I SCREAM YOU SCREAM...

Listening to the latest Rue Morgue podcast and their HORROR COURT was interesting. Stuart Feedback Andrews squared off against Alexandria West (Co-host of The Faculty of Horror Podcast with Andrea Subisatti) in a 2-part podcast discussing the virtues of the film and leaving it up to the viewers to decide, by votes, whether Scream is guilty or not guilty of being a horrible film, as Stuart suggests. Alexandria does a fine job defending her point of view, as does Feedback. It is a film I’ve been tempted to write about for a while now, as it was THE biggest film of the 90s, and one that is fairly polarizing in terms of audience reaction.

So. My thoughts on Scream, 1996. Director Wes Craven. Miramax Films.

 

In college I studied Art History pretty extensively, and one thing that always stuck with me was the theory that every successful art movement is a reaction to the one directly preceding it. The same holds true for all art forms, including film and music. Take, for instance, the example of Punk Rock music. It is a direct reaction to the excesses of 70s radio rock, the long, drawn-out over-produced jam tracks, polished to the point of tediousness with all the energy drained out of it. Enter Punk Rock, a refreshing breath of explosive energy and short, raw tracks that seemed a diametric opposition of its predecessors. In the 80s Heavy Metal was all the rage and more and more bands jumped on the craze until the music became a joke. The bands in the late 80s/early 90s were almost a parody of the early metal bands. The genre had become increasingly outlandish and self-effacing.  Compare a band like Poison to the early 80s Invasion of British metal bands – if you didn’t know better you’d think they’re a parody, an intentional mockery of their predecessors. The scene was in dire need of something new and fresh; enter Nirvana and Grunge, exactly the stripped-down shot in the arm so desperately needed.  

 

Horror movies in the 80s were the same way. Slasher films were incredibly successful and an ever-increasing number of them began popping up in the early 80s. By the end of the decade, however, the genre was overwrought and tired, and the slashers popping up in the 90s were pale imitations of their predecessors, recycling the same tired plots and setups. They had become, in many ways, downright silly, if truth be told.

 

SCREAM came along in 1996 as the icing to the bloody cake, with a mega budget, superstar cast, and self-aware characters spouting pop culture facts and horror movie “rules” for survival. Scream was to horror movies what Poison was to Heavy Metal; a joke, a parody, a mockery of its predecessors - to put it bluntly, an embarrassment to serious horror movies, albeit a financially successful one. But then Poison raked in millions of dollars, too.

BUT here’s the difference; the early slasher films were trying to make a legitimately scary horror film. There is a real sincerity to them, an honesty that is lacking in Scream. They didn’t have the budget or production quality behind them that Craven had, but you had to admire them in spite of it because they were sincerely giving it their all. Craven, on the other hand, wasn’t trying to make a real horror film, because he was jaded by this point. The previous year he had directed the dreadful flop VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN. He was out of tricks, and all that was left was to parody real horror films, something he had previously experimented with in WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE two years prior. He almost passed on directing Scream, and is on record stating he was thinking of moving away from the horror genre. Scream was a disingenuous sham, nothing more than a string of gimmicks. The entire killer on the phone plot was a tired trope even in the 90s, channeling such films as WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, BLACK CHRISTMAS, THE NEW YORK RIPPER and even William Castle’s I SAW WHAT YOU DID and so many others.

I’ve had arguments with friends (well, one in particular) who credit Scream with saving the horror genre, when this is honestly a bit of historical rewriting. In truth Scream almost killed the entire horror market, and made a mockery of the genre. Its effect was far reaching, spawning a host of equally tiresome self-aware flicks and near comedies. Scream was a big budget, bloated franchise full of pretty faces and superstar actors. It was the equivalent of 70s stadium bands, full of excess and extravagance but little substance.

It is far more accurate to say the film that turned the tide in horror was THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, a little film made on a shoestring budget that shocked the world with its success. Suddenly the path was paved – fuck spending millions and hiring “stars” for your film, now anyone with a camera and an idea could make their own movie! Blair Witch was the Ramones of the horror world, inspiring legions of filmmakers to grab a camera and start shooting.

You know what the working title for Scream was? SCARY MOVIE. How appropriate that the outright comedy spoof film of the same name came out in 2000. THAT movie, unlike Scream, doesn’t masquerade as a real film; it tells you outright that it is a comedy, a spoof, a parody of the genre, a joke. Just as Scream is. And a lame one at that.

Interview with horror author Andrea Subissati

 I've been sitting on this interview for a couple of weeks now and been meaning to post it - this is the perfect opportunity, as, in light of some recent events,  it's nice to spotlight a woman in the horror field in a positive fashion - tonight's guest is one of the busiest women in the field and a super cool chick to boot...

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   Greetings Fright Fans!! I was first introduced to tonight's interviewee through the Rue Morgue Radio podcast, where she was a guest. She was discussing her book on the Sociology of Zombies in mass culture. Since then she has become involved in a number of other creative endeavors, so I thought I’d catch up with her and talk a little about what she’s been up to… Welcome Andrea “Lady Hellbat” Subissati.  

 

Doc G - Hello Andrea! Great to speak with you! I see you’ve been really busy lately, with a number of creative irons in the fire, so to speak. 

Andrea - No kidding! I never would have guessed there was so much a person could do with their love of the horror genre: from freelance journalism to lectures to podcasts. In the past few years I’ve become connected to so many talented and inspiring folks in the industry (including you, Doc!) and there’s no shortage of interesting things to do in horror!

    Let’s start with your book, When There’s No More Room in Hell: The Sociology of the Living Dead (2010) - Tell me a little about it and how that whole topic came about. 

    I was working on my Masters degree in sociology in 2010 when the ‘new wave’ of zombie movies (like the Dawn of the Dead remake and 28 Days Later) were starting to mark a resurgence of the subgenre. As a horror fan and a sociologist, it was interesting to me that there were ‘trends’ in horror film. When I went to the school library, I found several books on the history of horror films and how they reflected societal anxieties of the time. There were lots of books on vampires, aliens and monsters but strangely, not a whole lot on zombies. There were great books out there, of course (Kim Paffenroth’s Gospel of the Dead was an invaluable resource in particular) but there wasn’t much formal academia on the subject. I took this as an opportunity and decided to write my thesis on why zombies were so popular in the 70s and why they appeared to be making a comeback.

    What has been the reception of it now that it’s in book format? 

I went with an academic publisher because I suspected that as the genre grew in popularity, more and more schools would be offering courses on the topic and would be interested in stocking my book in their libraries. The downside of that decision is that the book is rather expensive and it reads like an academic dissertation. I’ve sold quite a few copies at my book launch party and at my Black Museum lecture, but When There’s No More Room in Hell isn’t the kind of book you’re going to find on the shelves at your local Chapters.

    I thought about rewriting it for a wider audience but by the time I was ready, a zillion books on zombie culture had sprung up and I was eager to move on to other topics. I do still love doing research and writing academic essays. I contributed a chapter on Hellraiser to a book called The Undead & Theology which was nominated for a Stoker award this year, and I’m always on the lookout for more projects within academia.

    Tell me about your latest endeavor, THE FACULTY OF HORROR. I find it interesting to hear a female perspective on movies that exist within a heavily male dominated genre. Have you enjoyed stepping into the world of podcasting? 

Have I ever! The Faculty of Horror podcast was largely the brainchild of my friend and co-host Alexandra West, who also writes for Rue Morgue, Famous Monsters and her blog, scare-tactic.blogspot.com. I love how podcasting gives me the opportunity to tackle smaller topics and bounce my ideas off someone else, especially a fellow female fan! Since we started the podcast last January, Alex and I have had the opportunity to network with several great horror/film podcasts (like The Projection Booth and 6ft+) and we’re thrilled to be making an appearance on a horror podcasting panel at the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear this summer. 

    I was also amazed at how easy and inexpensive it is to create a podcast. Really, all you need is the time and the inclination; you don’t need fancy software or equipment at all. I do spend hours editing and sourcing out clips, but we record The Faculty of Horror on freeware (a program called Audacity, if you’re interested) and a mic made for the Rock Band video game on PS3!

Tell me about THE BLACK MUSEUM lecture series. 

    The Black Museum was inspired by the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies out of Montreal. I became aware of the Miskatonic when I was a guest on the Rue Morgue Podcast about my book: Stuart “Feedback” Andrews was prepping to teach a course on zombies and he filmed my interview to use in his presentation. Feedback and I kept in touch, and toyed with the idea of starting something similar in Toronto. The same idea had occurred to Paul Corupe, another Rue Morgue scribe who also runs Canuxploitation.com. Feedback introduced us and between the three of us, the Black Museum was born!

    The Black Museum has run two semesters now, and has welcomed the likes of Vincenzo Natali and Steven Kostanski of Astron-6 as guest instructors. Some of our most popular lectures were about horror posters, mad scientists and zombies, of course! We’re gearing up for semester 3 right now, and we’re looking forward to announcing a stellar fall lineup at the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear in August.

    You’ve also done some freelance writing lately too, for Rue Morgue Magazine? 

    I sure have! I approached Rue Morgue to sponsor my book launch party and I’ve gotten to know them well since then. Rue Morgue has such a great staff who are truly committed to keeping on top of the genre and giving hardcore fans what they crave. They are the print authority on the subject and I feel very fortunate to live in the same city they’re based out of so I can attend their events and bug them for assignments!

    Magazine journalism is a bit of a departure from the heavy academic writing I used to do, so I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of writing about different topics to appeal to different audiences. I think the variety has really strengthened my writing skills and expanded my knowledge of the genre.

 

 

    You are also heavily involved in roller derby. That’s where you got the Lady Hellbat moniker, I believe. Talk about that a bit and are you still in the ring nowadays? 

    The flat-track, you mean! Sadly, between a compound injury last year and increasing time constraints I’ve decided to hang up my skates. I’ve got so much on the go, I can no longer devote all the time and energy to the league that I used to, and it’s not the kind of thing you can do part-
time. I had a great time with it though; I was MVP for my first bout and I was even on a poster once! I consider myself a Gore-Gore Rollergirl for life and I wouldn’t part with those memories for anything.

    So what’s next on your agenda? Any projects you’ve been dying to tackle that you haven’t tried yet? Another book in the works, perhaps? 

    Well, the Black Museum is slowly growing and we’ve talked about some strategies to expand our reach outside of Toronto. The Faculty of Horror keeps me busy, and I’ll be doing a mini-encore presentation of my Black Museum lecture called Unearthed: The Cultural History of the Zombie at the Festival of Fear this summer!

    As for other literary projects, I could tell you… but then I’d have to eat your brains…