Scream is a slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. The film stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. Released on December 20, 1996 it follows high school student Sidney Prescott (Campbell) and her group of friends in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, who become the targets of a mysterious killer in a Halloween costume known as Ghostface. The film satirizes the clichés of the slasher genre popularized in films such as Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and Craven‘s own A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Scream was considered unique at the time of its release for featuring characters aware of real-world horror films who openly discussed the clichés that the film attempted to subvert.
Inspired by the real-life case of the Gainesville Ripper, Scream was influenced by Williamson‘s passion for horror films, especially Halloween (1978). The screenplay, originally titled Scary Movie, was bought by Dimension Films and was retitled by the Weinstein brothers just before filming was complete. The production faced censorship issues with the Motion Picture Association of America and obstacles from locals while filming on location. The film received positive reviews and was a financial success, earning $173 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing slasher film until the release of Halloween (2018). It still remains the highest-grossing slasher film in adjusted dollars. It received several awards and award nominations. The soundtrack by Marco Beltrami was also acclaimed, and was cited as “(one)of the most intriguing horror scores composed in years”. The score has since earned “cult status”. Scream marked a change in the genre as it cast already-established and successful actors, which was considered to have helped it find a wider audience, including a significant female viewership.
Scream won Best Movie at the 1997 MTV Awards and was credited with revitalizing the slasher genre in the 1990s, which was considered to be almost dead following an influx of direct-to-video titles and numerous sequels to established horror franchises of the 1970s and 1980s. Scream‘s success led to a series of sequels, beginning with Scream 2 (1997), and later a TV show and other media, turning the property into a franchise.
The music to the 1996 slasher film Scream directed by Wes Craven featured two albums released in order to promote the film. An original soundtrack to the film featuring several songs as heard in the film, released on December 17, 1996 by TVT Records. Marco Beltrami‘s score for the film was released along with Scream 2, in a double-disc album on July 1998. The soundtrack and score received acclaim from critics. Scream: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture is the original soundtrack to the film released on December 17, 1996, by TVT Records. It featured 11 songs—most of which appeared in various scenes in the film—in addition to a cue from Beltrami film’s score. The soundtrack was not as successful, failing to chart on the US Billboard 200. “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper appeared in the film following the closure of Woodsboro high school, but in the album, the original song was replaced by its cover performed by The Last Hard Men. The acoustic cover of Blue Öyster Cult‘s “Don’t Fear the Reaper“, performed by Gus Black, is plays softly in the background while Sidney and Billy discuss their relationship. The original song was featured in the soundtrack to John Carpenter‘s Halloween, a film to which Scream makes repeated homage. The song “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, heard in the first film, is also used in the forthcoming instalments (excluding Scream 4). Nick Cave performs a version of the track written specifically for Scream 3 in that film. An alternate version of the music video “Drop Dead Gorgeous” by Republica, featuring clips from the film, was shown on music networks such as MTV. Although the song can be heard in the film, it is only included on the European edition of the soundtrack album. The song was also used in one of the film’s television commercials.
Tracklist:
- Youth of America (Birdbrain)
- Whisper (Catherine)
- Red Right Hand (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
- (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Gus Black)
- Artificial World (Interdimensional Mix) (Julee Cruise with the Flow)
- Better Than Me (Sister Machine Gun)
- Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly) (Soho)
- First Cool Hive (Moby)
- Bitter Pill (The Connells)
- School’s Out (The Last Hard Men)
- Trouble in Woodsboro / Sidney’s Lament (Marco Beltrami)
- Drop Dead Gorgeous (Republica) European edition
