Matt Taylor – Scream
The four Scream films are good. MTV’s Scream is not. Or, at least not in the traditional sense. Anyone looking for shocking plot twists or intelligent dialogue should look elsewhere. But, whether it was intentional or not, MTV has gifted us with the summer’s most addictive guilty pleasure.
Baring almost no obvious similarities to the film franchise they share a title with, Scream tells an overly convoluted story about a group of teenagers being targeted by a masked killer, who may (or may not) be connected to another killer who targeted another group of teenagers twenty-something years ago. But while the classic films were driven by the suspense of whether or not your favorite characters would make it to the end, the primary source of entertainment in this series comes from waiting for your least favorite characters to die. Not only are all of these characters almost laughably unlikable, but they consistently make the stupid decisions that the movies mocked. Whether they’re revealing secrets in locations where someone could easily overhear, or having sex in open fields where they’d be unable to defend themselves against the killer on the loose, these characters aren’t the brightest, and we’re better off for it. Each week, we’re treated to countless hilarious moments where the characters almost gleefully walk into a deadly trap, only for their friends to briefly mourn their loss before worrying about their love lives and school assignments. If you watch it with the right mindset, this show could provide some serious laughs.
In addition to the main plotline, Scream boasts a number of convoluted subplots, including a blackmail ring, corrupt politicians, illicit teacher/student affairs and a love triangle, with many of these plots becoming loosely connected as the weeks go on. It gets confusing at times, but that awkward marriage of melodrama and murder is quite funny. The show deserves legitimate credit, however, for actually making the identity of the killer(s) a surprisingly compelling mystery. We’re currently six episodes into the season and I truly have no idea who could be behind the murders, with a number of characters having potential motives. Now, this could be a sign of bad writing but, I’ll commend the series for its ability to actually pull me into the mystery. And, while the dialogue is nowhere near as intelligent as the original films’, there have been a number of great one-liners. But, there are also unintentional laughs to be had, like whenever a character makes a forced pop culture reference shortly after watching their friend get brutally murdered (something that has happened on more than one occasion).
While the cast probably won’t be busy on the night of this year’s Emmys, there are some talented young actors who could use this series as a launching pad onto bigger and better things. Series lead Willa Fitzgerald has some serious screen presence and makes for an ideal scream queen. Her co-star, Bex Taylor-Klaus (who some will recognize as Sin from Arrow), also has killer comedic timing (pun not intended), and does a nice job portraying one of the series’ few likable characters. Perhaps the best of the bunch is Carlson Young, who tries her hardest to elevate the flimsy material she’s given as the vapid mean-girl who’s in the midst of an affair with her teacher. Hopefully, once her stint on Scream is over, she’ll impress on a series that’s actually great, and not enjoyable in an ironic way.
We live in a generation where campiness is celebrated, and frequently met with large viewing parties and an abundance of tweets. Films like Sharknado are made to be as bad as possible, and while there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with that, there’s a sense of novelty to being able to laugh at a show, not with it. If you forget the fact that this series is (loosely) based on one of the best horror films of the past 20 years, MTV’s Scream is a lot of fun. It revels in trashy plot-twists and a disproportionate amount of melodrama, almost as if it’s a spoof of teen-friendly soap operas like Pretty Little Liars. But I don’t want to give the writers that much credit: they set out to make an addictive teen drama, and have accidentally created one of the summer’s funniest comedies. This is a perfect series for group viewing, so gather all your friends, make some popcorn, and get ready to yell at your television.
Read Ann Hale’s original review of Scream on Pop-Break.com
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