Who doesn’t love movies? A good flick can brighten your day, make crowds bust out laughing, or scare the life out of folks everywhere. If you’re looking for one that does all three, thenScreamis just what you need.Wes Craven’s classic 1996 horror comedy has made fans cackle and squirm for almost three decades now. Everyone knows that it’s a whole lot of gruesome with a fat dose of fun, but it’s us movie buffs who walk away having the most fun.Craven’s film is a loud and proud celebration of cinema, with a particular admiration for scary movies. Sydney Prescott’s (Neve Campbell) friends run their mouths ad nauseam about the genre’s rules while citing one classic after another, showing their understanding not only of these films butapplying those very rulestotheir terrifying circumstances.
Screamis, understandably, often cited asthequintessential meta-slasher. It’s hard to argue that opinion, but there’s a fact that cannot be denied…Screamisn’t the firstmeta-slasher about movie lovers. Well, okay, not thefirst of the ’90s at least(the first ever would likely be 1960’sPeeping Tom). The first of the ’90s would have to go to 1991’sPopcorn, a much lesser known title, but one thattook on the killer cinephile anglewell before any other. It might not be as scary or funny as Craven’s modern classic, butPopcornis an important piece of ghastly pop culture. If it weren’t for this tasty-sounding feature, thenthere’s a chance that today’s genre-obsessed metafiction wouldn’t be where it is now.
A master of disguise deranged killer begins killing off the college students who are organizing a horror-movie marathon in an abandoned theater.
‘Popcorn’ Remains an Obscure Yet Important Entry in Horror Movie History
33 years ofPopcornhaven’t done all that much for the cult classic’s status. While the film has its fans, few would put it on any sort of spooky Mount Rushmore. One of the directors,Mark Herrier(the other beingAlan Ormsby), has remained best known for his performances as Billy McCarty in thePorkystrilogy, as opposed to any of his efforts behind the camera.Dee Wallace Stoneprobably takes the cake as the most well-known actress in the film, and not only does she play the archetypal slasher mom, she’s hardly even in it! Genre fans will similarly recognize and rejoice in the presence of lead actressJill Schoelen, but look down on the rest of the roster, and you’ll be lucky to spot any other familiar faces.
From ‘Scream’ to ‘Book of Shadows,’ The ’90s Were Full of Self-Reflective Horror Movies
Popcornhas more than earned its place in horror history, though. If there were a meta-horror Mount Rushmore, then you’d be a fool to leave its face off the monument. It goes without saying that you couldn’t leaveScreamoff of the roster. Is there a more popular feature about movie buffs? It would be a similar crime ifIn the Mouth of Madness, another self-referential ’90s picture, were left without a slot. Its commentaries onStephen King,H.P. Lovecraft, and the horror fiction industry are wonderfully melted together, all inJohn Carpenter’sfascinating apocalypse trilogy stew. And hey, if you really want to get out there, thenBook of Shadows: Blair Witch 2could also be a fun little curveball to throw in the mix. Aside from their self-aware approaches to horror,something that these movies have in common is that they all came in the wake ofPopcorn.
As the ’90s rolled around,slashers were a tried andtruetired subgenre. Almost every kill, mask, and motivation had been explored already, leaving hardly any new ground to break for newer movies. However, there was one more direction for them to go in. What if slashers started following characters that loved movies?Forget summer camps and babysitters, what about film buffs? Well, at the turn of the decade, 1991 popped somePopcorn. This indie horror-comedy tells the story of a group of film majors as they reopen an abandoned movie theater to the public for an all-night horror marathon. Things turn for the worse when a mysterious, maniacal serial killer shows up on the night of the screenings and starts axing people left and right.
‘Popcorn’ Has Trouble Walking the Horror Comedy Tight Rope
Despite being a horror movie on the surface,Popcornis a supremely silly watch. It might follow the typical slasher formula of victims being picked off one by one butcarries none of the weight of its peers. Speaking of which, once he’s finally revealed, the killer does have a (mostly) effective design, but is nowhere on the level ofJason Vorhees or Michael Myers. Shoot, it isn’t evenon par with The Miner! The movie itself doesn’t even offer much in terms of stylistic flourishes. The wacky touches ofSam RaimiorPeter Jackson’s horror comedies are nowhere to be found. It’s all shot pretty standard, save for a few close-ups during the climax. As for the deaths, they’re much more in the vein of something that you might catch on a ’50s matinée bill. Blood rarely ever spills. Instead, people are killed with giant movie props, or by electrocution, and strangulation. Instead of trying to gross you out,Popcornwould much rather make audiences burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of every slaughter.
The thing is,Popcornisn’t all that funny either. UnlikeScream, there’s no wittyKevin Williamsonscript to work off of.We’re treated to a lackluster screenplay that has the characters wise-cracking at every turn, but barely ever succeeds at bringing true levity. It just ends up feeling like a gutless horror movie — one that doesn’t know whether to commit to being a total farce or if it wants to go all the way in on its creep factor. In the end, the lack of overt comedy makes you feel like something bad could happen to these characters at any moment. Then, when nothing sinister goes down for the better part of its runtime, you’re waiting for somebody to say something funny. It’s just a bunch of tonal thumb twiddling.
‘Popcorn’ Is at Its Best When It’s Celebrating Movies
Popcornis undoubtedly at its most fun when it’s celebrating movies. At the horror marathon, the characters project three films for an enormous audience of popcorn-throwing, obnoxious-yet-excited moviegoers. There’sMosquito, a homage to giant monster movies from cinema’s atomic age. Then, there’sThe Attack of the Amazing Electrified Man, which pays tribute to other'50s sci-fi horror classics. Finally, you’ve gotThe Stench, a parody of Japanese films from the mid-20th Century. It seems as though Herrier and Ormsby had way more fun making this part ofPopcornthan they did having to emulate more contemporary pictures and style itself as a modern slasher.
LikeScream, the cast of characters is constantly referencing actual movies. We hear a little bit aboutIndiana Jones,Orson Welles,Ingmar Bergman, and, of course,Police Academy 5. Sometimes it works, other times it can be a bit grating. Like the characters of its more well-known successor,Popcorn’s ensemble references movies in the chillest of circumstances as well as the most traumatic. It’s in the latter’s instances that things become a bit annoying. Why on Earth would anyone talk about the “genre” of their life moving forward just after almost getting slaughtered? We all love movies, but does anyone love themthatmuch?All the meta-movie talk works much better in the first 20 minutesbefore everything hits the fan. It feels a lot more appropriate and seamless that way.
The biggest difference betweenPopcornandScream’s approaches to meta-horror is how the characters link their fandom to their circumstances. In the former, the cast all ramble on about their favorite movies ad nauseum, but don’t exactly connect tropes to what’s happening in real life. InScream, Sydney Prescott and the gang use terms like “the final girl” and “the best friend” when describing each other. They even adhere to rules like “don’t answer the phone” and “never say you’ll be right back.” Their cinephilic knowledge isn’t just trivial, it’s key to their survival.Popcornmight have been the 90s' first meta-slasher, butScreamtook things a step further by making its characters' lives depend on what they know.
It has its shortcomings, but no one can denyPopcorn’s place in horror history.ScreamandIn the Mouth of Madnessdid it better. No one is denying that! Still, this is a slasher worth celebrating — one that loves films just as much as (if not more) than all of us movie buffs.
