Scream is a horror film that was released in 1996. Upon its release, it became an immediate box office. This movie contains some well-developed elements of a scary movie such as an evil character, murder, and sound effects. This essay will discuss how the director of the movie Scream used these three important elements to draw the attention of the viewers and keep their attention throughout the entire film.
The main element in any scary movie is the evil character, who is usually the reason behind the horrifying plot. In the movie Scream, the evil character is a man who is dressed in a long black robe and wears an elongated white mask over his face. He is very plain and simple which creates more suspense because no one knows who he is.
This evil character calls his targeted victims over the phone. Many times, victims think someone is making a prank call. For example, the movie opens when Casey (Drew Barrymore) receives a call from an unidentified caller. As his voice is becoming more threatening, she starts to realize that he is not only talking to her on the phone, but he is also watching her.
After he calls and harasses his targeted victims over the phone, he appears in the same house and chases down his victims until he is able to successfully murder them. No one knows the killer’s identity and it creates a sense of wonder. His deep, threatening voice helps to make his plain and simple costume even scarier for the viewers.
All scary movies have to have the element of death. The murders committed in the movie made it one of the scariest movies of its time. After killing his teenage victims, he usually leaves their mutilated bodies in odd places or positions. For example, after killing Casey’s boyfriend, the killer chases her into the yard.
Her parents do not see her, so after the killer stabs her in the chest, he then hangs her dead body in the tree for her parents to see her. So, not only are the murders gruesome, they are also very disturbing. By chasing his victims, he creates suspense and excitement for the viewers.
There were several sound effects throughout the movie, that created fear and suspense for the viewers. For example, the voice of the killer over the phone created a scary feeling; it was deep and mysterious, harsh and threatening. The use of music was also very well developed. It helped to excite the viewers and create a sense of fear.
Finally, as the title indicates, “Scream”, throughout the entire film, victims scream for help, but no one comes. On the other hand, sometimes the victims cannot scream because of the way the killer stabs them. The inability to scream created an element of fear because this made the killer powerful.
This movie was very well-written, directed and executed for the horror audience. The director was able to grab the viewer’s attention and hold it throughout the entire film. He created a sense of fear which is what a successful horror film about. When the film ended, it was very clear that there would be a sequel soon. By using an undefined ending, the director was able to convince the viewers to come back and see the next part. Therefore, with these three main elements of a horror film, Scream was very successful.