Yesterday, I stepped outside and didn't want to curse the hellscape that has dried up my skin and bruised my skin with heat. The sun was out, the warmth was bearable, and it felt like fall.
On Sunday, September 22nd, it became autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere. That's the route I'm taking in justifying taking this long to close out the Summer O' Series. School has started, I write extensively for every single class that I have this semester, and my pleasure writing really only seeps through in my daily journal entries and a certain screenplay I'm working on...for a class.
Watching the Scream movies to close out the summer was purely coincidental from an invite from a friend to watch the first one. I know that I didn't even breach Godfather or LOTR territory, but 1) I'm on this road alone, and 2) having some companions in this journey singlehandedly captured the spirit of this franchise for me. Even better, watching with passionate fans.
Diving into a cult series like this had my expectations heavy, but for the ones wielding their own rapier nearing my carotid artery OR those who just won't read beyond this intro: I loved them, and please keep skimming. I compare film students to the man who killed Harvey Milk. Please hear me out.
(dombittner on Reddit)
Scream (1996)
Any screening (or shall I say SCREAMING) taking place in a movie room is automatically a positively enhanced experience. This can also occur anytime Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz, is on-screen.
So good, so fun, SO HOT! A love letter to the genre from the legend Wes Craven himself. Can't wait to further this franchise of thrills!!! Easy to watch with people, to soak in each homage, and to ogle and drool and sexualize all the male characters. Virgins never die!!!!!
I'm also a sucker for good architecture in film, and Sidney's got a #hothouse !! In all seriousness, there's an echo chamber I felt myself sucked into from start to finish. Wes sits you down from the get-go, and you leave with a feeling not unlike what I imagine men do after they watch Gladiator or something.
(@creepyduckart on X)
Scream 2 (1997)
Contains commentary of the exclusion of the Black presence in film...then does this. Wes Craven?? Meta?? I clutch my pearls and audibly gasp "NO!"
I imagine this as a Lady Bird sequel in its own right.
Neve Campbell supports my theory of when you cut your hair, you only look hotter. I don't understand why everyone is significantly more red-headed. #thegingercut I wish Randy would've settled down with a Tarantino boyfriend. There's my perfect ending.
(in baseball commentary voice)...and THERE GOES another bitch-slap to Weathers!!! Too much of her, period, but also the 15-20 minute block of her and Dewey being "will they, won't they" when this is not their story, and not HER story. Simply not enough Neve. Maybe this is personal. Maybe I like her more than I lead on. Neve, please, just one chance.
There's one sincere slip in writing I won't discuss on a no-spoiler review, but it felt lazy and indicative of their prowess in continuing this franchise despite how this might've been received. Loved this twist, love Dewey, and it redeems itself in a tight third act to quench my thirst to continue this franchise's journey. You can never deny me a Danny Elfman score, too! Unfortunately, this puts down film students in a Dan White-Harvey Milk context. We're hopped up on Twinkies and tropes...is that enough??? Anyways! You can never deny me a Danny Elfman score!
Personal note: I had an aversion to this franchise due to a childhood experience of stumbling upon some teenagers watching THIS Scream at my dad's friends house. This is a healing journey for me.
(Alternative Poster by Christopher Ables)
Scream 3 (2000)
Carrie Fisher, Jay & Silent Bob, Heather Matarazzo, and Patrick Warburton walk into a bar...just to name a few.
Yeah it's gotten worse, but it still has its moments of redemption and the nuances of what makes this franchise stick. I'm afraid the closer you get to hollywood, things get a little poisoned, not that that isn't an astute observation for the fate of other stories. This one just made me sad, too. Poor Neve is finally showing some apparent PTSD and STILL wearing the greek letters. He wasn't that great, just saying.
These films continue to capture semesters of film school in under 2 hours, cheers Randy. Dwight Riley, the man you are, Gale is not worth the micro bangs. She just hasn't won me over yet. Her development has grown annoyingly cyclical at this point.
The end of a millennium, and I fear the end of legitimacy to me. We'll see what 4 has to offer over a decade later. For now, we got Creed and another #hothouse and cast!
(alternate posters from Slasher Studios)
Scream 4 (2011)
Casting carried, commentary stumbled, story fell. Finally a mention of society's torture porn fascination, but more importantly...Rory Culkin and Crash of Crash and the Boys continue Randy's legacy by being hot! and questionably gay! They said it! You have to be to survive!
Glad we got some Cornetto love in there, truly playing to the era in one of many forms cough cough IN THE UGGS. We also got some justice for Principal Fonz! Himbry monument!
Take the third film as a foreshadowing of the bloated reliance on familiar faces than bettering the script, such as "I'd be happy to put your there..in the MORGUE." Although, then we may have missed "Your lemon squares taste like ass." We miss you, Wes. This would've been the beginning of the next trilogy, but Craven passed in 2015 before he could continue.
(Ricardo Ferllen)
Scream (2022) aka 5
Twas the night before junior year with my friends of House 69, we indulged in my final stretch of Scream-ings. Shoutout to Remy Wieber, you really popped off with that one, and this post is wholly dedicated to you, mama.
We're back to the darker tones, more sinister stings, and I can't wait for Anora. Mikey Madison will be a star. Me from the future here: I had the privilege to see Anora premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (whole other post for that coming soon), and she is, indeed, a SUPERstar. Never been closer to a true movie star like that before.
Decent cast, takes itself a bit more seriously without reaching tacky lines...all that often. As long as they keep finding ways to keep Randy in this story, I'm game. Gale Weathers, the face card is...definitely what it is.
My journey will commence soon. I'm scared, but mostly due to the fact that whatever happens will be dangling in my face for the foreseeable future (the next installment of the franchise is practically in film purgatory amidst hella controversy). We'll see!!
(chrism718 on Reddit)
Scream VI (2023)
Yeah! Who DOES give a f*** about movies???
Just like this film features "MENTHOL*" by Jean Dawson and "when the party's over" by Billie Eilish practically back to back, I swung a bit between lovingly trashing some conventions and wildly praising the next. Caters a bit much to Gen Z at points, they should just make Skeet look like a rotting corpse instead of this Irishman CG mess, but! this has the BEST foley/sound design with stabs suddenly going DEEP and getting PERSONAL with these on-screen kills. I just wish they would've gotten his mug with a cast iron skillet at SOME point.
Jack Champion, the gorgeous dork you are. Gale and Hayden P, the cheeks y'all have. I was actually going to try to be happy today, but instead I chose to think about Uncle Randy. A great film to be left with while 7 lies in the void. I've wrapped on the Scream franchise. I am anew.
I leave this summer season with an affinity for apes, still drooling for dukes, sending many X's, and even more /Ö\'s (referenced above).
Cheers,
MO☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
P.S. the sequel is my favorite.
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