The ‘90s often get a bad rap with horror fans. After the numerous successful slashers and creature effects films of the ’80s, the ‘90s offered a different variety of horror fare. Though there were plenty of hits, hidden gems, and misunderstood classics, the ‘90s usually don’t get the kind of love that other decades get when it comes to horror. It’s time to change that.
There was no question I’d cover Scream at some point with this column. It’s often touted as the best horror film of the ‘90s. While that moniker is certainly subjective, it’s more than fair to call Scream a seminal film for both the genre and the decade. Its shadow is cast wherever it stands, and that shadow looms large over the entirety of ‘90s horror.
And that’s something of a problem.
Before I get into that, I don’t want there to be any confusion about my feelings towards Scream as a movie. It’s a very good mystery/slasher flick with clever direction from maestro Wes Craven and a slick script from Kevin Williamson. Above all, the casting for Scream is uniformly excellent. There isn’t a single weak link in the chain, with Neve Campbell delivering a horror heroine for the ages in Sidney Prescott. Not to mention a scene-stealing performance from Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers. Add in delightful turns from David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, and few choice cameos and you’ve got a Murderers’ row of talent.
Speaking of cameos, let’s talk about the opening of the film. Maybe more than the movie itself, the pre-credits opening of Scream is an all-timer. It sets up the meta premise of the movie, introduces us to a creepy killer with a specific personality, delivers tons of tension and scares, and finally pulls the rug out from under the audience by killing Drew Barrymore and showcasing her gutted corpse. Even today, it’s still a shocking and powerful opening that’s so effective it kind of acts as a standalone short film.
There’s plenty to like about Scream, from its eclectic cast of characters to its slasher sensibilities. Thanks to Craven’s smart understanding of the genre’s hallmarks, he always keeps the movie moving at a brisk pace and the mood of the entire piece is nothing but unbridled fun. I like Scream and I completely understand why most people love it.
But, Scream suffers from a problem that all great successes fall victim to: their influence is often the worst element of their legacy. And Scream’s influence created some serious issues in horror and horror fandom.
The most immediate was that mainstream horror tried to copy Scream’s unique tone and voice, and while there were a few worthy successors like Urban Legend, the majority of the post-Scream slashers were disappointing imitations. That actually shows just how special Scream was at executing its goals.
Another unfortunate side effect of Scream’s impact was how it turned everybody into a supposed horror expert. With the character of Randy Meeks pointing out the presumed “rules” of horror movies, audiences turned into armchair authorities on everything about the genre. This led to a lot of horror movies (both contemporary and classic) being viewed through an ironic lens. Whether this had a lasting impact on an entire generation of horror fans is another debate entirely, but it’s no question that Scream caused this viewpoint to be the default for quite some time.
The most pertinent repercussion of Scream for this column is what it did to the perception of ‘90s horror. The reason I started this column was in the hopes that the decade could undergo some reappraisal. My feelings are that it’s a decade littered with legit classics and underappreciated gems. However, Scream continues to hover over the conversation in a way that I didn’t expect. What surprises me is that Scream is a deliberate parody of the genre, and yet that parody is regularly hailed as the benchmark for the decade.
This outlook has made the entire decade fall under the scrutiny of Scream’s satirical intentions and that’s a real shame. While Scream is a genuinely entertaining time, that’s also all it’s really interested in being. Any supposed commentary is really just well-crafted jokes, as opposed to Wes Craven’s other meta ‘90s horror film which has a ton to actually say about the genre. It’s not that Scream is vapid – again, Williamson’s script is intelligent – but it’s aspirations are more crowd-pleasing than actually analytical.
To reiterate, don’t let this read as a negative screed against Scream itself. It deserves all the love it gets, but the fallout of its popularity hasn’t all been positive. With another entry on the way from some talented filmmakers, I’m hoping a new Scream can put itself under the microscope a little bit. No matter what, all the Scream films have managed to deliver popcorn thrills and plenty of laughs. Still, I hope now that we’re thirty years removed from the ‘90s, the decade can start to stand outside of Scream’s reputation.
