempt to link the main Emma arc with the super boring Jake/Will blackmail subplot, so hopefully that works out into everyone’s favor. Poor Emma was caught in the crossfire as Noah and Audrey accidentally uploaded a video of her first time with Will to a Listserv comprised of all of her classmates. Way to go, guys!

“Aftermath” was a necessary, if unexciting, episode of Scream. More time was spent establishing these characters and we gained some more insight into the Brandon James mystery. This is all well and good, but let’s kill someone next week, shall we?

Random Notes

  • So Brandon James is clearly still alive, yes? I’m assuming he just got a new face since there were so many mentions of the mask being for his face post-surgery.
  • The killer uses a voice changer app. That’s so Scream 4.
  • Um, the police didn’t “get Tyler.” His car crashed and they happened upon it. There’s a difference. There’s a difference.
  • “Emma, maybe you should take your friend to see one of those grief counselors.” -Sheriff Hudson is a terrible sheriff.
  • I’m not a girl, so I’m very intrigued: do girls stress out about picking funeral nail polish? Or is that just a Brooke thing?
  • “My friends are dead and everyone hates me.” -I know I mentioned it above, but I really liked all of Brooke’s scenes tonight.
  • “That’s sketchy logic.” – Audrey, when Emma explains why the killer might not kill her. Audrey is quickly becoming my favorite character on the show. Her and Noah are supposed to be the audience surrogates, but I find myself more in tune with Audrey. Noah’s monologues still feel a little forced to me.
  • “Maybe we should split up.” “Hey that is not even remotely funny!” -Audrey, again. See what I mean?
  • Maybe this is just me, but I really hate the “character waiting on something to download/upload before someone walks in the room” trope. It’s so overdone.
  • “Too obvious.” -Audrey, when “Thunderbitch” doesn’t work as Nina’s password. Times like this make me wish Scream was on a premium channel so they could have just said “Thundercunt.”

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Books

‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans

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In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.

Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.

Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.

For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.

Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.

One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.

At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.

You can order your copy now.

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