Scream (1996)/Scream 2 (1997)/Scream 3 (2000)

Miramax/Lionsgate
Blu-ray Discs Released: 3/29/2011

All Ratings out of

Scream
Movie: 1/2
Video:
Audio:
Extras:

Scream 2
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:

Scream 3
Movie:
Video: 1/2
Audio:
Extras:

Review by Mike Long, Posted on 3/29/2011

As Scream 4 (or Scre4m as some posters call it) opens in theaters in two weeks, it's not surprising that the three original Scream movies have come to Blu-ray Disc. What is surprising is how quickly the movies came out so soon after Lionsgate entered into an agreement to distribute films from the Miramax catalog. Just seven weeks ago, this new deal was announced and now we have the first classics from the Miramax vault going high-def. Of course, all of this Hollywood business talk takes a backseat to the Scream movies themselves, their cultural impact, and the fact that they gave a new dimension to horror (no pun intended).

Scream is set in the small town of Woodsboro and opens with the brutal murder of a teenaged girl (Drew Barrymore in a Janet Leigh-like cameo) and her boyfriend. Rumors about the murder begin to spread, scaring the other teens in town -- Sidney (Neve Campbell), Tatum (Rose McGowan), Billy (Skeet Ulrich), Randy (Jamie Kennedy) and Stu (Matthew Lillard). When Sidney is attacked in her house by a masked killer, the police arrest Billy, her boyfriend, but decide that he's not a suspect. Tabloid TV reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) arrives in town to cover the story, and doesn't hesitate to pry into the checkered past of Sidney's family. As the body count rises, the police, especially Tatum's brother, the bumbling Deputy Dewey (David Arquette), are baffled. When Stu holds a big party at his house, the killer arrives and hopefully someone will survive to unmask them.

Scream arrived on the scene at a time when horror had fallen out of vogue, and not unlike Pulp Fiction which had come out two years earlier (and was released by Miramax as well), the movie showed that it was OK to break away from the rules. Written by newcomer Kevin Williamson, Scream takes all of the cliches from decades of slasher films and turns then on their head. The characters here, especially Randy, have all seen horror movies and no what to expect. However, this doesn't mean that they'll be safe from the killer. The movie combines jump scares and gore with razor-sharp wit. This was placed in the very capable hands of Director Wes Craven, who, despite a career built on brutal horror, is game to go along with the movie's vibe and does a fantastic job of balancing the horror and humor. Unlike some of his early, gritty films, Craven gives Scream a slick and polished look, which belies the depravity hiding underneath. Despite the almost tongue-in-cheek tone of the movie, the finale is brutal and some may find it difficult to watch.

Some supposedly "hardcore horror fans" still complain about Scream and how it damaged horror films. This is simply ignorant whining as the movie's success convinced Hollywood to finance horror movies and it made Wes Craven a household name.

Scream is no Sharon Stone on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Miramax/Lionsgate. The film has letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 21 Mbps. The image is sharp and clear, but there is a very fine sheen of grain on the picture throughout the film. The transfer shows no defects from the source material. The colors look fantastic and the image is never overly dark or bright. This movie has always impressed with its depth and it doesn't disappoint here, as the objects in the foreground are nicely separated from the background. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs as 48 kHz and an average of 4.2 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The audio in the Scream films is just as important as the visual, and this track does it justice. The surround sound effects are nearly constant and show accurate speaker placement, corresponding to the on-screen action. The stereo effects are nicely done, showing good separation. The subwoofer effects really help to emphasize the attack scenes.

The Scream Blu-ray Disc contains only a few extras. We start off with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Wes Craven and Writer Kevin Williamson. "Production Featurette" (6 minutes) is more like a long preview which just happens to have soundbytes from Craven and the actors, along with some behind-the-scenes footage. "On the Scream Set" (3 minutes) is simply "fly on the wall" behind-the-scenes footage with no interviews or flow. As is "Drew Barrymore" (3 minutes), which just show the actress going through her scenes. "Q&A With the Cast & Crew" asks them two questions; "What's Your Favorite Scary Movie?" (3 minutes) and "Why are people so fascinated by horror films?" (3 minutes). The Disc contains two THEATRICAL TRAILERS (Red Band and Green Band) and seven TV SPOTS.

Knowing a good thing when they saw it, the Weinsteins brought Scream 2 to the screen less than a year later. (51 weeks to be exact.) This new film finds Sidney at college, a year removed from the horrors in Woodsboro. Unfortunately, Gale Weathers wrote a book about the murders which has been turned into the film Stab. When two students are murdered at a showing of the movie near campus, Sidney tries not to worry, even when Dewey comes to town to check on her. Sidney feels safe, as she's surrounded by her roommate Hallie (Elise Neal), her boyfriend Derek (Jerry O'Connell), Randy, and Mickey (Timothy Olyphant). Of course, Gale arrives to cover the story. When another person is murdered, Gale notices that the victims all shares names with those murdered in Woodsboro. When Sidney is attacked, she is assigned police protection, but that won't stop a killer who seems out to prove a point. The question is, is someone in Sidney's life the murderer.

As improbable as this may sound, Scream 2 is even more self-aware than the first film and it even includes a scene in which the inherent lack of quality in sequels is discussed. Ironically, this is one sequel which doesn't disappoint. Yes, in some ways it's just a re-tread of the first movie set in a different location and the finale is a bit hard to swallow, but there's no denying the quality of the work here. Having built an intricate web of a plot in the first film, returning writer Kevin Williamson focuses more on the action and big set-pieces here, and the movie includes some doozies. Wes Craven is often called a "Master of Suspense" in bogus sounding ads, but her earns that title here with the play performance sequence and the wrecked car scene. Both are examples of how to wring every ounce of tension out of a scene and both will have you on the edge of your seat the first time that you see them. Scream 2 also introduced the idea that anyone can die at any time in this universe and there are (at least) two shocking deaths here. More like a second course than leftovers, Scream 2 does the first movie proud. (Except for the opening sequence, which I've never liked. Do people really act like that in a movie theater?)

Scream 2 doesn't do anything to make going to the theater look inviting on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Miramax/Lionsgate. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 21 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no defects from the source material. There are some odd moments in this transfer in the first act when the image is notably grainy. But, this clears up and goes away. Were various source elements used? The colors look very good, and the wide shots of the campus show great depth. The night-time shots are very impressive and the image displays good detail. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 3.8 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. I don't know why this movie has a lower audio bitrate than the other films, but it still sounds fine. The big scenes, such as the police cars arriving at the sorority house, sound great, as the sound fill the front and rear speakers. Stereo and surround sound effects are both prevalent, as they help to illustrate sounds coming from off-screen and behind the characters. The subwoofer is put to good use for musical cues.

The Scream 2 Blu-ray Disc contains an assortment of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Wes Craven, Producer Marianne Maddalena, and Editor Patrick Lussier. The Disc contains 2 DELETED SCENES which run about four minutes and can be viewed with optional commentary from Craven, Maddalena, and Lussier. The bulk of this is actually an alternate version of the classroom sequel discussion, which is essentially the same scene, but in a different location. We get a 9-minute reel of OUTTAKES. The "Featurette" (7 minutes) is simply an EPK which contains clips from the film and quick comments from the cast, Williamson, and Craven, with a few on-set shots. The Disc offers the MUSIC VIDEOS for the songs "Scream" by Master P and "Suburban Life" by Kottonmouth Kings. The extras are rounded out by the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film, as well as 11 TV SPOTS.

You can't keep a good trilogy down, but it took three years for Scream 3 to arrives. The movie takes place over a year after the events in Scream 2. You Scream 3 takes place in and around the production of a new film, Stab 3: Return to Woodsboro. (Apparently, Stab 2 fictionalized the story from Scream 2. Is everyone confused now?) One of the actors in Stab 3 has been murdered and the police are investigating. A photo has been found at the scene of the crime and Detective Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey) approaches reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox-Arquette) for more information about it. Gale identifies the woman in the photo as Maureen Prescott -- Sidney's mother --, the woman whose murder set off the events in Scream. Gale visits the set and is surprised to run into Dewey (David Arquette), who is acting as a consultant on the film and is an assistant to Jennifer Jolie (Parker Posey), who is portraying Gale Weathers in the movie. (Confused yet?) It seems that after the events in Scream 2, Gale and Dewey made a go at a relationship, but it didn’t work. Once on the movie set, Gale learns that producer John Milton (Lance Henriksen) and director Roman Bridger (Scott Foley) want to continue the production, despite the murder. Detective Kincaid questions the cast and crew, but because of the photo found at the murder scene, he really wants to question Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). Sidney is now a recluse, working as a phone counselor under an assumed name. Still, she is plagued by nightmares of the ghostface killer and these intensify once she learns of the murders. Once the killer attempts to target Sidney directly, she decides to bring herself out of hiding and help with the investigation. Now, it is up to Sidney, Gail, and Dewey, with some uninvited help from Jennifer to discover the identity of the killer and close (what was) the final chapter of the Scream saga.

Let’s get one thing straight, compared to a lot of movies out there, Scream 3 is a superior product. It’s well-made, well-acted and definitely has a big-budget look. However, when it is compared to the first two films, it just doesn’t make the grade. The story is at once too simplified, and at the same time overly complicated. There are murders, our heroes investigate, and the killer is unmasked -- that’s about all that happens. But, during all of this we are presented with the film within a film angle with many characters who we know nothing about, and eventually the whole thing becomes tiresome. During the audio commentary, Wes Craven discloses that the script was being written as the film was being shot. I believe it!

All of my nitpicking aside, "Scream 3" isn’t entirely bad, and is quite fun at times. Wes Craven proves that he is a great director by taking the lackluster story and doing something with it. There are some very suspenseful scenes in Scream 3, especially the pre-credit sequence and the scene where Sidney visits the movie set. While there aren’t that many dazzling shots in Scream 3 (like the killer’s face in Henry Winkler’s eye in Scream), Craven uses his subtle touch to keep things moving along at a nice pace, even if the precedings don’t make a great deal of sense.

Scream 3 makes great use of Paker Posey on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Miramax/Lionsgate. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 20 Mbps. The image is sharp and clear, showing defects from the source material. As with the first film, this is a tad-bit of visible grain here. The image is never overly dark or bright (despite the fact that this is the darkest of the three films) and the colors look very good. The image is somewhat soft here, something which we didn't see on the first two discs, and the level of detail isn't up to par with the others. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.3 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The sound here is outstanding. Simply go to the big explosion scene and you'll see...or hear what I mean. The audio is nicely balanced in the speakers and the subwoofer really gets to work on this track.

The Scream 3 Blu-ray Disc contains a small assortment of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Wes Craven, Producer Marianne Maddalena, and Editor Patrick Lussier. The Disc contains three DELETED SCENES which run about 13 minutes and can be viewed with optional commentary from Craven, Maddalena and Lussier. Two of the scenes are alternate versions of the pre-credit sequence and the other is a useless scene involving Jenny McCarthy and a studio guard. There is also an "alternate ending". I’d hoped that this would be a totally different ending with a different killer, you know, something that was filmed to keep the cast and crew guessing, but it’s only a shorter version of the actual ending. There is a disappointing "Behind the Scene Montage" (6 minutes) which offers footage from all three Scream films, with no narration or conceivable order. There are several blooper-like OUTTAKES (7 minutes), most of which entail David Arquette blowing his lines. We get the MUSIC VIDEO for the song "What If?" by Creed. Two theatrical trailers and fourteen different TV spots can also be found on the release.