'SCREAM':Opening sequence

'Scream': opening sequence

I thought the opening sequence of ‘Scream’ was fantastic. The audience instantly relates to the main character, Casey (Drew Barrymore), as the domestic setting and situation is very ordinary- she is just at home making popcorn getting ready to watch a film with her boyfriend. The realism created makes the film more thrilling as the audience believe events which are to follow can also be brought to life. It really plays on once of society’s current fears. When I asked a female friend what they thought of this film they told me that when it first came out they had to hide the film so that it was not accidentally played again. They stated that it was so realistic that it petrified them to think that something like that could actually happen to them.

The opening sequence breaks the conventions of Propp’s narrative theory. The audience perceive Casey to be the film’s heroine as she is a conventional hyper feminine character (blonde, clever, attractive) and her point of view is clearly given. However she is then dramatically killed within 10-15minutes. This break in convention entices the audience as they want to find out what is going to happen next, and who is going to survive this serial killer’s attacks. Prior to Casey’s death, her boyfriend, Steven, is killed and so our preconceptions that he made end up as the hero are instantly flawed.

What I particularly love about this opening sequence is that the whole conversation is over the phone. This is a highly successful enigma code, as so many questions are raised in the audience’s mind during the suspense. Examples include: Who is this person? Why has he decided to ring Casey? Is he a psycho killer? Will he come and find Casey? Etc. What makes this even more thrilling is that the conversation changes from light and chatty to angry and threatening. There is a real sense of vulnerability in this opening and is heightened further by the fact the villain knows much about Casey already. - He completely controls the dialogue.

I also like the fact that Casey is made to play a ‘game’ in order to keep her boyfriend alive, as this makes the film more personal and we really empathise with her desperation. This even gets the audience more involved- I’m sure when watching this film, some people are probably shouting the answers at the screen.

What is really great about this opening is that so much of the villain’s character is given to us but his identity is still hidden. This is very intriguing but more importantly the audience are familiar with his traits and personality, which means there is an expectation, that in the rest of the film we will witness this villainous character being overhauled, in order to satisfying the audience.

In the opening sequence to ‘Scream’ credits are even shown. Although this is unconventional of thrillers I think it is extremely successful as the audience is forced to focus on the highly suspenseful narrative event, (nothing to distract the audience’s initial experience of the film). Conventionally credits are shown in the opening of a thriller when the characters are introduced.