MovieChat Forums > Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) Discussion > How is Scream seen as 'Revolutionary' an...

How is Scream seen as 'Revolutionary' and this film isn't?

posted 13 years ago by spence711
8 replies | jump to latest

This baffles me, I watched all 4 screams movies, and watched this film, and this film was 10..10 times better then all of those film combined. The main thing that baffles me is how Scream is considered postmodern, witty, satarish and ironic, no it's not, this film is all of those things, and those who claim Scream is a comedy, is just f@#king ridiculous, or that the films are scary, this is film IS both Funny and Scary, and it is well more executed then that Franchise. Like i said, why is that film getting all the credit? This film should be on a damn pedestal for how great it is, and how it actually is in a way a Deconstruction of the Slasher Genre, seriously though F@#k Scream, go Leslie Vernon, because this film is better then all four of those films combined.

Ignore Me!!!!!!!

[–] moooovieman 13 years ago

Do you know what revolutionary means? Just because you think this movie is better doesn't mean it's more revolutionary than Scream. Scream came at a point where it looked like the slasher genre was dried out and done for, it resurged it's popularity and not only introduced slasher and horror films to a new generation but also made fun of it's own genre within the movie. Behind the Mask, while excellent, came 10 years later and didn't get enough promotion or a wide release that would allow it to have even a fraction of the impact Scream did on the horror genre.

[–] spence711 13 years ago

The Reason Scream is inferior, is because that wasn't a Deconstruction of the Slasher Genre, it just acted self aware, even though the characters were falling for the exact cliches they pointed out (running up the stairs instead of out the door, running in the woods, etc) just because you're self aware doesn't mean your being original, it just means your characters are f@#king Retards, and other then just shouting Slasher Trivia (Heyuk, we know about Jason and Freddy and other slashers har de har), barely did anything with the Slasher Genre, now BTM, it did tons for the Slasher Genre, it pointed the ins and outs, showed us how the killers worked, broke cliches, enforced cliches, hell it even looked at the slasher genre as a whole, The arguments some characters have (like Leslies birthing spiel) are true Arguments people have had for the Slasher Genre,
and the Cameos from Slasher Veterans (Robert Englund and Kane Hodder) without feeling forced and dry was neat as well, so sorry, Scream is not a Revolutionary film, it didn't make fun of the slasher genre (Anyone who says Scream is a comedy is truly smoking something) It was a Horror movie with a Gimmick, that is all, and Scream barely breathed life into the Slasher Genre, can you name a Great Slasher movie that has come out in the past 20 something years, that didn't feel like the same old schtick, so basically Scream is just a shallow Horror Franchise that didn't breathe into the Slasher Genre, it just put it on life support, Scream didn't do to Slasher Movies what 28 Days Later did for Zombie movies.
Ignore Me!!!!!!!

[–] moooovieman 13 years ago

The conversation was not about which film was inferior, although I do believe Behind the Mask is inferior to Scream, but I never mentioned that and that was not the point I was arguing in my first post. Regardless of what you think, being self aware WAS original when Scream did it because it was the first to do it, really successfully at least... It was a horror movie featuring characters that knew about horror movies, and it really connected with the audience. Other horror movies didn't have that. And, regardless of what you assert about it putting slashers on life support, it DID make them popular again and it DID introduce the genre to a whole new group of people, myself included. I wouldn't have seen Behind the Mask if not for Scream, I guarantee that. While Behind the Mask is an excellent movie, I wholeheartedly disagree that it did some of the things you believe it did, like breaking cliches... I'm sorry, but didn't the kids do all the stupid things that Leslie said they were going to do? And didn't the virgin live until the end and have a dramatic chase with the killer and then end up defeating him? Only for the audience to find out that he's actually still alive... yeah, that's not what I call breaking cliches. Like you said, that's enforcing cliches, and that's all Behind the Mask did. In fact, I consider Behind the Mask to be the horror movie with a gimmick, it just showed us the other side of the slasher genre for part of it before switching to a regular, albeit bland-ish slasher at the end.

Revolutionary: "Involving or causing a complete or dramatic change", which Scream did by bringing slasher movies back into popularity. Many, if not all, horror fans consider the resurgence in popularity the "post-SCREAM era". Maybe the content wasn't completely revolutionary, it did follow the basic formula of a slasher movie, but at the time it came and the fact that it was so well written, acted, and directed (by freaking Wes Craven, no less), plus the fact that it played enough with the self-aware theme to make it different from run-of-the-mill slashers, made it good enough to become a hit and the most important slasher movie of the past 20 years, not because it changed how the stories were told, but because it allowed more of them to be made.

[–] Gimme_A_Jeep 13 years ago

Well said. Wow.

Why aren't more people smart like you? I mean, seriously. :)

[–] TheBeardedWonder 11 years ago

+1

"What? Do you wanna just sit around and be wrong?" - Liz Lemon

[–] Movie_Buff_Brad 13 years ago

To be "revolutionary" at something, you generally have to be the first to do it. Scream was, while Leslie Vernon came around 10 years afterword. It's like complaining about Toy Story's CG-animation being considered revolutionary and not Up's. Scream/Toy Story beat them to the punch, our opinions on which is better be damned.

http://www.the-editing-room.com/winters-bone.html

[–] ScorpionTDC 12 years ago

While I liked this a lot, Scream was far better IMO :/ Plus, though the concept is interesting, this didn't do anything that revolutionary.
Leslie Vernon, for a start, is good, it's interesting, but at no point is it scary. Not only that, but it falls into the exact same cliches it mocked. The "good girl" is ultimately the survivor who beats the killer; it's just not the good girl we were expecting (who turned out to be a "slut" and we all know that "sluts" have to die) The first 2/3rds were strong and interesting, and definitely original. The last 1/3rd was entertaining, but it followed all the stereotypes it made. At least Shane or Lauren could've lived instead of Ahab (since the best friend/guys who have sex die in all horrors) Instead, good girl lives, the fit camera man lives, and the guy hunting the evil villain lives. Not exactly a revolutionary group of leads.

Scream has the good girl lead have sex and make it. The bitch lives. The dumb cop lives. The movie nerd lives (though I HATE Randy) Not exactly a cliche group of leads. It also featured 2 killers, one of which had no motive. Again, something different for a slasher film. Not to mention Scream had a huge influence on the slasher genre, whereas Leslie Vernon is kind of unknownish

Death Awaits you (Horror forum)
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[–] 11 years ago

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