One of my favorite quotes from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist (which is one of my all-time favorite books) goes like this: “One is loved because one is loved.  No reason is needed for loving.”  Coelho’s words are often wise – this quote is just one example – but they’re probably meant, in this case, to encapsulate human relationships.  No matter: they can easily be applied to art, cinema, music, etc.  One can offer much in-depth critical analysis of a piece of art, but in the end we “only have to let that soft animal of [our] body love what it loves” as Mary Oliver says in her poem, “Wild Geese.”  Criticism, commentary, and speculation are all ancillary relatives of that fundamentally satisfying, sometimes calm and refreshing, sometimes frenzied and excited feeling that wells up inside a person when she finds what she loves – in literature or the fine arts, cinema or music, or, to be genre specific….in horror.

Michael and I watched Scream the other night, and I’ve integrated part of the film into a lesson plan on writing reviews with a group of students, so I know how many online reviews of Scream there are, and I’m not hubristic enough to think I could add much fresh insight to two decades of commentary.  As such, I decided to keep this post really, really simple.  Even if, according to Coelho, I don’t need a reason to love the film I love, I’m going to tell you, in list format, why I do.  If you’ve seen it before but it’s been awhile, perhaps you’ll revisit it.  If you missed this 90’s cornerstone of violence and postmodernity, let me try to tell you why I think you simply must give it a watch.  I have no set number limit to adhere to, and I’m listing my reasons in no specific order (I’m not much in the mood for organizing and planning right now).  So here’s my on-a-whim explanation of my love affair with West Craven’s Scream. Continue reading “20 Years of Gore and Glory: Why I Love Scream” →