Still Screaming and Scream 4 were released within twenty-four hours of each other. So I’m surprised there were only three mentions of the third sequel in the documentary. For those of you who are unaware, the original title of Scream was Scary Movie. And this is a review of a documentary that chronicles the Scream franchise.
Before I head any further with this review, I need to state that this is thee best horror film documentary you will find in terms of direct, candid commentary. Not only does it include commentary from franchise director Wes Craven and main actors Neve Campbell and David Arquette, but it also contains interviews from almost every cast and crew member imaginable. Here’s the list:
Cast members: Roger Jackson (“The Voice” of Ghostface), Liev Schreiber (“Cotton Weary”), Jamie Kennedy (“Randy”), Jerry O’Connell (“Derek”/Scream 2), Nancy O’Dell (“TV Host”/Scream 2-4), Matthew Lillard (“Stu”/Scream), Laurie Metcalf (“Debbie Salt/Scream 2), Parker Posey (“Jennifer”/Scream 3), Lawrence Hecht (“Neil Prescott”/Scream 1,3), Scott Foley (“Roman Bridger”/Scream 3), W Earl Brown (“Kenny”/Scream), Duane Martin (“Joel”/Scream 2), Heather Matarazzo (“Martha”/Scream 3), Josh Pais (“Wallace”/Scream 3), Elise Neal (“Hallie”/Scream 2), Henry Winkler (“Principal Himbry”/Scream), Joseph Whipp (“Sheriff Burke”/Scream), Kelly Rutherford (“Christine”/Scream 3), and Brian Avery (“Ghostface”/Scream 3).
Crew members: Howard Berger (special effects/Scream 1-2), Marco Beltrami (composer), Lisa Beach (casting), John Paul Jones (prop master), Dane Farwell (stunts/Scream 1-2), Ehren Kruger (writer/Scream 3, executive producer/Scream 4), Cathy Konrad (producer), Nicholas Mastandrea (first assistant director), Marianne Maddalena (producer), and Patrick Lussier (editor/Scream 1-3).
So if you’re looking for a definitive documentary – with quotes directly from cast and crew in real time – Still Screaming is the movie for you! It’s so fascinating to hear their thoughts on the franchise more than ten years after it all started. Each cast and crew member brings a new story to the table and it’s so damn interesting and entertaining to listen to. I was glued to the screen the entire time. Things you will learn in this documentary include:
(1) Wes Craven almost turned down the project. (2) Scream was written in only 30 days. (3) The “Ghostface” mask was originally owned by a mom and pop store; rights were purchased for only $100! (4) After the filming at Stu’s House was completed, all the cast members took their wardrobe to a field and burned it. (5) Dewey was originally supposed to die at the end of Scream. (6) Neve Campbell actually accidently punched Courtney Cox during their scene in Scream 2. (7) A second killer was almost written into Scream 3.
Not only will you learn behind-the-scenes facts and listen to delightful anecdotes, but you’ll also get to see lots of behind-the-scenes footage and photos that – as far as I can tell – haven’t been widely circulated until the release of Still Screaming. Bloopers, unused takes, B-roll, and lunch breaks… You get a very detailed look at the process of making the Scream franchise in a new way. Who doesn’t love seeing new material from a favorite movie years later? It only reignites my love for the series. My favorite behind-the-scenes shot has to be a very graphic, detailed Polaroid of Randy’s death in Scream 2. It’s the first real shot I’ve seen where every wound and bruise is visible for more than two seconds.
As a production, Still Screaming isn’t a perfect documentary. It starts off with a not too cringe worthy opening death scene, just like the four films, that later transitions into the real documentary. But, even trying to pay homage to such an iconic franchise is hard to pull off…and it sort of fails. From what I can tell, the rest of the documentary was done gorilla style with no real studio in use. This means that interviews were sometimes conducted on the spot and audio and video levels are way off. Sometimes it looks like candid commentary was shot with a household VHS recorder. Also, I think some interviews were used from seperate, independent media’s resulting in clips that bounce around quality-wise. Alas, I was able to look over these errors in sight of the bigger picture.
I know that a lot of people aren’t huge fans of the Scream movies like I am. However, you can’t deny that it is a one of a kind franchise and there hasn’t been another iconic slasher series since. Still Screaming is the perfect addition to any horror fan’s collection, especially if you are an aspiring horror buff. One of the best behind-the-scenes documentaries I’ve seen in a long time. It gets a 8.7 out of 10 star rating based on the wide depth of commentary alone.
