Slasher films have never really been my thing. Feeling adventurous, I thought I should find one and enjoy some horror thrills. And then I found Scream. The title sounded just about right for something that would give me what I was looking for.
What I didn't realise before beginning the film was that it was part of a film franchise that has been running for about three decades now. The trailer seemed alright to me, and so I proceeded.
Slasher is a subgenre of horror films that usually involves some crazy killer who stalks and murders groups of people by taking them out one by one, often in a violent and gruesome manner. The killer would often use a slashing or cutting weapon, hence the name "slasher." And so I had an idea what the film was going to be about.
I had conflicting thoughts on this film as I watched it. I was thrilled by some parts of the film, amused by others, and appalled by a few. The fact that everything was already set in motion so early in the film really didn't exactly sit right with me, for one.
I felt as though there was a need to get some characters developed before introducing much of the drama. And, also, considering that it was a film that is part of a big franchise, some premise along the way or something would have made the film a little less muddy. It was as the film progressed that I figured that I was actually watching a film that had its roots in previous films before it.
Considering that this film was labeled a slasher film, viewers need to know already that there are going to be gory and gruesome scenes here and there, every now and then.
An element in this film that I did not expect to find is the film being "comic." It was generally the dialogue between the teanagers in this film that amused me. There were some corny lines, too. In some way, that made the film enjoyable for most parts.
You see, since there was a killer wreaking havoc and killing people and he was anonymous, part of the film was about figuring out who the killer was among them, if that was true, and who the next targets are. That's usually how it is in this type of film. An issue that I had throughout the film was that many things were unrealistic to me.
Many things didn't add up to me, and so I felt discouraged to continue watching at certain points. An example would be shooting someone in the chest, and the film continues as though that didn't happen.
For some reason, the killer in this film seemed to be generally stronger and smarter than most people in the film, and all he had was a knife to do his business. I couldn't quite fathom how invincible they were willing to make the killer all to fulfil the plot.
What I hoped to experience at the very least were thrills, excitement, and being immersed in its drama. They all went down the drain with time as I watched. It was amusing for some parts, but I didn't quite enjoy most of the film. And, also, it really didn't live up to its name, Scream.
Apparently, this film was the fifth in a film franchise. With my experience with this one, my enthusiasm to check out the others in the series has waned. I really would choose something else rather than find out.
I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone, especially those interested in horror films. I give it a rating of 4/10.
Images from IMDB