Scream : Creating Horror through the Transformation of Every
Although its generic title suggests otherwise, Wes Craven's Scream (1996) is a horror film that in many ways transcends the banality of its genre. Indeed, Scream distinguishes itself from other horror movies by an understanding, made explicit within the diegesis of the film, of the horror genre and its standard "formula." This genre-consciousness is developed through its characters, an ensemble of movie-obsessed teenagers whose identities are inextricably linked with their culture; appropriately, the killers are two members of this group who view life as "one big movie." Although this cinephelia does make the film unique, Scream self-consciously achieves the goal of any horror movie: terrifying its audience. In order to understand exactly how this horror is achieved, we must look to the opening scene to locate central themes established through the intercutting, mise-en-scene, and dialogue of the sequence. Evident in the bloody deaths of two of the protagonists, the movie becomes horrifying when innocuous everyday phenomena--the telephone, the Jiffy Pop, and the cultural omnipresence of cinema-- become threatening.To understand how Scream functions as a horror film, we must first understand the notion of cinematic horror and t
mask who walks around and stalks babysitters. What's yours? (5) In the metaphor that Williams addresses, there is a visual relationship between the tenor and vehicle components; however, the metaphoric relationship in Scream, which is to an extent visually conceived, primarily functions in a different manner. Although the ripping of the foil and the emission of smoke and corn clearly allude to the grisly stabbing and disembowlment of the two characters, it seems that the Jiffy Pop is perhaps most important as it establishes an emphasis on timing. This function is suggested both by the popcorn's name and by the fact that it is something being cooked: if Casey neglects it for too long, it will burn and be ruined. Her timing is of the utmost importance to the success of the popcorn, a notion that the audience automatically understands because of the familiarity of the action. Also, the popcorn is meant to be prepared "in a jif'," so that the temporal framing of this action is compressed, and the timing of each moment with the sequence is that much more valuable. Given this, we must conclude that the horror which the scene elicits in its audience is inextricably linked to the relatively banal and compressed notion of time indicated by the cooking popcorn. Thus, in order to convey this terror, Craven manipulates certain objects and actions, ones whose normal function is readily apparent to all. In the case of the opening sequence, the audience understands the brief yet important minutes it takes to make popcorn, a highly familiar action in which small changes in timing and movement make a vital difference. Similarly, this importance of timing is inherent to the horror narrative itself.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Jiffy Pop, Kristin Thompson, UmmHalloween Casey, William's Rony's, Steve Casey, Indeed Scream, Jiffy Pop--the, Figures Desire, Casey Steve, Rules Survival, jiffy pop, horror movies, metaphoric relationship, cooking popcorn, nightmarish realm, casey caller, casey's life, boyfriend steve, blue screen, movies casey, jiffy pop appears, king kong monster, threat casey's life, casey caller discuss, sets smoke alarm,
Approximate Word count = 4462
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page double spaced)
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