SCREAM:THE INSIDE STORY picks apart the Craven classic Tonight on BIO

Regardless of your thoughts on Craven’s later films (Scream 3, Cursed, My Soul to Take), Craven has made a solid name for himself in horror.  Whether it is his earliest films, Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes,  that show how quickly man can embrace violence, or the sophisticated direction and hallucinatory imagery of  his later films, A Nightmare on Elm St. and The Serphent and The Rainbow, all of these films hold a place among the classics of the horror genre.  Yet, it was a film from 1996 that recognized all of the elements that made these previous  films successful combined with a healthy slice of dark humor, that made Scream one of Wes Craven’s most successful films to date.  Scream not only was a film that unveiled the rules of the horror genre … it completely re-invented them.

Tonight, at 8 et (7 ctr), Scream: The Inside Story will take us on a ride back to 1996 where Wes Craven introduced us to a little town called Woodsboro that was plagued by a series of murders.  The two hour special, will air repeatedly every two hours this evening on the Biography Channel, and will feature interviews from Wes Craven, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, and more. 

You almost forget how daring it was that they killed Drew Barrymore in the opening scene.  By today’s standards, it almost seems too predictable.  At the time though, you thought,”There is no way they would kill one of the lead actresses from the film in the opening scene. She was all over the posters and doing interviews on TV. There is no way.”  Yet, almost as an homage to Janet Leigh’s surprising early death in Psycho, Barrymore goes down in the opening 12 minutes.  This, plus Mathew Lillard’s iconic “rules” speech, and the long chaotic (yet brilliant) ending are just a few of the many iconic scenes in this film.  Though it feels like only yesterday, it has been 15 years since Ghostface was first introduced to audiences.  Now, it seems almost weird not having him among Freddy, Jason, and Michael.  The film and its iconic looking character are legends in horror history.  One can certainly argue that the sequels shouldn’t be included under that claim (especially the third one).  Yet, the original still holds a special place in many horror geeks hearts.  Fans of the 80’s slashers as well as a new crop of young avid horror fans, were treated to a well-paced and gory treat complete with enough scares and laughs to please multiple audiences.

Now, on the brink of Scream 4’s release, and apparently a whole new trilogy, Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven have re-joined to hopefully recreate the lightning in a bottle success they had with the original Scream.  Until the sequel’s April 15th release date, we can nostalgically look back at the first film tonight and ponder the long remembered question: “What’s your favorite scary movie?”

Check out Scream: The Inside Story tonight at  8 et (7 c) tonight on Bio.