Episode 71: Scream and Scream (featuring Doug Dillaman)

Cinema in Context

Meta slasher films. Sarah Watt and Jeremy Downing, with special guest Doug Dillaman, discuss Scream (1996) and Scream (2022). We begin by discussing the self-referential and meta qualities of the Scream series, including Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011). We link and talk about the films in regards to Drew Barrymore, Scooby Doo and Psycho (1960), Hereditary (2018), The Babadook (2014) and Midsommar (2019). We then move into a discussion of the lore of the films, going through each movie and our connection to them. This then progresses to a discussion around the visceral violence of the films, and how that emphasises and subvert horror movie tropes. We talk about the depiction of mental illness, homosexuality and transsexuality in horror films, especially as a motivator for committing atrocities. This brings us to reference Heavenly Creatures (1994), Rope (1948) and Yellowjackets (2021). We move to discuss the perspective of each film and the filmmakers confidence in filmmaking, linking to "requels" like Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). We talk about the cast, including Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Mikey Madison, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Marley Shelton. We then discuss the realities of filming in Covid-19 affected times, linking to Moonfall (2022), Reacher (2022) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). We finish by discussing the elements of the series that are unrealistic, especially the wounds that many characters shouldn't survive from. Our final thoughts touch on the idea of elevated horror and how might that sub-genre of horror finds its way more tonally in the Scream franchise.