Blueprints: "Scream"
Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 1:00PM In this Halloween edition of Blueprints, Jorge Molina looks at one of the most iconic opening sequences in horror film history. Do not hang up...
Creating and building tension is one of the most important things a successful horror movie has to accomplish. It’s done, among other tools, through a combination of music, camera angles, and juxtaposition of light and shadow; that is to say, it’s done almost entirely audio-visually.
But every successful horror movie was first a successful horror script. How does a writer project escalating tension, that dreadful atmosphere so vital in horror, in the page, with nothing but words as a weapon? Let’s take a look at our favorite scary movie to find out.
Scream
Written by: Kevin Williamson
[You can read the full script here. I will be talking about these pages and this scene.]
At the writing stage of the filmmaking process, all there is are the words that the screenwriter has put on the page. The entire world and characters exists solely in Courier font. And yet it has to feel like the reader is watching the finished movie as they read through it. They have to hear the dialogue, see the camera pans, feel the fear.
1996’s horror satire “Scream” has earned its place as an all-time great in part because of Kevin Williamson’s script that parodies the horror genre while at the same time being a worthy entry within it. Apart from the murder mystery structure and a group of iconic characters, Williamson (who is rumored to have finished the script in a three-day binge) finds a way to use writing devices like punctuation and sentence structure as a mood-building equivalent for pregnant pauses, camera reveals, and music cues.
At the start of the iconic opening sequence, his writing style is very straight forward. Calm and determined, with full and short-stop sentences. Just like the scene of normalcy he’s depicting: just another night in the life of Casey, an all-American teenage girl. She happens to get a wrong call. But nothing to worry about.
But then things start to change. Something is wrong.
Capitalized, onomatopoeic sounds (the RINGS and CLICKS of the telephone) interrupt the flow of Casey’s tranquil evening. The sentences start to get more fractured. They don’t end at full stops anymore. Williamson starts to use ellipses; open-ended, unfinished, ready to be interrupted.
This escalation of tension grows gradually through the page, until it is clear that Casey is being chased by a psychopath. By then, the writing has become as frantic and dispersed as Casey is feeling in that moment.
Ellipses are usually used to signify the trailing of a thought, a hesitation, or the omission of information. Williamson uses them in all three ways at once, separating every clause with them (they’re not even full sentences at this point), as if every thought was unfinished, quickly being taken over by a more pressing one. It creates a feeling of hyper-alertness; whatever is chasing Casey could jump out of the page in the next line. It makes the reader feel like a viewer.
Towards the end of the scene, Casey’s parents show up. They’re still living in a state of blissful ignorance and normalcy, so the sentences briefly return to a full-stop, mostly coherent format, before launching again into chaos when they discover Casey’s body.
When it comes to the dialogue, most of Williamson’s lines translate almost verbatim into the finished sequence, but they wouldn’t have the same ring or urgency if he also hadn’t built the mood to back them up from the start.
"Scream" is famous for having one of the most unexpected and trope-bending opening sequences in horror history, and it’s safe to say that it all started in Williamson’s keyboard (typewriter? notebook? café napkins?). His ingenious use of grammatical syntaxis managed to charge the written version of the movie with as much dread, uncertainty, and horror as Drew Barrymore looking out her patio window.
Now tell us below. What’s your…
favorite…
scary movie?
Reader Comments (14)
The most devastating moment is when Casey, nearly just strangled to death, cries out to her mom but is unable to make more than a whisper of noise. :(
This is my favorite scary movie. I rewatched it on Sunday. The opening scene is pretty much perfect and horrifying.
Such a great scene and such a great write-up of it.
Both Drew Barrymore and Jade Pinkett-Smith's performances are so heart-breakingly SAD in their respective film openings. That's where I think the true horror comes from - dying alone even when potential saviours are almost in reach.
It absolutely starts on the page and ends with their interpretations - otherwise, it would simply be some smart-ass wisecracks and a death we didn't care about once the next scene started.
Well done all (including you, Jorge, I love this series so far!)
I don't think Scream is scary,I certainly wasn't scared once i don't think it's even that great a Horror film.
To me it's more a spoof,it has some boring lulls where smart dialogue and some daylight kills take over but it does have a few tense moments esp Rose McGowan's death but the ending is totally naff and misguided.
Lilliard's performance borders on the absurd taking you right out of being scared or invested in anything.
Courtney Cox is not given enough credit for her Gail Weathers,it's basically Halloween with better looking more well known stars and for kids who supposedly know the rules a lot are murdered.
The opening scene is well constructed but Barrymore is only okay in it,look to Veronica Cartwright in Alien for a real fear filled performance,the best bit of the opening is the mother's scream and collapse when she sees the body hanging.
This film is the reason I'm an actor and the reason I love movies to begin with. Great write-up! Love the Blue Print series.
I saw Scream at the movies when I was thirteen.
I became so obsessed with this film that I can say now that it is the main reason I became a cinephile.
Drew Barrymore scene is so disturbing, surprising, scary and sad, I really think she should be more celebrated awards wise (Kevin Williamson script as well).
Love the tongue-in-cheek in this script.
"Wanna play psycho killer? Can I be the helpless victim?"
Great scene analysis - makes me want to read the script!
I love that this scene has a line berating the Elm Street sequels and ended up being directed by Wes Craven.
Such a brilliant script. It really was Oscar nomination worthy. I also love the part where Neve Campbell complains that in horror movies, the dumb victim ends up running the wrong way up the stairs.
And then the Killers shows up, and circumstances force her to have to run the wrong way, up the stairs, too! So clever!
Great write up!
Such a great, smart and clever script and a rarity for slasher where early scenes and basic dialogue becomes essential to enjoying the later parts of the film.
Jakey: Mmm, the second is at least interesting and the third and fourth are good examples of what I'd call horror-comedy. (Generally, I'd only call something a horror comedy if the balance is close to fifty-fifty. Think stuff around the lines of American Werewolf in London or Evil Dead II. If you're counting the original, that's too horror, and if you're counting Army of Darkness, that's too comedy.)
I still think, "Scream" was robbed of some Oscar noms (Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Film Editing and maybe a Supporting Actress nom for Barrymore)... and I oddly think "Scream 2" was on par with the original. "Scream 4" I found it was a nice sequel, and while "Scream 3" is obviously the weakest of the franchise, it's still highly entertaining and even interesting. The rare kind of horror franchise that requires the audience to use their brains.