The Art of the TitleTextual Analysis on Scream Opening(1996, Wes Craven)

By Alex Davies

GENRE in the ScREAM Opening

The genre in the film is shown by the unsettling conversation that Becky has with the person on the phone. This makes the audience sense that this is a cliché beginning scene in horror films where the pretty girl dies.

When Becky is on the phone touching the knives, it foreshadows how she will get stabbed by one later in the scene. As well, her naivety when talking on the phone with the stranger makes it inevitable that she will not be killed.

The music in the background does increase in sound when the person on the phone seems creepy. When the man is getting angry at Becky on the phone the music becomes more obvious. The audience assumes that the man on the phone will attack her, due to the music increasing.

When Becky and the man on the phone are talking about past horror and slasher films, they tend to joke around when talking about it making the film seem real and satirical on slasher films.

TITLES in the ScREAM Opening

The main title of the film is shown quickly, by being a flash of the word SCREAM. In the background, there is a phone ring which leads into the opening scene of the film. There is then a screaming sound in the background as the main title, turns from the colour white to red, indicating blood. From the title screen, it flashes to the scene. In the opening, or the rest of the film, there are titles of the actors or the producers, but areonly shown at the end.

PRODUCTION COMPANIES in the ScREAM OpeningThe production company shown in the Scream opening is

Dimension films. The ident of the production company is quiet and ominous, which reflects on the opening of the film.

MISE-EN-SCENE in the ScREAM Opening

When we see the exterior view of Becky’s house, it is isolated and seems very quiet, due to the clichéd cricket sounds. This makes the scene feel unsteady. As well, the tree swing is slightly moving, which shows that someone has been outside, which makes us assume (since this is a slasher/horror film) that this is the killer.

Inside the Becky’s house the colours are calm and seem normal. Becky is wearing a cream jumper, which fits with the rest of the house which consist of white and beige colours. This makes the house seem ordinary and makes the audience not expect what is about to happen, which makes it even more exciting.

The period of the film is clearly shown by the opening scene that this is a slasher film, as the girl, Becky is brutally murdered by the masked killer. This sets off how the rest of the film will be similar to this setting and how people will be killed off and will have death scenes comparable to the opening.

editing in the ScREAM Opening

After the main title, it flashes directly to the phone ringing which indicates that the person ringing is important. As well, the second time of the phone rings, the camera zooms in on the phone ringing and gets a close-up shot.

In the opening when Becky is walking around the house, a tracking shot is used to follow her. This makes the audience feel that something is going to happen to her.

When the deep-voiced stranger says something intruding to Casey, the camera zooms in on her face which is a reaction shot, from what he just said. This makes the audience feel tense, since they began having a playful conversation, which turned threatening quickly.

When the killer suddenly stabs Casey in the chest it is in slow motion for the effect of the stab and makes it more dramatic.

NARRATIVE AND CHARACTERS in the ScREAM OpeningIn the opening of Scream, the audience sees a teenage girl,

Casey played by Drew Barrymore, alone in an upscale suburban house, making herself popcorn for a movie night. Casey begins to receive phone calls from a deep-voiced stranger, who seems to take an interest in her, since he calls various times. This makes the audience feel that the caller is the antagonist of the film.

But the calls transition into something more sinister when the caller asks Casey questions such as “Do you like scary movies?”, and making creepy statements as if he is looking at her from outside.

It’s revealed that the unseen caller is playing a cruel game with Casey, since he asks her to play a game to save her boyfriend’s life. Before the scene is over, the masked killer has stabbed her boyfriend and in an attempt to run away from the killer and signal her parents who have just arrived to the house, she is stabbed.

When the parents come home to a smoky house they are worried where Casey is. When the mother walks outside she screams, which is due to Casey’s bloody body hanging from a tree. This opening lays out the main agenda of the killer.