With all the recent slasher remakes, it’s time to look back at a movie that one that revitalized the dying genre back in the mid 90’s and set the stage for the horror spoofs of the 2000’s.

February 19TH 2009

Observers: John Pavlich, William Bibbiani, Witney Seibold

Record Date: June 09, 2012, 06:20 PM

Plot Summary: In the small town of Woodsboro, a masked killer applies a vast knowledge of scary movies to successfully stalk and murder a group of Teens.

Note: This episode is the first attempt to re-record a commentary that has been previously released on this podcast. Due to synch problems and audio issues with the original release, I decided to revisit the 1996 Teen Slasher, Scream. Joining me this time are the hosts of Crave Online’s B-Movies Podcast, William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold. We discuss red herrings, past and current states of the Horror genre and the Scream franchise overall. You can still access my original commentary for Scream with Scott Carelli, located here. Remember to listen for the preemptive countdown before starting the film on your DVD.

Warning: This commentary contains SPOILERS for all films in the Scream franchise at this time.

Subject: Scream 4 (2011)

Observers: John Pavlich, Scott Carelli, Hayley White

Record Date: October 15, 2011, 11:19 AM, October 21, 2011, 05:26 PM

Plot Summary: Sidney Prescott, now a successful writer returns to her hometown of Woodsboro to reconnect with friends and family, but someone is trying to recreate the original murders from fifteen years ago, which changed Sidney’s life forever.

Note: This is a first for the podcast, as Scott and Hayley’s contributions to this episode were recorded separately, almost a week apart! Using the latest advancements in alien, future technology, I pieced it all together in one single stream of awesome! Please join us as we take a stab (see what I did there?) at the latest collaboration between Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson. We share our likes (Team Kirby!), dislikes (Gale’s character regression) and we try to fix issues with the Scream franchise, both present and potential future. Remember to listen for the preemptive countdown before starting the film on your DVD.

You Will Need: A copy of Scre4m (or Scream 4 if you prefer) somehow, An iPod or computer to listen to, and about an hour and fifty minutes of free time. TUMC does NOT endorse illegal downloading, however we can’t stop you.

You Will Need: A copy of Scream 3 on DVD, An iPod or computer to listen to, and about an hour and fifty minutes of free time.

You Will Need: A copy of Scream 2 on DVD, An iPod or computer to listen to, and about an hour and fifty minutes of free time.

You Will Need: A copy of Scream on DVD, An iPod or computer to listen to, and about an hour and fifty minutes of free time.

The nineties ended, and so did the Scream franchise (until just now). Off the success of the previous entries, Dimension Films demanded a complete trilogy. Wes Craven and his cast were brought back yet again, with at least one key participant in a severely reduced capacity. Equally as important, original author Kevin Williamson was missing this time out, having been replaced by Ehren Kruger. The results were a mixed bag of rampant cameos, Hollywood in-jokes and some occasional thrills.

Sidney Prescott has changed her name and disappeared, now working as a crisis counselor by phone. Meanwhile, Stab 3 is steamrolling into production on a big movie set. Surprise, surprise, the cast members in said picture start getting themselves killed. Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley play Scooby-Doo on the studio back lot, discovering that the killer is leaving behind pictures of Sid’s Mother, forcing the young heroine out of hiding as she is continually haunted by her past.

Please join Scott Carelli and I as we discuss Directors-for-hire, arbitrary hallucinations and dream sequences, ridiculous, obvious red herrings and how Scream 3 plays more like one of the Stab movies than a legitimate entry into this once fresh and creative series. Hopefully, the upcoming fourth film will get things back on track. Remember to listen for the preemptive countdown before starting the movie on your DVD.

Scream hit the cinemas during Christmas of 1996, and made Teen Slashers popular and profitable again. Barely a year later, the sequel was released, cementing Kevin Williamson as a hot ticket in both television and films dealing with American youth. Scream 2 takes place a couple of years after the events of the first film. Sidney Prescott is alive and well at a fancy college, and even has a strapping, new boyfriend. Unfortunately for Sid and her friends, more killings are happening, and she must continue to pay for the mysterious sins of her dead Mother.

Deputy Dewey and Gale Weathers are on the case! As the body count rises, our heroes try to find the culprit (or culprits), as well as the connection between Sidney and all this bloodshed. Please join Scott Carelli and I as we talk about the Young & Hot Hollywood of ’97, some thin plot developments, character motivations and the great scene thievery of Timothy Olyphant and Laurie Metcalf. Remember to listen for the preemptive countdown before starting the film on your DVD.

Back in the mid-to-late 90s’, a young writer burst onto the scene with a big, self aware love letter to the slasher genre. Respected horror master Wes Craven signed on to direct and Scream was born, thus revitalizing and innovating the teen scare flick onward. In a quaint, sleepy town, a masked psycho is terrorizing the teens of Woodsboro.

Using horror films of old as a modus operandi, the killer rattles young victims by phone before brutally slaughtering them. Specifically, the mysterious “Ghostface” preys on innocent high schooler, Sidney Prescott, whose Mother was raped and murdered only a year prior. Is the past trauma connected to these new murders? Who’s the killer and why?

Please join Scott Carelli and I as we take a look back at one of the most iconic slasher films of our adolescence. In this commentary, we discuss Kevin Williamson’s writing style and characters, Wes Craven’s directorial choices and the state of the horror genre at the time. Remember to listen for the preemptive countdown before starting the film on your DVD.

Note: There is a newer commentary from Sofa Dogs for the same movie.

We begin our Halloween parade of scary movies with Wes Cravens self referential slasher classic. Listen to learn how you could win a Resident Evil: Extinction theater poster.