Scream (35mm)

We're delighted to be screening Scream from glorious 35mm film, with a video introduction from author, film critic and podcaster Anna Bogutskaya. Join us in Jute Cafe Bar after the film finishes, where DJ Theo Bleak will be playing. 

Part of Dundead Horror Film Festival 2024. Priority booking for members starts at 10:00 on Wed 3 April. Passes and individual tickets will go on sale from 10:00 on Fri 5 April. More information on Festival Passes can be found below.

In 1996, after a decade of seemingly endless sequels and derivative cash-ins, the humble slasher was in dire need of a pick-me-up. Having already invented and reinvented the horror genre many times over, Wes Craven proved the perfect man for the job. 

Turning the horror genre in on itself, Craven’s collection of school-age victims were just like us. They were young, they were funny, and crucially, they knew the rules of the horror genre. Craven’s playfulness and impish sense of humour are important factors, but Scream doesn’t skimp on the bloodshed either – the original film is still rated 18 here in the UK and the violence is still shocking. 

The marketing for Scream brilliantly foregrounded the film’s biggest star: Drew Barrymore – it’s her face that appears frozen in monochrome shock on the iconic poster – only for the opening scene to ingeniously flip audience’s expectations on their heads, a move which almost resulted in Craven being fired. 

The figure of Ghostface is now one of the slasher’s most iconic killers, but the film proved a fantastic calling card for its Generation X stars too – Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Courtney Cox (soon to be Cox-Arquette) et al are all just as important to the film’s enduring charm. 

Craven directed the next three films in the Scream saga, but (as I’m sure the horror-fan characters in the film would also argue) the original remains the best.