Beauty vs Beast: The First Scream Cuts The Deepest
Monday, October 13, 2014 at 3:00PM JA from MNPP here, with our second week of Final Girl themed "Beauty vs Beast"'s leading up to Ye Olde All Hallows - I didn't intend for this to also become a Wes-Craven-a-thon but whatcha gonna do, the man scribbled his name all over the genre in permanent marker, so here we are heading to the sleepy little hamlet of Woodsboro and the film that reinvigorated a slashed-to-ribbons genre for a new generation (my generation) - 1996's Scream. (And my apologies if this spoils a movie for you but I consider 18 years past-due on that sort of thing.) Let's meet our foes!
I don't know if putting the tag-team queer-vibe between Billy & Stu counts as plus or a minus for you -- it's a plus for me but I'm probably mentally disturbed so I'll leave just that to y'all to discuss in the comments. You have one week!
PREVIOUSLY Last week it was Wes Craven's 80s horror classic we tackled - in a battle between A Nightmare on Elm Street's dream duo we came down on the side of good (but just barely) - hall-pass-hating Nancy (Heather Langencamp) defeated the nightmare-man Freddy Krueger once again, but with just 52% of the vote. (I personally like to think some of those votes were for her awesomely drunk mother played by Ronee Blakely.) Said Rob:
"Nancy, aka Heather Langenkamp, is great! Not particularly a shining thespian but a charming and sincere one. Rooted for her all the way."
Reader Comments (13)
JA, I'm sorry but I'll have to abstain on this one, because how can someone other than THE MAGNIFICENT GALE WEATHERS win a Scream contest?
She is everything.
Jay has a point. (I voted for the boys.)
I don't disagree with Jay. I may have skipped around the movie watching a bunch of Gale scenes while writing this post, even.
Bless.
And, yes, Gale is everything.
I may be the only person alive who has only seen this movie one time.
JA, Billy and Stu totally got it on. More than a few times.
I'm voting but only because its boys versus girls and clearly the boys need my help. I have never seen this film.
Sidney is my favorite final girl.
Sidney! My favorite final girl. Neve Campbell was everything to me back then. Scream, Party of Five, The Craft and Wild Things.
I think Sidney was the first Final Girl for me so my vote is for her. It was her vs two psychos and she came out on top, just as she will today!
Actually Team Tatum, if for nothing else other than, "I'll send you a copy. BAM. Bitch went down. I'll send you a copy. BAM. Sid, Super Bitch!" The perfect supportive best friend and so much fun, right up until the very end (so awesomely awful).
This is my 90's! Sidney all the way. She isn't the perfect innocent virginal girl most horror movies have as the heroine. She is probably just as disturbed as the villains she defeats. She fights the darkness inside and out. No wonder there was speculation that she would be the killer in Scream 4.
By the time I was finally allowed to see this movie, I practically knew it by heart because all of my friends had seen it multiple times. That being said, Neve Campbell was my DREAM WOMAN as a fifth grade boy. I mean, I probably knew I was gay and maybe she was just a beard, but I unabashedly LOVED her.
Sidney vs. Gale would have been a harder pick, but I still would have picked Sid. Every time I watch it I have to rewind the part when Sidney punches her outside the police station.
"Yeah, well, good luck with the book."
"I'll send you a copy!"
"You ... bitch!" *bam*
"Sid's tougher than she looks."
The scenes after that are gold, too, especially when Tatum walks up to Gale outside the school and says "Nice welt, sweetie."