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I'm a big Scream fan. Just check out my very positive and VERY long review of the recently released fourth film for proof. I was ecstatic that Lionsgate obtained the rights to the Screram blu rays, as they will, unlike Echo Bridge, give good transfers and retain all the special features from the dvds. I also knew that when these films were released seperately around the same time of Scream 4's release that they would be re-released in a deluxe package with new special features. I didn't get burned and this isn't a double dip for me as far as the blu ray editions are concerned. Normally this package would be worth five stars for the special features, picture, and sound quality, but I have to detract one star for the very simple reason of THAT THE FIRST SCREAM IS STILL NOT THE UNRATED VERSION!
Back in the late 90's when Scream was enjoying the huge success of Scream 2 and the hungry wait for the inevitable Scream 3 Dimension/Miramax released special edition VHS's with different covers, each with a blue colored close up pic of each of the film's main stars. I got the one with Neve Campbell on the cover. I popped it in and to my very enthusiatic surprise I noticed that the film I had known backwards and forwards was a bit gorier. Yup, somehow through a distribution error I had gotten a copy of the first Sceam in it's unrated cut glory. I'm sure there was a recall announced but I never looked so I don't know. I still have this VHS. Only four things are really effected by the unrated cut, and only one of them actually improves the film. First, at the end of the opening scene the long tracking shot of Dru Barrymore's disembowled and hanging body is slower and you can revel in all the gory glory. Also, in this opening scene there is a nasty shot of boyfriend Steve's entrails sliding out of his open stomach and flopping next to his feet. Definitely more intense compared to the theatrical cut, but Barrymore's performance and Wes Craven's direction never let these deletions of gore really effect the overall opening moments of terror. Next we come to Tatum's death. We get really only seconds more of her head being crushed by the garage door. Yes, more shocking, but again, not really detracting from the final film once deleted. Finally, in the finale when Billy and Stu are stabbing themselves we ACTUALLY see the knife go into both of them. You could always tell that this was censored just by watching the theatrical version. We hear the stabbing, but we stay on Sidney's face for too long. It's an awkward cut. This part of the unrated version is an improvement and I wish for this reason alone they would release this version. While I like the other deletions better in the film they don't really ruin the moments. The finale deletions truly do.
Here we are and we get the films released in their third format and still no unrated cut of the first film. Why? The VHS I have proves that a good print of it exists. Every horror film seems to come out as a directors or unrated version these days, so what's the hold up with this film, a movie that is over 15 years old? If anyone wants to share some cold hard facts or intersting speculation please let me know. The fact that I have a VHS from the late 90's with the unrated cut on it just rubs salt in the wounds.
All the special features on the films for this set are the same as the dvd's. Same EPK featurettes, cast auditions, blooper reels, and alternate and deleted scenes. The special features for the dvd's of this franchise have always been a little bare bones compared to other movies. The best features are each movie, which in this set gets their own blu ray, is the commentaries shared by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson(Scream only) and the producer's, editors, and director's commentaries for Scream 2 and 3. These are all great and informative and actually fun listens. The first film with the Williamson/Craven commentary is the best though. My favorite anecdote is the one regarding Williamson's set visit while Craven was filming the finale stabathon in the kitchen between Stu and Billy. "Gee, Wes this is really blood. Isn't this too bloody", Williamson nervously questions Craven. Craven smiles and brings Williamson a copy of his own script and flips him to the end of it where he describes two teens stabbing themselves until near death. Very funny. Scream looks the best as far as picture transfer, and while the sequels don't look as good they still look great, and it's the best this trilogy has ever looked.
So same old same old. What's new about this set then? Well, there's a fourth disc with two new special features in the form of feature length documentaries looking back at the films. The first doc was on TV and it only focuses on the first film. It's great fun and it's cool that while some of the info is a repeat from the Craven/Williamson commentary there are some great candid moments regarding the MPAA and other fights had during filming. The newer second doc, Inside Scream, goes over all three films, and runs the same 90 minutes as the first doc. This was really fun. Both docs have vintage footage from the sets, but also includes new interviews with Craven, Williamson, Campbell, Arquette, Rose Mcgowan, Mathew Lillard, and Jamie Kennedy among other bit players and key behind the scenes contributors. Unfortunately Skeet Ulrich and Courtney Cox are MIA from the proceedings, which is a real bummer. Eheren Krueger actgually shows up to talk about his process with writing Scream 3 taking over for Williamson. What I didn't know about Scream 3 is that there was another writer, the same writer who recently wrote the screenplay for Shutter Island! Also, and even weirder, Mather Lillard was paid and hired to return in Scream 3 as Stu's brother, Stu himself, or just another killer. He doesn't know because he never read a script and obviously never filmed a day on the set. I never knew that and it was kind of mind blowing. Also, the many ideas behind what 3 was and why it was toned down are explored and are all very interesting. My favorite moment of the second doc is a moment when Craven looks to the camera curses out internet hackers who stole the first draft of the Scream 2 script and caused them to write while filming during the making. Both docs are worth checking out for intersting info, nostalgia, and obviously the hardcore fans like me.
THE MOVIES:
SCREAM ***** stars--What can I say? It's a classic and horror royalty at this point. It helped revive the genre that was in a huge slump through the late 80's and early 90's. There are many now who look back on this film with disdain, but I feel that has more to do with the many imitators that trailed after it and muddied the popular horror genre. I guess folks didn't assume that with horror's popularity back that not all of it would be good quality. I don't care. Yes, back in the 80's there were many self referencial horror films(Friday the 13th part VI Jason Lives had self references), but none were this cynical and witty. Williamson is like Tarantino, Diablo Cody, Mamet and others when it comes to sharp and stylized dialogue. It was different for the genre at the time. I think the film still works and is great. I've only ever had one complaint with the movie(beyond the lack of an unrated cut), and that's the scenes of Sidney and Tatum going into town after school is cancelled. I hate the shots of Ghostface that just pop up in reflections and in their backyards. It makes no sense, and it's not scary. It's stupid and breaks tension. Although no one behind the films has talked about those shots specifically, I would assume it was the inept but very rich Weinsteins forcing Craven to keep the threat of Ghostface alive by sticking him in very obtrussively in these moments.
SCREAM 2 **** and 1/2 stars--For two thirds of the film this is a great sequel. It has great nasty wit regarding how the fake celebrity culture can be colder than a knife through flesh. It also has fun with it's killers creating a real life sequel. It's falls apart in the third act though. Not a total mess, but the quality definitely strains a bit. It seems to meander and plot lines are dropped and never brought up again(the fact that the killer is killing students that share the same names as the victims from the first film). Also, the way the film is structured anybody could have pulled the Ghostface mask off at the end and I wouldn't have been surprised. Although, the killers are particulary more crazed this time out. The slow burn of Billy Loomis is replaced by manic energy of Timothy Olyphan and the more manic Laurie Metcalf. Both are great, but very different approach. My favorite thing about one of the killers in this film is how he wants to get off by blaming movies for his acts of violence, and references the trial lawyers for the OJ Simpson trial. Very timely, blackly funny, and totally cynical. With all the faults in the third act it has one of Craven's career high points. The great suspense scene where Sidney and her friend must escape a crashed car, and the only way out is to climb over Ghostface! Also, I feel this Scream has the best prologue sequence of the entire series. Good sequel, good movie, but not great like the original.
SCREAM 3 *** stars--Most have complained about this one more than enough. It is the weakest entry of the four, but it's not terrible. It's got moments of true wit and suspense, but just feels so much lighter than the previous entries and wreaks of a darker version of a Scooby-Doo episode. Unfortunately, the tragedy at Colombine was being used by pig politicians to support their platforms, and their easy target scapegoat was video games, music and movies. The studio got nervous and the tone of Scream 3 is much lighter and jokey. The deaths less elaborate, and the gore almost non existant. The new characters aren't intersting and they're given very little witty dialogue. There is one exception to the the new cast in the form of the always great and fun to watch Parker Posey as a bratty actress playing Gail Weathers in a movie. She follows the real Gail around with the hysterical logic that if the killer really wants to kill the real Gail, then if she stays by her side then he would have no reason to kill her. Very funny. Also, it seems that now that the horror and intensity has been banned from the film the set pieces seem bigger but far more silly(the fax house explosion scene). Now, this film does have moments of greatness. As usual the opener scene is solid. Also, the scene where Sidney wanders around a set that replicates her old house in Woodsboro is very haunting and effective. Also, the ending confrontation with Sidney and the killer is very good. Scott Foley, whose character is underwritten until his finale reveal, manages to bring real intensity and pathos to his final moments. He doesn't get as much credit as I feel he deserves. Also, the final 'shoot him in the head' gag is actually funny, despite the fact that it kind of kills the drama of what proceeds it. Like Scream 2 part 3 also has the problem of the fact that the killer's reveal is less dramatic due to the movie making it seem like anyone in the cast could easily be the killer.
So, for me this is worth the upgrade, and here on Amazon this thing only cost me 19.95! There's no way I could lose. It was icing that the fourth disc's two docs were worth watching. I wish Anchor Bay wasn't the distributor of Scream 4 so it could be included but that's the way things go.
PS: It's called a five movie set due to the two docs on disc four being feature length. DUH!
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My only complaint is that the case is busted at the bottom. The dvds r in good shape as far as I can tell. But the case is busted. There’s also a crack up the back of it. But other than that it showed up when it was supposed to. I love these movies! Excited for them to make 5! Just wish the case wasn’t busted.
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Really great package but loses a single star due to one frustrating ommission that's been going on for years!
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2011Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2003
Top reviews from other countries
little_miss_chatterbox
What's Your Favourite Scary Movie?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2015
Mr. M
1st and 3rd fantastic!!! 2nd okay
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2008
kayleigh Nerisha
Don't bother, waste of money
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2020
