Scream Speed Art and Film Ranking
Surprise Sidney! I'm back and with me another Speed-art, this one is of Ghostface from the original 1996 film. I just released his evolution going through the subtle but noticeable costume changes as well as each Ghostface's motivations and identities, plus some bonus bits at the end. So you can check that out at the top of the screen or it should be in the description down below. With that said today I'm going to be ranking The Scream franchise, it's only 4 films so it shouldn't take too long, but remember, this is just my opinion I'd love to see what you guys think about the franchise down below, and if you like this speed-art I have a bunch of them on the channel so go check those out if you haven't already. So enough gobblygook, let's just jump into it!
And coming in fourth place is going to have to be Scream 3. While I don't hate this movie, I think there's some fun parts and some interesting kills here and there, it does come off a little too comedic in places and the tone of the film suffers because of it. For example, why would they think including Jay And Silent Bob in a cameo would be a good idea, like it's kind of funny since Ghostface appears in their solo movie, but an actual horror movie referencing a comedy series kind of takes you out of he film for a moment. And while I like Dewey in this series, I feel the way he's shoe-horned into this film to be in LA at the same time as Sidney and Gale was a little forced. This is also the only film in the series that had a solo killer, but it's the most convoluted motive of all the films. But I do like the way this film ends with all our main protagonists together, so it has that going for it.
So before I started marking down my thoughts I was originally going to put another film in the number 3 spot, but after chewing on it I decided that Scream 2 is going to come in third place. Now I really like this film, much like how the first film successfully lampooned horror films while still being a successful horror film in it's own right, this film took on the tropes of horror sequels and played with our expectations. The main cast that survived is back, and they all do a good job following up on their roles from the previous film, but I do feel like Gale took a bit of a step back as if she didn't learn much from the events of the last film and still came across like a bit too hard-edged. Although I'm willing to forgive this because the conclusion is one of my favourites in the series, and ties in nicely with the events of the previous film, making this film feel like a true sequel. Originally there was going to be a different conclusion, but apparently a script leaked online so they altered the ending slightly to fit a new narrative. But all in all the first sequel to the series is definitely worth a watch.
And for my number 2 spot, which I thought was going to go to Scream 2 before is actually going to be rewarded to Scream 4, or if you read it the way the poster spells is, then ScefourMm. After such a long break between films, Wes picked up the Scream franchise again and as each film had commentary to say about horror films, or sequels, or trilogies, this one speaks more to reboots, and in doing so it almost feels ahead of it's time. While there had been plenty of reboots or remakes of old films when this film came out, it almost feels like a commentary on the quasi-reboot sequel that has become popular in the last decade with films like the new Halloween or Star Wars: The Force Awakens. With that said I think some of the kills are top-knotch here, and the big reveal at the end of who the real Ghostface is feels well-earned and well set-up, unlike Part 3s, and having the OG cast interacting with a set of new younger stars feels like a natural progression in the franchise. My main problem with the film is it feels like it was shot in a less natural way than the first few, utilizing more lighting tricks and an almost instagram filter type look, but it doesn't detract too much and I have a lot of fun with the - for now - final entry in the Scream film series.
So most odds you guessed who was gonna be number one, and of course it's Scream 1. Back in 1996 this film wasn't just a good horror film, it was ground-breaking in the way it was able to be meta without seeming like a farce. While Jason Lives had a meta feel to it as well, it didn't feel like it was too concerned with truly scaring it's audiences, while Scream 1 was more than able to keep the suspense up during it's run-time. The final scenes inside the house at the end are a particular master-craft in horror that Wes Craven was able to weave and take the trope of the house-party and trapped in a house with a killer to the next level. Not even mentioning that this is the first film that introduced Ghostface to the masses, while it had been a halloween costume before, the way Ghostface is presented during his kill scenes is actually super frightening, the intro especially is able to capture a feeling of isolation and terror. So all in all if you haven't seen the original film and even if my animation spoiled the reveals to you I think Scream is a franchise worth returning to as both a film fan and horror fan.
So now I want to thank all my Patrons for supporting my main channel and allowing me to do these other ventures as well, specifically I'd like to thank Michael P Wood Jr. And Athena Balle for joining recently, along with all my other Patrons. I do have some more Godzilla themed speed-arts planned as well as a Chucky 2019 one I keep meaning to post, so stay tuned for those, and until next time, don't forget to keep on Keeping on!