EEEEEEEEEEEK!

So I ended up hanging out at my boss's apartment tonight watching Scream on Starz. It's not one of my favorite movies or anything, but it has its charms. There's a good deal of post-modern crap floating around, both in the obvious self-referentialism (best exemplified in the scene where Neve Campbell and the cameraman watch Randy, the unapologetic movie geek, watching Jamie Lee Curtis getting snuck up on by Michael Myers (or someone) while the killer sneaks up on him), but also in the bits dealing with the tabloid journalists (one corners Neve outside her high school and asks how it felt almost being brutally butchered, and then shouts the ubiquitous "The public has a right to know!"). It also works as a simple mystery thriller; the first time I saw it, the various twists, turns, and red herrings kept me guessing until the end. Say what you want about Kevin Williamson, but he knows how to write a script. True, when Character X returns from seeming death, anyone with a third-grade education can figure out he's the killer, but since the official reveal comes almost right on the heels of that bit, I'll allow it. The denouement drags some, but the scenery chewing and mugging are fun enough to distract us from it.

Plus, I liked how they killed Rose McGowan's character. Nothing against the actress, it was just really innovative. Like the man said, "Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative."