Let’s start with the movie. Scream came out in the 90s and was a big hit thanks to its ability to make fun of other horrors while still being a horror movie in itself. Scream is not a parody it is simply a horror movie that made fun of other horror movies. The man behind Scream and the TV series was the late Wes Craven, a man who also made such classics as The Hills Have Eyes and Nightmare on Elm Street.

With this in mind any avid horror movie watcher could see that the TV series would use the same dynamics. The same non-stereotypical characters and, of course, a killer that isn’t as obvious as the writers would have you believe.

The story follows a group of teenagers in high school as they are picked off one by one by a killer in a horrifying mask (basically the same as the movie), the main character has parent issues (guess you could say the same as the movie…) and a nosey reporter is there trying to get her scoop (oh my, did they just remake the movie in a different time?!).Well brackets me you could say that but, really, the storyline isn’t what makes this so great.

The whole premise behind the movie and the TV show is how it’s set in modern time. In the movie they were watching Halloween and referencing other horror movies and it’s the same with the TV show. Constant references back to things like The Walking Dead, The Fault in Our Stars and Men in Black. To me this just adds more believability to the storyline and makes the characters more relatable, I mean, when don’t we relate to people who watch/read the same stuff as us? It’s also nice to see a TV show that’s set in ‘our universe’ not in another time or a parallel universe like other TV shows.

One of my favourite characters has to be Noah. He basically plays Randy in the original Scream movie. Noah is a student who makes many references back to TV and films to try and deduce what the killer is really doing. He’s the one that takes us back to reality with a lot of references to Pretty Little Liars, Breaking Bad etc. I love his character! He is funny and witty but also adds an edge to the whole thing. He’s basically your typical exposition character but the way he delivers this exposition is so cleverly done he’s a joy to see on screen.

Of course, no Wes Craven movie isn’t delivered without a good twist and the ending was amazing. I proudly guessed the killer early into the last episode and was amazed when I got it right. Delving into the mind of Wes Craven you could see why he chose the killer and why the person who it was, was the right person. The last scene however shakes this up with a cliffhanger ending which surprised even myself. Thankfully the second series comes out in April so I don’t have to wait too long to see what it all means.

If you’ve seen Scream but haven’t seen the TV series what’s wrong with you? Get on it now! It’s so cleverly written and directed I could quite happily sit through it all again!

Have you seen the TV series? What did you think?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding