Drew Barrymore discusses the brilliance of ‘Scream’
Wes Craven revitalised the horror genre when he released the satirical Scream franchise, which began with the eponymous film in 1996. The series, which follows Sidney Prescott, who is tormented by a relentless masked killer, satirises the stereotypical conventions of the horror and slasher genre.
Craven is the horror pioneer behind some of the most successful and influential horror films of all time, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Hills Have Eyes. His iconic Scream shows characters aware of real-world horror films and attempts to subvert the cliches they employ. The film is hilarious, terrifying, and self-critical, inspiring a host of subsequent imitations and even satires of Scream itself, such as Scary Movie.
Craven directed three sequels to Scream before his death in 2015. However, a fifth addition to the franchise was released this year, with another set for next year. Despite the popularity of the whole franchise, nothing will beat the first instalment, which featured one of the most iconic opening sequences in pop culture.
The film begins with Drew Barrymore playing high school student Casey Becker who is spending the evening home alone. Initially thinking her boyfriend is prank-calling her, she playfully discusses horror films with the mystery voice before discovering that her boyfriend is actually tied up outside. A chase ensues before she is brutally stabbed to death and left hanged from a tree – guts pouring out of her.
The opening minutes are absolutely shocking, blending comedic lines and the recognisable image of popcorn tentatively brewing on the stove with the intense and vicious murder of an innocent girl. The meta-element, such as Ghostface threatening to kill Casey and her boyfriend if she gets a horror movie trivia question wrong, was a hugely influential moment.
Upon the film’s release, directors became more inclined to reference other horror films and subvert cliches. However, no one seemed to champion this technique quite like Craven. Drew Barrymore’s scenes may be short but integral to the horror genre.
Speaking with Vanity Fair for their list of ‘The 25 Most Influential Movie Scenes of the Past 25 Years’ feature, Barrymore discussed why Scream is so brilliant of a film. She said: “The script was so well written and the horror genre was sort of lost at that time. I remember everything like it was yesterday. Night after night of shoots at this house crying and hyperventilating”.
Barrymore added: “I loved that we turned things on its head a bit. I was originally supposed to play the Neve Campbell role and then I had this epiphany that if I played Casey and got killed in the first scene, all bets were off. Kevin’s writing had this tongue-in-cheek quality to it that felt different and fresh—a new approach to horror. I think when you do something that gets parodied not once but dozens of times, you definitely get the feeling it had an effect on people”.
Scream is one of the horror genre’s most compelling pieces of work – it might not be as scary as classic horrors such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Halloween. Still, it is one of the most inventive and entertaining horror experiences out there. Although it may not seem as inventive as it did in the 1990s, Scream helped shape the horror landscape that we know today.
