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JASON VOORHEES BY RIVER RAT

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Tired terror or obviously outstanding?:  a review of Scream (2015)

“The weak are then outed, and eaten”~Nina, Scream

With the recent horror Renaissance in American popular culture, I was fucking stoked to see that a Scream television adaptation would soon be added to my show rotation.  Scream was the first horror movie I ever saw–yeah, I had a late start in my horror obsession–so it holds a special place in my heart as one of the all-time greats of the genre.  I am a fan of all four films in the franchise:  I think they are smart, scary, and superlatively visionary.  After viewing the Scream pilot, though, I am conflicted.  My short review is essentially a math equation:  Typical horror tropes+social media+copycat backstory killer^(Michael MyersxJason Voorhees)=Scream the TV show.

So, what the fuck does that even mean?  It means this:  the show uses every overdone and recycled horror trope in the history of the genre (badly at this point, in my opinion), and then pairs them with a backstory killer who resembles what I imagine a Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees love-child would come out like.  The underlying social commentary seems to be focused on social media, and the commentary is not underlying at all–it is overt and obvious and obnoxious.  All this obvious usage makes me wonder:  does the writing team just not give a fuck about enriching and adding to the horror genre, or are the writers fucking brilliant and using this obvious card as a ploy to do something greater?  Read on for my long-winded thoughts on the pilot. 

Social media:  its prevelance in our culture cannot be denied by anyone.  This is the first element viewers get in the Scream pilot.  Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter…it’s all there and the first images viewers see are the icons and applications to share something on social media.  Used as a tool to out the “bi-curious?” Audrey–by the popular kids, of course–the show’s plot makes pointed and frequent reference to the technological focus of today’s culture and social interactions.  If we adhere to the belief that horror is a representation of the social, cultural, and political concerns of the time and place that made it (specifically, here, 2015 America), it makes sense to incorporate commentary on the technological takeover American culture has undergone in the almost-twenty years since Scream’s original debut.  It would be naive to assume that a horror film in this age won’t address technology.  It’s just so over-the-top and obvious, though, throughout the pilot which begs the question:  is this just terrible and lazy writing, or is this done for a specific purpose?  More on this theory at the end.

My major complaint is that if the pilot is any indication, the show will be full of overdone horror tropes that, in this day and age, are ineffective in fulfilling horror’s purpose as a genre.  The first ten minutes gives us the typical set-up:  popular, beautiful, and bitchy female and boyfriend together in a car.  We learn they have posted a video of Audrey, a female classmate, kissing another female on Youtube. Nina, our popular bitch, blows off her boyfriend’s clumsy sexual advances and goes inside her house.  She is now all alone in her home, about to get in the hot tub.  Suddenly, she receives a video of herself by text.  We all know how this is going to escalate and coagulate.  I like to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as possible, so watch it to fill in the rest.  The point is, it’s tired.  I’ve seen this before, in Scream (the original) and countless other horror films over the years.  This seems to be the theme:  a collection of overdone horror themes and tropes that are being used in uncreative and obvious ways.

The character archetypes are another area of concern.  Emma, our morally superior female lead, is another trope that’s been overdone.  She tries to rise above her mistakes by killing people with kindness, she is fierce, she is virginal and pure looking; she has a mother with a secret that affects her significantly, and a questionable boyfriend and even more questionable male suitor.  Boring.  Give me a new lead character, goddamnit.  No one can play the moral compass better than Jamie Lee, so get the fuck out of here with that noise. I want someone fresh; I want Audrey or Nina be the female lead.  Call me a hippie, but I expect horror–good horror–to be innovative and compelling.  If you are going to use “classic” tropes–like the virgin, the bad boy, the geek–use them in a new way.  If this is something separate from the movies–which is implied by the city name Lakewood and the lack of reference to any of the original characters in the film series–then I don’t want to see Sydney and Billy and Tatum and Randy recycled.  Surprise me, startle me, scare me with your creativity and ingenuity.  Here, the tv show doesn’t deliver yet. 

And don’t even get me started on the town’s sordid and violent history.  Brandon James–the backstory killer who may be being copycatted–is the typical slasher movie monster.  Bullied kid kills five students and is “killed” himself when the girl he loves sets him up; he is shot once through the back (how ironic) and falls into the lake.  Of course, the kids of the town later party at a house on–you guessed it–the same lake Brandon James fell into when he was shot.  He’s deformed–ala Jason and Michael and Freddy and Leatherface.  He’s bullied and his death is associated in part with a lake and his mother was incredibly protective–any of this sound familiar? Come on, writers!  Where is my backstory killer who was beautiful and seemingly grounded and who killed because she was acting out on an internal need to create ugliness to compensate for her own striking beauty?  Give me something new, or give me the old used in a new and inventive way.  Don’t mimic the greats unless it adds to their legacy.

What the show does deliver are the internal and sardonic genre reflections I have come to expect from the Scream franchise.  This is a trope created and perfected by the Scream films, and one that is a necessary part of the horror cycle.  It is the precursor to creativity and innovation within a genre, and this is what gives me hope for the remainder of season.  A classroom discussion amongst the central group of the show gives the unknowing viewer a quick history of the horror narrative, while giving the knowing viewer a framework with which to view the show to determine its underlying meanings and lessons. We get everything from the starts of the Gothic genre and The Castle of Ontranto, to a breakdown of slasher films, and the current horror resurrgence on television with American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, Bates Motel, and Hannibal.  The typical “horror geek” points out, though, that slasher films can’t be adapted for television, because “slasher movies burn bright and fast.  TV needs to stretch things out.” Perhaps this is what this show plans to blow apart with its internal reflections.  Will these overdone archtypes be reinvented with a slow, crescendo of plot changes and innovations?  Will this be the successful adaptation of the slasher film for television?  Perhaps we will see something new–perhaps Emma will die early on, perhaps the killer will be the horror geek, or perhaps it is someone completely different.  That’s the hope I have.  This is reinforced by other overt comparisons, which mimic the overt and obvious use of the tropes.  Explicit comparisons between Brandon James and the Elephant Man is one further example of this internal examination of the horror genre itself, and an interesting one.  The Elephant Man is not considered a horror movie by most, save the geeky academics like myself who see the horror themes running through the film.  This provides interesting framework and the implication that the show may surprise me yet with the direction that it takes.  Perhaps this overtness is serving a very specific purpose. 

“What if everyone you know is lying to you…but it’s all going to end with you”~is this a clue?  Is this implying that the show’s creators are purposely leading viewers into a false sense of security with the overdone tropes and tired characters?  Is the show about to flip the genre on its head with internal examination and fresh perspectives on the classic horror themes?  There are plenty of clues to this effect in the pilot–watch it and decide for yourself.  The point is, based on some implicit messages throughout the episode, I am still holding onto hope that the plot and creativity in this show will blow my mind over the course of the first season.  I tend to give any horror-centered creative endeavor many more chances to be good than I would, say, a romantic comedy or drama.  Even though I was pretty disappointed by the pilot episode in terms of plot and character, I will keep watching Scream with the hopes that the creators and writers are fucking with my mind and about to blow it with some horror freshness that I would never expect.  If not, I will just appease myself by watching reruns of American Horror Story.

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Hocus Pocus, 1993

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Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.

Mark Twain (via c-oquetry)

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can we just get these four in one room and see what happens please?

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This man is my rap God.  All Hail Machine Gun Kelly!

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Missing my best friend a ton today.  It's been over a year, but I still long for you and hurt for you today just as much as I did that day.  Until we meet again...I hope when I die, you're the person waiting for me at the gates.  Love you brother <3 <3

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Oh my God, what if world actually ends on december 21 and we won't be able to watch Game of Thrones' season 3?

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Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Rules. 

This was originally rules for writing a short story, but most of it applies to all forms of creative writing.

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Yep, pretty much