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'Scream' With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Shea Serrano, K. Austin Collins, and Jason Concepcion

October 12, 2017 · Scream (1996) · Horror · Mystery · 1:23:51 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 12:07The first 12 minutes opening scene with Drew Barrymore
Bill Simmons▶ 18:22The final ~20 minutes — especially the kitchen stretch once Sidney finally gets the gun and wounded Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu (Matthew Lillard) stumble toward her blaming each other, stabbing each other ('a phenomenal six minutes').
Jason Concepcion▶ 13:25Discussed the importance of the opening scene and rules scene but no clear single pick
K. Austin Collins▶ 12:26The first 12 minutes opening scene with Drew Barrymore
K. Austin Collins▶ 23:13Endorsed the Gail Weathers punch ('great one') but offered no distinct pick of his own inside this window.
Sean Fennessey▶ 14:43Agreed on first 12 minutes but also strongly advocated for Jamie Kennedy doing the rules scene
Shea Serrano▶ 23:12Sidney punching Gail Weathers in the face — 'another good scene for me' (tied to needing a Sidney who could win a straight-up fist fight).

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 28:39The opening scene, Halloween references/homages, twist of high school kids being killers instead of adults, Courtney Cox's reporter character, and surprisingly the cell phone
K. Austin Collins▶ 29:41The psychological depth of the killers confessing to killing Sidney's mom
Sean Fennessey▶ 31:37Video store employee as key character and video store culture in general
Shea Serrano▶ 30:37The sophisticated long-term planning by the teenage killers (waiting a year after killing the mom)

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 32:18Landlines and cell phone technology being unrealistic for the time/location, David Arquette and Courtney Cox's marriage storyline knowing how it ended, David Arquette's performance as Dewey, and Henry Winkler's scenes
Sean Fennessey▶ 37:55Henry Winkler's inappropriate physical contact with students, particularly touching Sidney's face in the principal's office

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 47:15Skeet Ulrich — Wes Craven: Elm Street over Scream; Neve Campbell: Party of Five intervention scene over Scream; Skeet Ulrich: clearly Scream; Matthew Lillard: Scream; David Arquette: WCW heavyweight title over Scream
K. Austin Collins▶ 49:54Neve Campbell — Neve Campbell: Party of Five intervention scene over Scream
Sean Fennessey▶ 47:17Wes Craven — Wes Craven discussion praising his three-stage horror career; Jamie Kennedy: dating Jennifer Love Hewitt in real life over any performance

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 59:10Cell phone reception issues and wanting more evidence that boyfriend wasn't the killer; parents allowing huge party while killer is on the loose; questioning where to safely stab someone in the torso vs. arms
Jason Concepcion▶ 1:01:06How high school kids would have access to such realistic voice disguising technology
K. Austin Collins▶ 59:39How the killer disemboweled the boyfriend so quickly - it was too fast for such extensive damage
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:51Drew Barrymore's father sending his wife outside alone when killer could be there - breaking horror movie rules by splitting up; theory that Billy was actually trying to kill Matthew Lillard during stabbing scene
Shea Serrano▶ 1:00:12Drew not calling cops after being told not to; Matthew Lillard being able to get 240-pound cameraman onto roof by himself; cell phone cloning technology for 17-year-olds

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:10:05What's the next day of school like for Neve Campbell? What does the homeowner fix first? How much does she regret having sex with the killer? What's your move at the party? Is the lack of diversity intentional or unintentional?
Jason Concepcion▶ 1:11:03The homeowner would bulldoze the house and move - it becomes a tourist attraction. The killers should have finished Campbell off instead of toying with her.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:12:14Sydney going to college after that trauma is unrealistic. The lack of diversity was unintentional and corrected in Scream 2.
Shea Serrano▶ 1:10:14Campbell would be done for the rest of the year. She'd regret the sex timing. At the party, just run away and don't save anyone - run two miles if needed.

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:55Matthew Lillard — stunned on rewatch by how good he is; 'he kind of blows people off the screen' in a $300M movie that relaunched horror.
Jason Concepcion▶ 1:19:19The horror genre itself — revitalized by the movie, whose self-referential style created appreciation for the genre writ large (Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc.).
K. Austin Collins▶ 1:16:58The Ghostface mask — 'I think The Mask wins that' (loved that they just happened upon it, 'like fate').
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:19:50Wes Craven — he used the leverage from Scream/Scream 2 to finally make his sincere drama Music of the Heart (Meryl Streep Oscar nomination).
Shea Serrano▶ 1:17:17Matthew Lillard — 'I'm going Lillard'; everything he did made Shea trust him in later movies (She's All That, Scooby-Doo).

Movies Referenced (30)

Scream 2 (1997)

12 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano▶ 10:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Halloween (1978)

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Jason Concepcion, Shea Serrano▶ 3:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Mask (1994)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, K. Austin Collins, Shea Serrano▶ 5:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Summer Catch (2001)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano▶ 1:17:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cruel Intentions (1999)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 26:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Friday the 13th (1980)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Jason Concepcion▶ 13:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Predator (1987)

2 mentions · Shea Serrano▶ 25:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Psycho (1960)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 6:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky V (1990)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 48:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Scream 4 (2011)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, K. Austin Collins▶ 1:14:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

She's All That (1999)

2 mentions · Shea Serrano▶ 1:17:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wall Street (1987)

2 mentions · Jason Concepcion, Bill Simmons▶ 33:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Wes Craven

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, New Nightmare▶ 41:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chris Corner

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Saint, Open Your Eyes▶ 39:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Carpenter

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, K. Austin Collins · Known for Dark Star, Halloween▶ 47:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sam Raimi

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Spider-Man, The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness▶ 41:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Affleck

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 25:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Clooney

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Ides of March, Good Night, and Good Luck., Michael Clayton▶ 38:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Quentin Tarantino

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn▶ 31:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Rodriguez

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for El Mariachi▶ 55:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (54)

Henry Winkler

23 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Jason Concepcion · Known for Night Shift▶ 19:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Drew Barrymore

21 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Shea Serrano · Known for Charlie's Angels, 50 First Dates, Never Been Kissed▶ 5:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Matthew Lillard

20 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano · Known for The Descendants▶ 11:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Skeet Ulrich

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Sean Fennessey · Known for Scream▶ 10:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Neve Campbell

14 mentions · Bill Simmons, K. Austin Collins, Jason Concepcion · Known for Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3▶ 6:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Arquette

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Sean Fennessey · Known for Scream 3, Never Been Kissed, Scream 2▶ 35:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Migs Govea

8 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Ocean's Eight, Motherless Brooklyn▶ 51:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rose McGowan

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, K. Austin Collins · Known for Planet Terror▶ 10:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jamie Kennedy

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, K. Austin Collins · Known for Scream 2, Romeo + Juliet▶ 14:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Reese Witherspoon

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, K. Austin Collins · Known for Wild, Walk the Line, Legally Blonde▶ 22:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Johnny Depp

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl▶ 10:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jennifer Love Hewitt

3 mentions · K. Austin Collins, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for I Know What You Did Last Summer▶ 53:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Kevin Williamson

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Scream, Scream 2▶ 9:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harvey Weinstein

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Shakespeare in Love, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hateful Eight▶ 1:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗