Scream

An enjoyable horror film that succeeds by making fun of itself.

Given that the first Scream film, directed by the legendary Wes Craven, was released in 1996, I approached this movie with a bit of hesitation. But I must admit that I was delighted from the beginning to its surprisingly earnest conclusion.

First of all, I went with a friend who likes bizarre films. Here, he completely enjoyed mocking me when I mumbled “Jesus Christ”, when I constantly assumed that Ghostface lurked behind every opened door!

You watch teenagers in Woodsboro, California getting calls from the killer to announce that they are on his hit list. Stabbings occur as Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell reappear to try and help.

A great feature of the movie is the way it satirizes itself. The cast refers to this film as a “requel.” They have all watched the previous movies, referred to by them as “Stab,” that focused on the original killings by Ghostface.

As examples of the humor, watch what happens when one of the teenagers is showering in a scene that replicates Hitchcox’s Psycho (1960). In addition, there is a fabulous moment when a high school girl is watching an earlier “Stab” film at home on a couch where Ghostface approaches a girl on a couch. Guess who is slinking up behind our young lady?

So, you get an idea of what awaits you if some of you mumble, “Ah, the hell with it, I’m going to see it.” I suspect you won’t be disappointed.