“The horror genre was born out of a need to confront and vicariously conquer something frightening that we do not fully comprehend” (Barsam 99). Horror movies are often seen as the forgotten middle child to a lot of fans of cinema. There have only been six movies in the horror genre to be nominated at the academy awards for best picture, with only a lone winner. I have chosen to not write about The Silence of the Lambs but rather another horror movie to come five years later. Wes Craven’s Scream was a first of its kind mixture of a horror movie and a film lesson on the genre itself.
Scream is directed by the “Master of Horror” Wes Craven. Known mostly for his creation of Nightmare on Elm Street and its many sequels. Wes Craven is an icon and has created some of the most memorable horror movies in history. Wes had been quite the horror genius before creating scream having made plenty of horror movies before then. Wes Craven would credit Sean Cunningham as the one who started his career in horror movies. “He told me to go write something scary, and if they liked it, I could direct it. He owned a little Steenbeck editing table, he said, so I could cut it on that and direct it; he’d produce it. That was Sean Cunningham who did Friday the 13th” (Juniper). That movie was The Last House on the Left which Wes will admit it is not a pleasant movie to watch and even attempted to move away from the horror genre after it.
With every horror movie comes the use of lighting, music, and camera work to add suspense to a scene. In the opening scene Casey is called by the killer and her house is surrounded by fields giving the sense of isolation. The music begins slow and speeds up leading to a chair being thrown through the glass door. The music then speeds up to add to the urgency of Casey being chased by the killer. She escapes for a moment when she is outside on the patio and the killer can be seen running through the house. At this moment the music slows down again as she begins to crawl under the windows to get around her house. As she slowly stands up the camera changes to first person and pans up to show the killer as he turns towards the camera to startle Casey and the audience. The music again picks up again as she is chased. As she is rushing to her parents who are pulling into the driveway the scene enters slow-motion as we wonder if she will get there before she ultimately is caught by the killer. This scene sets the table for the rest of the movie as right off the bat we are given our first kill and it is a brutal but gives the audience a taste of what’s to come.
Later in the film the principial is deliberately portrayed in a way that makes the audience think he is the killer. While disciplining two students for a Ghostface prank he is aggressive with them and even makes murderous threats to them using a pair of scissors. When we see him next, he is wearing a Ghostface mask before we get another masterfully crafted scene of suspense. In this scene we see the principal play the role of an audience member in the events that led to his eventual murder. He gets a knock at his door, and he slowly goes to open it before revealing nothing. Then as he turns around, he is startled but not by the killer but rather his own reflection. Then another knock at his door this time he leaves his office to search the receptionist area and the main hallway. The whole time this is occurring there is growing music and the use of almost like a fish-eye lens as the perception is slightly warped to create uneasiness like the principal is feeling. Then he gets back to his office and sees his wardrobe and slowly reaches for it with a shaking hand and he opens it to again reveal nothing. After this the music slows and the principal settles down before closing the door to his office and revealing Ghostface and meeting his untimely end.
Foreshadowing is often used in all films and it a staple of good storytelling. “You’ll often see foreshadowing at the beginning of a film, or a scene. It helps to build dramatic tension and makes your viewer more excited about upcoming events in the story” (A Guide to Foreshadowing in Films). It is sometimes subtle and complex and sometimes rather obvious. Scream is no different as it uses little hints to guide you to who the mystery killers are. After Sydney is attacked the next day, we can see Stu checking himself for bruises after his struggle with Sydney. Right before the principal is murdered, we can see Stu walk back towards the school while Sydney and Tatum walk away. One of the greatest moments of the movie is when Billy sneaks through Sydney’s window and “Don’t Fear the Reaper” starts playing seeing how Billy is the reaper in question. Then later in the film when Billy is attacked by Ghostface he appears to be slashed and stabbed but his shirt has no holes in it. This use of foreshadowing gives little hints to keen eye viewers who the killers are, and it is a nice treat for those to look for when they re-watch the film.
Scream has become a cult classic film loves by many horror fans and has spawned multiple sequels. Ghostface has become an icon of the horror genre and the film further cemented Wes Craven as a master of horror. Scream is an influential movie that many have tried to copy but cannot capture that same magic that Wes Craven brought to the film and genre. I think Scream will forever have a place in movie history despite a sort of reboot debuting this year. I think this film is a masterclass on suspense and foreshadowing that goes beyond the horror genre.
Works Cited
Barsam, Richard Meran, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.
“A Guide to Foreshadowing in Film (with Examples).” Boords, 20 Sept. 2021,
https://boords.com/blog/foreshadowing#:~:text=It's%20a%20literary%20device%20where, upcoming%20events%20in%20the%20story.Stratford, Jennifer Juniper, et al. “Wes Craven: One Last Scream.” The Front,
https://thefront.tv/read/wes-craven-one-last-scream/.