Scream Movie Analysis – GTGC – #143

20 years ago Wes Craven’s horror classic Scream hit theaters. The phrase “game changer” gets thrown around a lot, especially in regards to film. But, it is truly an apt description for the late horror maestro’s meta-slasher. Scream reignited the slasher genre which had begun to peter out by the late 80s and early 90s. It breathed new life into a fading sub-genre, for better and for worse.

In 2015, we included Wes Craven’s Scream as part of our 4th annual Shocktober Marathon. We always like to include the iconic horror films, and Scream is very much an iconic horror film—whether you love it or hate it.

Scream Movie Analysis

We brought plenty of film analysis to Scream. Caleb talks about the allusions to life being a movie and likens this to the stories we tell ourselves. He says this helps us put life into perspective. Caleb notes that Craven was making an argument to push horror in a different direction. Dalton brings up the point that People of Color have been done a disservice in the horror genre. He argues that upper middle class white teens don’t have anything to fear from a societal standpoint. He theorizes that psycho killers were created to give upper middle class white people something to fear.

Arthur explores Scream as a metaphor and commentary on depression and isolationism. He notes that Ghostface is a physical representation of depression. He mentions how the setting reinforces the themes of isolation throughout the movie. Arthur highlights that the character’s selfish actions also reinforce Sydney’s isolated mindset.  Alex discusses toxic masculinity and the struggle of being a gay man. She points out that the film juxtaposes heterosexuality and homosexuality. She also highlights the symbolism of the physical penetration of the knife by Ghostface.

Dustin looks at Wes Craven and his connection to censorship and the MPAA. He then moves into a discussion of violence in media. He brings up the question of “Does violent media incite violent behavior?” Dustin also argues that Craven was wrestling with these ideas and that maybe the true reasons for violence may be simpler or more obvious than film.

Finally, our show ends with our weekly game and we also talk about pop culture. Tune in for all of that and more dear listener. And remember, podcasts don’t make psychos; podcasts make psychos more creative.

Scream Timestamps:

02:10 – Welcome and Introductions
04:23 – Synopsis and Reviews
11:23 – Analysis
33:30 – Shelf or Trash/Else or Instead
39:17 – Social Media
44:53 – The Game – Favorite Scary Movies
52:35 – Fired Up in Pop Culture
58:51 – Wrap Up

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