Scream (1996/I)

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer (WGA):

Kevin Williamson (written by)

Release Date:

20 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Don't Answer The Phone. Don't Open The Door. Don't Try To Escape.

Plot:

A psychopathic serial killer is stalking a group of teens just like in the movies!

Plot Keywords:

Death | Mask | Tabloid | Murder | Serial Killer

Awards:

7 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

David Arquette	...	Deputy Dwight 'Dewey' Riley
Neve Campbell	...	Sidney Prescott
Courteney Cox	...	Gale Weathers
Skeet Ulrich	...	Billy Loomis
Rose McGowan	...	Tatum Riley
Matthew Lillard	...	Stuart Macher
Jamie Kennedy	...	Randy Meeks
W. Earl Brown	...	Kenneth Jones
Drew Barrymore	...	Casey Becker
Joseph Whipp	...	Sheriff Burke
Lawrence Hecht	...	Neil Prescott
Roger Jackson	...	Phone Voice (voice)
David Booth	...	Mr. Becker
Liev Schreiber	...	Cotton Weary
Kevin Patrick Walls	...	Steven Orth
Carla Hatley	...	Mrs. Becker
Lois Saunders	...	Mrs. Tate
Lisa Beach	...	TV Reporter #1
Tony Kilbert	...	TV Reporter #2
C.W. Morgan	...	Hank Loomis
Frances Lee McCain	...	Mrs. Riley
Troy Bishop	...	Expelled Teen #1
Ryan Kennedy	...	Expelled Teen #2
Leonora Scelfo	...	Cheerleader in Bathroom
Nancy Anne Ridder	...	Girl in Bathroom
Lisa Canning	...	Reporter with Mask
Bonnie Wood	...	Young Girl in Video Store
Aurora Draper	...	Party Teen #1
Kenny Kwong	...	Party Teen #2
Justin Sullivan	...	Teen on Couch
Kurtis Bedford	...	Bored Teen
Angela Miller	...	Girl on Couch
Lucille Bliss	...	Checkout Lady (scenes deleted)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daniel K. Arredondo	...	Guard Escorting Cotton (uncredited)
Linda Blair	...	Obnoxious Reporter (uncredited)
Wes Craven	...	Fred the Janitor (uncredited)
Matt McDonald	...	Video Customer (uncredited)
Lynn McRee	...	Maureen Roberts-Prescott (photograph) (uncredited)
Henry Winkler	...	Principal Arthur Himbry (uncredited)

Directed by
Wes Craven

Writing credits (WGA)
Kevin Williamson		(written by)

Produced by
Stuart M. Besser	....	co-executive producer
Dixie J. Capp	....	co-producer
Cathy Konrad	....	producer
Marianne Maddalena	....	executive producer
Nicholas Mastandrea	....	associate producer (as Nicholas C. Mastandrea)
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	executive producer
Cary Woods	....	producer

Original Music by
Marco Beltrami

Cinematography by
Mark Irwin		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Patrick Lussier

Casting by
Lisa Beach

Production Design by
Bruce Alan Miller

Art Direction by
David Lubin

Set Decoration by
Michele Poulik

Costume Design by
Cynthia Bergstrom

Makeup Department
Howard Berger	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Kamar Bitar	....	special makeup effects coordinator
Karen Bradley	....	makeup artist
Lynn Marie Curreri	....	hair stylist
Theodore Haines	....	special makeup effects crew (as Theodore J. Haines)
William Hunt	....	special makeup effects crew
Garrett Immel	....	special makeup effects crew
Robert Kurtzman	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Melanie Levitt	....	makeup artist
Robert Maverick	....	special makeup effects crew
Gregory Nicotero	....	special makeup effects supervisor (as Greg Nicotero)
Barbara Olvera	....	key hair stylist
Kris Ravetto	....	makeup artist
Christina Raye	....	hair stylist
Carol Schwartz	....	key makeup artist
Christine Stahl	....	special makeup effects crew
Ramon Velazco	....	special makeup effects crew

Production Management
Daniel K. Arredondo	....	post-production supervisor
Stuart M. Besser	....	unit production manager
Cary Granat	....	executive in charge of production
Richard Potter	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniel K. Arredondo	....	second second assistant director
Heather French	....	dga trainee
Nicholas Mastandrea	....	first assistant director (as Nicholas C. Mastandrea)
Lucille Ouyang	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Charlene Barr	....	art department production assistant
Braxton Bragg	....	carpenter
Robert Burg	....	painter
Victoria Carlson	....	stand-by painter
Robert J. Carlyle	....	construction coordinator (as Robert Carlyle)
Debra Echard	....	additional set decorator
Josh Ian Elliott	....	on-set dresser
David Erickson	....	painter
William A. Fobert	....	construction general foreperson
Wendy Gayner	....	painter
Lori Harrison	....	property buyer
Lori Harrison	....	set dresser
Bernie Honigman	....	painter
John Paul 'J.P.' Jones	....	property master (as John 'J.P.' Jones)
Richard Lambert	....	lead person
Gerald Lehtola	....	art department coordinator
Kenny Montante	....	local lead person (as Ken Montante)
Carrie Nardello	....	painter
Scott Newell	....	carpenter
Teresa Nielsen	....	paint foreperson
Nanci Noblett	....	set designer
Katsuhiko Okada	....	carpenter
Leslie Turnbull	....	painter
John 'Skip' Weaver	....	assistant property master
Art Williams	....	carpenter
Dwight Williams	....	local construction coordinator
Phillip Thoman	....	lead greensman (uncredited)
Gary Thomas	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
John K. Adams	....	adr supervisor (as John Adams)
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Roy Baker	....	foley artist
Paul Benedici	....	foley mixer
Beau Biggart	....	adr mixer
Paul B. Clay	....	sound supervisor (as Paul Clay)
Tom E. Dahl	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Tom Dahl)
James DiStefano	....	cable person
Stan Fiferman	....	foley artist
Sam Gemette	....	sound effects editor
Richard Bryce Goodman	....	sound mixer
Bob Goold	....	dialogue editor
Tom Ketterer	....	sound assistant
Steve Kohler	....	sound recordist
Vanessa Lapato	....	sound assistant
Marla McGuire	....	dialogue editor
Jean-Marie Mitchell	....	sound assistant
Vic Radulich	....	dialogue editor
Sean Rush	....	boom operator
Leslie Shatz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Pat Somerset	....	adr editor (as Patrick Somerset)
Ken Somerville	....	foley mixer
Chris Sparkes	....	pdl
Lee Tinkham	....	adr mixer
Scott A. Tinsley	....	sound effects editor (as Scott Tinsley)
Dinia D. Watkins	....	sound coordinator
John O. Wilde	....	dialogue editor (as John Wilde)

Special Effects by
Mark R. Byers	....	special effects foreman (as Mark Byers)
Frank Ceglia	....	special effects supervisor

Stunts
Noby Arden	....	stunts
Christine Anne Baur	....	stunts (as Christine Baur)
Clay Boss	....	stunts
Tony Cecere	....	stunt coordinator
Christopher Doyle	....	stunts
Dane Farwell	....	stunt double: Killer in Costume
Dane Farwell	....	stunts
Frank Lloyd	....	stunts
Kathy Marshall	....	stunts
Allen Robinson	....	stunts
Lynn Salvatori	....	stunts
Lee Waddell	....	stunts
Deborah Alexander	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Joe Allen	....	grip
Kevin Ball	....	second company grip
Jason Boccaleoni	....	lighting technician
Marty Brenneis	....	video playback 24 frame
Jeffrey N. Civa	....	second assistant camera
Egor Davidoff	....	camera loader
Peter Deming	....	additional director of photography
Ron Diggory	....	rigging grip
Dick Dova	....	grip (as Richard Dova)
Bernie Druckman	....	video playback 24 frame
Lisa K. Ferguson	....	camera loader (as Lisa Ferguson)
Norris Fong	....	grip
Kirk R. Gardner	....	Steadicam operator
Paul Hughen	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Doug Hunt	....	video assist operator
Dan Kneece	....	Steadicam operator
Mark A. Lewis	....	rigging lighting technician
Steven Mann	....	Steadicam assistant
Scott Medcalf	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Nicholas Meeks	....	grip
David Moir	....	still photographer
Marie Pederson	....	Steadicam assistant
Scott Andrew Ressler	....	first assistant camera (as Scott Ressler)
Jamie Ronnei	....	grip (as James Ronnei)
Charles J. Schray	....	dolly grip
Mark Shankel	....	grip
Charles M. Smallwood	....	first company grip
Kelsey Smith	....	lighting technician
Penny Sprague	....	Steadicam assistant
Steven Strong	....	lighting technician
Terry Sullivan	....	lighting technician
Robert D. Tomer	....	camera operator: "a" camera (as Robert Tomer)
Renee Treyball	....	second assistant camera
Gary Katsuya Ushino	....	first assistant camera (as Gary Ushino)
Mark Van Loon	....	Steadicam operator
Jay W. Yowler	....	chief lighting technician
Dario SanMiguel	....	grip (uncredited)
John E. Stephens	....	grip (uncredited)
Gary Katsuya Ushino	....	Steadicam assistant (uncredited)

Casting Department
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Nancy Hayes	....	extras casting
Nancy Hayes	....	local casting
Sarah Katzman	....	casting assistant
Merv Ladd	....	extras casting
Merv Ladd	....	local casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ricki Fournier	....	costumer
Mathew Hooey	....	costume supervisor
Patricia Kazmierowski	....	costumer
Gary J. Saldutti	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Lynn Dupre	....	apprentice editor
Peter Devaney Flanagan	....	first assistant editor
Paul Kieran	....	assistant editor
Ryan Krayser	....	post-production assistant
Mike Mertens	....	color timer (as Michael Mertens)
Yvonne Valdez	....	second assistant editor
Tina Anderson	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Pete Anthony	....	orchestrator (as Peter Anthony)
Marco Beltrami	....	conductor
William Boston	....	orchestrator (as William A. Boston)
Tim Boyle	....	score mixer
Julian Bratolyubov	....	music preparation
Ed Gerrard	....	music consultant
Jeffrey Rabhan	....	music supervisor
Rose Thomson	....	background vocals
Ken Watson	....	orchestra contractor
E. Gedney Webb	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Pete Brocco	....	driver
Bruce Callahan	....	driver
Kevin Carstenson	....	driver
Jeff Coffman	....	driver
Ben Davis	....	driver
Steve Earle	....	driver
Don Feeney	....	driver
Mike Ford	....	driver
Scotty Goudreau	....	driver
David Joseph	....	driver
Rose Malley	....	driver
John Martin	....	driver
John Mattson	....	driver
Glenn Midcap	....	driver
Brian Joseph Moore	....	driver (as Brian Moore)
John Peters	....	driver
Dan Porteous	....	driver
Carsten Rabehl	....	driver
Derek Raser	....	transportation coordinator
Susan Rice	....	driver
Mike Sawyer	....	driver
Ken Skinner	....	driver
Rick Suggett	....	driver
Geoff Teagardin	....	driver
J.T. Thayer	....	transportation captain
Earl Thielen	....	driver
Tracy Thielen	....	driver
Henry Travers	....	driver
Chuck Visconte	....	driver
Jill Wattles	....	driver
Gene Hubert	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Steve Alterman	....	adr loop group
Casey Bishop	....	adr loop group
Paul Boettiger	....	production assistant
Tara Boger	....	adr loop group
Alice Brooks	....	adr loop group (as Alice Livingston)
Robert Cable	....	accounting assistant
James Capp	....	production assistant
Jessica Closson	....	production assistant
David Crockett	....	production accountant
David Denison	....	production assistant
Andrew Durham	....	assistant production office coordinator
John Embry	....	production assistant (as John D. Embry)
Lauren Feige	....	production assistant
Greg Finley	....	adr loop group
Laura Galt	....	adr loop group
Ivan Genit II	....	assistant production accountant
Ivan Genit II	....	payroll accountant
Michael D. Gillis	....	location assistant
Thomas M. Harrigan	....	assistant location manager (as Thomas Harrigan)
Doris Hess	....	adr loop group
Eric Klosterman	....	location manager
Mary Ellen Leonard	....	craft service
Ivy K. Lukas	....	production assistant
Kristen March	....	assistant: Mr. Woods
Chad Maxwell	....	production assistant
Lisa McCampbell	....	assistant: Ms. Maddalena
David McCharen	....	adr loop group
Jeremy Miller	....	adr loop group
Mo Milligan	....	assistant: Ms. Konrad
Julie Plec	....	assistant: Mr. Craven
Claire Raskind	....	unit publicist
Noreen Reardon	....	adr loop group
Lizzie Schwartz	....	assistant: Mr. Woods
Sam Shank	....	production assistant
Justin Shenkarow	....	adr loop group
Michelle Stevens	....	accounting production assistant
David Thornsberry	....	additional location manager
Christian Evol Wadman	....	production assistant
Annie Welles	....	script supervisor
Dean Wright	....	production office coordinator
Katherine Zilavy	....	production secretary
Brian Dettor	....	office production assistant (uncredited)
Theresa Donahoe	....	stand-in: Neve Campbell (uncredited)
James Marlowe	....	location scout (uncredited)
Stephanie Siemiller	....	photo double (uncredited)

Thanks
Sheree Green	....	special thanks
Frank Okun	....	special thanks
Les Perry	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Dimension Films
• Woods Entertainment

Distributors

• Kinowelt Filmverleih (1997) (Germany) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alliance (Canada)
• Asmik Ace Entertainment (Japan)
• Becker Home Video (Australia)
• Cecchi Gori Group
• Cipa (France)
• Dimension Films
• Filmes Castello Lopes (Portugal)
• Fox Network (1999) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Laurenfilm (Spain)
• Les Films Number One
• MAWA Film & Medien (1998) (Germany) (DVD)
• Miramax Films (USA) (video)
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Home Entertainment (1997) (Netherlands) (video)
• REP Distribution (Australia)
• RTL (????) (Germany) (TV)
• RTL2 (2006) (Germany) (TV) (as "Scream - Schrei!")
• Scanbox Entertainment (Finland)
• Vídeo Arte (Brazil) (video)

Special Effects

• K.N.B. Effects Group

Other Companies

• Alexander, Halloran, Nau & Rose  legal services
• Anvil Post Production  foley recording
• Buena Vista Sound  re-recording facilities
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Clay Digital Sound  sound editing
• Compass International Pictures  Halloween footage courtesy of
• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  titles and opticals
• Dennis Reiff and Associates  insurance
• Film Finance  special thanks
• Fun World Division of Easter Unlimited Inc.  Ghost Mask courtesy of
• Great Northern Brokerage Services  insurance
• Hayes & Van Horn Casting  local extras casting
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• K!SSPROOF Entertainment  cast appearance booking
• MCA/Universal Pictures  Frankenstein footage courtesy of
• Movie Movers  cast trailers
• Movie Movers  star trailers
• RD Negative Cutting  negative cutting
• Sonoma County Film Commission, The  special thanks
• The City of Healdsburg  special thanks
• The Santa Rosa City School Governing Board  no thanks whatsoever
• The Santa Rosa Doubletree Hotel  special thanks
• The Sonoma Community Center  special thanks
• Tomkats Catering  catering

Also Known As:

Scary Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic horror violence and gore, and for language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 (re-rating) | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | Sweden:18 (director's cut) | Austria:16 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Argentina:16 (director's cut) | Australia:MA | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Israel:16 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 (director's cut) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (original rating) | Norway:18 (director's cut) | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Greece:K-17 | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Bradley Video, Santa Rosa, California, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

When the killer smashes his head through a window and Casey hits him in the face with the phone, Wes Craven is actually wearing the costume and was really hit in the face.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Stu is setting up Sidney's dad to be framed, you can see him put the cell phone in front of the voice changer box in his pocket. But when it cuts back and her dad is pushed to the floor, you see the cell phone is now behind the voice changer box.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Casey: Hello?
Phone Voice: Hello.
Casey: Yes?
Phone Voice: Who is this?
Casey: Who are you trying to reach?
Phone Voice: What number is this?
Casey: Well, what number are you trying to reach?
Phone Voice: I don't know.
Casey: I think you have the wrong number.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Dawson's Creek: The Scare (#1.11)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Youth Of America

Clever, scary and funny - a must-see for horror fans

Making a brilliant, original horror film is pretty hard these days, since practically everything has already been told, and more than once. Using that premise, director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson came up with Scream, whose cleverness derives from the fact that it knows every single stereotype of the genre and satirizes them.

Take the opening sequence, for example: a young girl (Drew Barrymore) is making popcorn and waiting for her boyfriend when she suddenly receives a phone call. Normally, this would be a huge clichè, only this time the killer decides to play a little game (horror film quiz, naturally) with his victim. In fact, the only reason why he kills her is that she gave the wrong answer to one of his questions (those who haven't seen Friday 13th might want to skip that bit, as it spoils said movie's ending). That scene is both very scary (the murder is quite graphic and disturbing) and at the same time funny (it tests the characters', and the audience's, knowledge of the horror genre), and the rest of the film continues in the same vein: after the first killing, the masked psychopath starts disposing of other teenagers in the town of Woodsboro using the same technique. One of the targets is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), whose mother was raped and killed the year before. This implies the killer might be the same, but who could it be? Sidney's distant father? Her mother's lover (Liev Schreiber)? Or some random guy, with no motive at all?

Fortunately, it is not the last category: this murderer has a motive and a plausible identity as well. But it isn't the payoff that makes Scream interesting; it's how Craven and Williamson get to it, by outlining the genre's conventions (some of which were actually invented by the director himself) and using them in a clever, if self-referential, way. The point of the movie is, the more you know of this kind of films (pay attention to the rules, stated by geeky film buff Randy), the more chances you have to survive (although you must take into account that the killer has seen the same movies). The in-jokes that would ruin other films are the very cause of Scream's success, with memorable scenes such as the villain mimicking the movie his victims are watching or Craven's unmissable cameo as a janitor wearing Freddy Krueger's outfit (not to mention priceless lines like "Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative!").

In other words, Scream is a smart, effective horror film, which manages to amuse and scare in equal measures. Definitely worth watching, even if the two sequels (especially Scream 3) don't really match the original's intelligence and, forgive the expression, originality.