Scream (R, 1996)

common sense media says

Graphic mystery-homage to teen-slasher movies.


parents & educators say
  • 33% say violence is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie nearly got an NC-17 rating for violence. Be aware especially that the "unrated" home-video editions contain the extra frames of bloodshed, usually mutilation by knife. Despite the (often foulmouthed) dialogue's flirtation with self-awareness and satire, the gore here really comes across as intended -- brutal and intense.

Positive messages: The film may scream but it doesn't say anything good.
Positive role models: Almost all the principle characters are sarcastic, if not downright
malicious teens, with very little evident empathy for the deaths of
their buddies. Sidney, the heroine, seems to have the strongest sense
of conscience, yet she unintentionally frames an innocent man for
murder and commits some other very questionable acts.
Violence: Savage stabbings and throat-slittings, close-range shootings, lots of hand-to-hand fights with the killer. One casualty has her neck broken by a rising garage door. Another is electrocuted by a toppled television set.
Sex: The young characters speak frankly about sex and nudity. Though the act isn't explicitly shown, the heroine becomes intimate with her treacherous boyfriend, giving up her virginity, apparently (another frequent topic). Her late, offscreen mother is repeatedly described as a promiscuous home-wrecker, and apparently she was.
Language: Abundant profanity.
Consumerism: Primarily references to other highly rentable horror movies.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Alcohol flows abundantly (before the blood does) at a teen party. Another character referred to as drunken enough to be framed for a killing.

More on Scream

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about why the film was so popular.
  • Do fans consider it a realistic movie, a dark comedy, or a hip whodunit with post-modern twists?
  • Why are teens in particular so interested in horror movies?
  • Families can talk about how the teenagers are protrayed. What kind of role models are they?

What's the story?

What's the story?
SCREAM's opening pays tribute to WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, as menacing phone calls torment a girl, played by Drew Barrymore. The voice belongs to a robed and masked psychopath, who viciously slices his prey and leaves her hanging from a tree. Slaying A-list starlet Barrymore immediately and pitilessly is just the first curveball the filmmakers throw. The maniac's real target is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), a high-schooler whose own mother (described as a tramp) was raped and murdered exactly one year before. Sidney barely survives an attack herself by the hooded marauder. This renewed bloodletting creates a media sensation in Sidney's small town of Woodsboro, and brings a visit by tabloid-TV journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), whom Sidney already knows and detests. Then again, a lot of the characters here are detestable. Craven and Williams do a good job etching teen subculture, but give very few of these endangered kids redeeming features. Instead there's the nihilistic sense of jaded, horror-movie-loving teens who are smart but desensitized and mean. The one grownup who launches into a righteous, outraged tirade about the kids' morals soon gets skewered himself by the maniac (it's hinted that he's a hypocrite anyway), and the young people celebrate his demise with a beer blast and HALLOWEEN viewing party. Meanwhile the murderer gets especially busy and Sidney faces her worst fears.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Written by hot scriptwriter Kevin Williamson, SCREAM was a monster hit when it premiered. It brought a sharper level of intelligence, production values, and acting talent to a disreputable (but to adolescent and post-adolescent viewers, irresistible) genre that exploded in ticket sales almost 20 years earlier -- the teen-slasher horror film. Williamson, aided by Wes Craven (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET), had the great idea not only to write SCREAM on a smarter level -- it's a cunning "whodunit" with Agatha Christie twists -- but also set it amidst media-savvy protagonists. These SCREAM players have seen that slasher-movie slop, and they know (or think they know) the tricks. One boy is even a video-store clerk who spells out "the rules" of horror films to try and predict what's going to happen next.SCREAM nearly earned an NC-17 for violence. Despite the dialogue's flirtation with self-awareness and satire, the gore here is brutal and intense. While you'll see critical raves about SCREAM being "funny," know that the undeniable witty lines mix with deadly-serious killings and betrayals. Though the thrilling pace and steady jolts keep young audiences watching, we can't recommend SCREAM for adolescents and teens.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Dimension
Director: Wes Craven
Cast: David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Neve Campbell
Genre: Horror
Run time: 111 minutes
Theatrical release: December 20, 1996
DVD release: December 8, 1998
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: violence, profanity, sex, mature themes

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 
 

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What parents & educators say

13
Based on 21 parent & educator reviews:
  • 33% say violence is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

jmax627
teen, 15 years old
 
Good for older teens, if they like horror films.
It was good, but it was totally not age appropriate.

Seminolefreak
teen, 14 years old
 
One of the best Wes Craven films out there.
My MPAA Rating, R: Graphic bloody horror violence, strong language, sexual content, terror, and teen drinking and partying

SumBO
kid, 13 years old
 
Teens & Up!
Well for starters there is alot of Voilence and Language. Lots of teens brutally murdered throughout the movie. There is one scene with sydney and her Boyfriend you probably want to Fastforward through but thats the only thing to worry about! Other than that great Horror movie!~

MrPickle
kid, 11 years old
 
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this movie was great but it did have very many curse words i got it from blockbuster yesterday and ive already watched with my friend like 5 times!

SshamrockK
kid, 12 years old
 
great movie, good for teens and mature tweens
I thought this was an awesome movie. there was a lot of stabbing (killer uses a knife for a weapon). lots of suspense. graphics where pretty good. there was a lot of alcohol and language. as for sex I didn't think it was that big of a deal if you are mature enough. this movie has a good plot with crazy twists. good for teens and mature tweens.

coolcat123321
teen, 14 years old
 
Ok for tweens
I likes the scream series. This is far the best(so far) It isn't that bad. It is dimed down alot compared to Halloween or Friday the 13th. It is awesome.

Haydimi
teen, 15 years old
 
TERRIBLE influence, language, acting...
This movie is TERRIBLE. I was excited to see this because everyone was saying it's amazing and a classic. Parents DON'T let your kids see this. It swears a TON. I mean it uses vulgar words (mostly f bombs) a good 30-40 times for the fs and a good 40 times. It's NOT SCARY either. The acting is terrible. The beginning was good. The blood and gore is TREMENDOUS. flows by the OUNCES. Promotes several other horror movies. Let me say this again: SWEARS A TON. TOO MUCH. They denote teenagers. These kids don't care that other kids die. They make fun ofthem for it! The teens express anything they want to say In swearing.

foof012
kid, 12 years old
 
super good movie the end is imposible to guess
They drop the F-bomb 24 times they swear a lot but its fine if your kids are used to it. Some blood you can see stap wonds. After one girl dies she is hung on a tree where the parents then find her. The movie is funny

antoineisthebest
teen, 15 years old
 
for teens
perfect this movie is awesome it's violent,gory and a lot of suspense

childrenrcool
parent of 13 year old
 
perfect for kids over 11, it is a classic horror flick, so be careful.
I am eleven and it was an amazing movie. this stupid website brainwashes parents. It had one mild sex scene, it was very violent, and very little language.

T-Rod
teen, 16 years old
 
Classic Craven at his best!!
This movie is brilliant. Parents must know that even though this is very clever when it comes to parodying classic horror cliches and making u laugh, it is just as gory and profanity-filled as the worst Horror films has to offer. It has the most gruesome deaths in the entire seris, not including SCREM , which I haven' seen as of yet. But if you're up to par, then this is one of the greatest the genre has to offer. pOSITIVE rOLE mODELS: Sydney Prescott, though not the greatest role model in the world, is outSTANDING compared to most people in horror movies. She is brave, level-headed, and actually not a sexually active character(even though most in the movie and even her friends are), and isn't in any hurry to lose her virginity, even at her age. Also, the sheriff Dewey, though a bit bumbling at times, isn't as worthless as he seems, and cares about Gail, even if she is a selfish, self-centered wench. Also, Gail may be self-centered and is willing to do anything to get a story, in the end, she sees the error of her ways.....somewhat. Most of the other characters are just gory deaths waiting to happen. vORACIOUS vIOLENCE: Many gory stabbings, guttings, shootings, throwing glass bottles, kicking, punching, mutilating, and more. The worst of the deaths being a teen getting their spine snapped in half in a garage door. nYEH nONSENSE (oR sEXUAL sTUFF): Surprisingly not much for a horror film. Especially one almost rated NC-17. There's no nudity whatsoever, and nothing explicit or anything that should make one blush when watching with family(if you're crazy enough to actually watch it with them). But there is some talk of sex and other such activities, though none very explicit. Losing your virginity is a big topic here. oBSCENITIES aND oBSCENE pROFANITIES: Many uses of the F & S words. Along with other uses of lesser curses. dRUG dANGERS: Many teens drink alcohol at a party. aLL-iN-aLL: This is one of my all time favorites in this genre. It is clever and smart, while still being suspenseful and fun. If you're a hardcore fan of the horror genre, then this one is HIGHLY recommended!!!!

davidguitar15. ...
teen, 17 years old
 
Great movie...has some cool twists

BlueCastle
kid, 10 years old
 
cuss cuss
this movie says to many cussing. It has suspense.you will guess till it is over.

lucas201
teen, 15 years old
 
One of my favorites.
Ive got a freind who has seen these movies since she was like six.Alot of kids recognize nece campbell from these movies.

justareviewer
kid, 13 years old
 
More of a rough PG-13 movie
Almost everything is a problem, however, nothing is extremely horrible.----------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Sex: 1 real sex scene, nothing sensitive is shown. A couple make outs.----------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Product placement: Plenty of horror movie references, including, but not limited to, Prom Night, Nightmare on Elm Street, Psycho, Halloween, and so on.--------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Language: Plenty of language----------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Drinking: We see about a dozen high school students drinking beer------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------- Violence: The violence starts within a few minutes. I believe the death count adds to 7, but it's hard to tell because people seem to have died but it turns out they didn't and then they live through the movie, or more often don't.------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Good Role Models: Sidney is a fairly good role model, with a fair amount of selflessness. A few other good role models, but many of them end up dead.

coolj123
kid, 9 years old
 
scary
so scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!But good.I was so freked out when scream poped out of nower!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nickbozz
teen, 16 years old
 
goory but good movie sceam
girl gets killed by a garage door

Jaysnake
teen, 16 years old
 
Good for teens and mature tweens
It was a pretty good movie with a lot of swearing, blood and gore.

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