Tag Archives: Neve Campbell

Saturday is Horror Day #229 – Scream

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 Scream


Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is struggling, has been ever since her mother was brutally murdered almost a year before. Her boyfriend Billy (Skeet UIlrich) seems unsympathetic to what she is going through, and wants to take their relationship to the next level. When Sidney resists, she wonders if they will even stay together. She has a group of friends she hangs out with, especially her friend Tatum (Rose McGowan) who is dating Stuart (Matthew Lillard), Then there is Randy (Jamie Kennedy), who has a crush on Sidney, works in a video store, and is the resident expert on horror movies.

When her friend Casey (Drew Barrymore) and her boyfriend Steve (Kevin Patrick Walls) are killed, fear 


fills the town, and local news reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) is quick to connect the murder with that of Sidney’s mother. Sidney already hates Gale for the book she wrote about her late mother, which is about to come out, and resents her intrusions into her life. When a Scream mask is found at the stie of Casey’s murder, it becomes the face of what is going on. But as the body count grows, Sidney isn’t sure who she can trust… and she thinks she might be the killer’s next target.


Hard to believe this film is almost 30 years old. It’s just as good now as it was then, and wears well.  This is a Wes Craven film, who also brought us Nightmare on Elm Street. A lot of familiar faces here, including David Arquette, who later married Courtney Cox (I believe this is how they met). There is a brief glimpse of the convicted killer of Sidney’s mother, Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), who is the subject of Gale’s book  – she claims he is innocent. I had totally forgotten most of the film, so I was able to be surprised again, as if I was seeing it for the first time. The story is solid, the acting good, the writing good. Also, look for Henry Winkler in an uncredited role as the school principal. This film delivers on all cylinders, and is definitely worth revisiting. I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars.

 

Saturday is Horror Day #50 – The Craft

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 The Craft


After her father and stepmother move the family to San Francisco, Sarah (Robin Tunney) finds herself enrolled in a Catholic prep school where she knows no one. At first feeling like a fish out of water, she’s attracted to fellow student Chris (Skeet Ulrich). When Sarah asks him about three girls who are staring their way, he warns her against them, saying they are considered to be witches. Sarah doesn’t believe him, and when she is approached by group leader Nancy (Fairuza Balk), she is introduced to the others – Bonnie (Neve Campbell) and Rochelle (Rachel True). Nancy witness something during class which makes her believe that Sarah can be the fourth they have been looking for.

Joining them on a little shopping trip, they end up at an occult bookstore, where Sarah reveals her interest 


in witchcraft, an interest which they all share. Nancy warns Sarah about Chris, but she goes out with him anyway, and the next day he spreads untrue rumors about her. It’s time to get even.

Believing in themselves and the power within, the four girls feel they can do no wrong. They start by fixing things about themselves, such as Nancy’s scars, and Rochelle’s problems with a racist student. But the power goes to their heads, and people are getting hurt. Sarah begins to realize this is wrong, and it’s not something she ever wanted. But they don’t want to let her out of the circle… at least not without consequences.

 

More than a story of teenage girls and witchcraft, The Craft can be taken as a cautionary tale about letting power get to your head, and thinking you can do what you want and never be harmed in the process. The girls cast a spell on Chris so that he is obsessed with Sarah, to get even for the lies he told about her. But that brings out problems of its own. And as the girls began to turn on one another, it’s hard to tell what is real and what is a glamour.

 

The acting in this is good. Fairuza Balk plays a bitch pretty well. I’ve always liked Neve Campbell and find her to be underrated. There is a sequel, which was made over twenty years after the first, which I also intend to watch. I’ll give this a solid 4 Stars.