Restorations · Review ·
Scream, restored
A sharp, funny and still genuinely tense slasher that deserves its place in cinemas on its 30th anniversary. Critics have largely agreed that the self-aware conceit is the thing that works, though some, Variety among them in 1996, found the mocking tone kept them at arm's length from the fear. If you like horror that knows the rules and plays with them, this is the one to see on a big screen.
Dir. Wes Craven · 1996 · 111 min · 30th anniversary 4K restoration, in cinemas
Written by Kevin Williamson, with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan and Drew Barrymore. Music by Marco Beltrami, photography by Mark Irwin, editing by Patrick Lussier.
The setup
The small town of Woodsboro is hit by a masked killer who rings his victims first. The film opens on a late-night phone call that turns into a horror-trivia quiz with a life-and-death penalty, and a teenager, Sidney (Campbell), becomes the person the killer keeps coming back to. That is all the plot you need; the rest is better arrived at cold.
Thirty years on, a new 4K restoration is playing in UK cinemas from 23 October and in the US from 30 October, billed as the 30th anniversary release. Availability varies by country.
What works
The trick that made Scream famous is still the best thing about it: its characters have seen the same films you have. They know the rules, they say the rules out loud, and the film then plays with your expectations of them. Peter Bradshaw, reviewing the re-release for the Guardian, calls it brash and smart in a distinctive 90s way, and still frightening.
Scream is self-deconstructing; it’s like one of those cans that heats its own soup.
Roger Ebert, rogerebert.com, 1996
Craven knows how to build tension, and that is what saves the joke from being only a joke. Even Variety, which was cool on the film in 1996, granted that the chills were top-notch and that the director knows how to keep an audience on the edge of its seat.
What doesn't
Not everyone bought the mix. Variety felt the mocking tone would not please die-hard horror fans and that the experiment needed more time before it reached cinemas. That is the real fault line in the critical record: if you want a straight scare, the winking can feel like a way of avoiding commitment. Bradshaw also points out that the film's picture of obnoxious male movie fandom is hard to separate from what the film itself is doing, which is a fair thing to chew on rather than a flaw.
A caution about the opening: it is built on a gruesome attack, as reviewers describe it, and the film is rated R in the US. A re-release does not soften it.
The restoration
Listings bill the cinema release as a 30th anniversary 4K restoration. No detail has been published on how the work was done, so there is nothing reliable to say about the grain, the sound mix or the colour. A 4K collector's set with a replica phone is listed for December in the US, and a UK edition has been announced with the date unconfirmed.
Is this for you?
Where to watch
In UK cinemas from 23 October, and in US cinemas from 30 October, according to the sources linked below. Availability varies by country, so check your local listings.