Through the Years: Scream

I’ve always been interested in the unknown lurking hidden in the shadows. I was captivated by the thrills I found in scary stories as a young boy. When I was 10 years old, I came across a horror entry with a then-unique approach and appreciation for a genre I was only beginning to understand. That movie was 1996’s Scream.

I was that 10-year-old boy sitting on the floor in front of my bulky Zenith TV watching in awe as I learned the rules of a horror movie. I was captivated by the Ghostface mask, the creepy voice, and well-rounded cast of characters. The first time I watched Scream remains one of the best movie experiences of my life. I will never forget my fear induced upon seeing Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) dangling from the tree. The final shot of her face before the opening title comes up fully freaked me out. While it doesn’t scare me today the same way it did as a child, I still remember that deeply entrenched feeling every time I rewatch it. 

Scream didn’t connect so strongly with me solely based on its horror elements or the now-iconic Ghostface mask. Other aspects captivated me from the get-go—primarily the love story baked inside. I’m—of course—referring to Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Deputy Dewey (David Arquette). Throughout the film, I saw their relationship evolve. It was cute, funny, and I realized how much I wanted to feel that way toward someone. I wanted what they had. Watching the way they felt for each other almost made me feel what love must be like. The more I watched Scream, the more I realized there was something about nearly all the characters that spoke to me. I wanted to be strong like Sidney, driven like Gale, kind like Dewey, work in a movie store like Randy, and even edgy like Billy. Several of their traits helped me to understand the type of person I wanted to be; the type of person I would later become as I came into my own.

At one point in my twenties, I sat down for a Scream rewatch with my girlfriend, now wife. We got to the scene where Dewey and Gale are flirting, and I just had this huge grin glued to my face. That 10-year-old kid that once had dreamed of having his own beautiful relationship now had it. I now knew what it truly felt like, and it was greater than I could have hoped for.

The years went on, and as I continued my descent into horror films and other horror icons, I latched on even tighter to Scream. It became more than just a horror film I enjoyed. This movie that had started out as a guide into a new world of horrific delight had become a movie that celebrated a genre I had grown to love. I could watch it and become engulfed in all of horror.

Now in my 30s, I recently had the opportunity to finally see Scream in a movie theater for the first time. Not only did this screening take place at The Texas Theatre—a historic theater built in 1931—but both Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich were in attendance for a Q&A. To see a movie you grew up with for over twenty-five years in a historic theater with two of the main characters present is nothing short of amazing. That evening, I was taken through my past re-experiencing all the fear, laughter, love, and relief I felt throughout all those years. That dear reader is the power of storytelling, the power of cinema!

It was a surreal feeling seeing these actors feet away from me. As a creative in love with the art of storytelling, I was fascinated at the tidbits they shared on the making of the film and gained some insight into Scream’s behind the scenes. To catch even a glimpse was amazing. It gave me the opportunity to get the smallest taste of what it felt like to make Scream with the late Wes Craven. Not to mention, Matthew Lillard was predictably hilarious, and I’m sure would have been a blast to work with.

There won’t ever be another movie for me like Scream. It has been with me for most of my life and is part of the reason I love horror. Every time I watch it, I get pulled right in and before I know it, the movie’s over and I’m ready to start it all over again. Thank you, Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, for bringing your love of scary movies one step too far.