#169 - Scream (1996)

Back in the mid-to-late 90s', a young writer burst onto the scene with a big, self aware love letter to the slasher genre. Respected horror master Wes Craven signed on to direct and Scream was born, thus revitalizing and innovating the teen scare flick onward. In a quaint, sleepy town, a masked psycho is terrorizing the teens of Woodsboro. Using horror films of old as a modus operandi, the killer rattles young victims by phone before brutally slaughtering them. Specifically, the mysterious "Ghostface" preys on innocent high schooler, Sidney Prescott, whose Mother was raped and murdered only a year prior. Is the past trauma connected to these new murders? Who's the killer and why? Please join Scott Carelli and I as we take a look back at one of the most iconic slasher films of our adolescence. In this commentary, we discuss Kevin Williamson's writing style and characters, Wes Craven's directorial choices and the state of the horror genre at the time. Remember to listen for the preemptive countdown before starting the film on your DVD.