DVD Reviews

Scream Trilogy - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Apr 27, 2011, 15:33 GMT

With Scream 4 appearing in theaters, fans of the first three films are in for a treat as each one gets a separate Blu-ray release. 

Well, maybe a trick instead of a treat since we’re not talking any new special features and opinions on each film may vary.

Scream marked a hip return to horror films with its first entry.  It would, of course, lead to a series of sequels and a current (ten years after) return to the screen. 

Such returns at least do one thing and that’s get the other sequels onto home video.  So we mark the arrival of the Scream films on Blu-ray. 

Scream (1996): High school student Casey (Drew Barrymore) receives a taunting phone call that soon escalates into murder.  The media and news reporter Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox) descend upon the town. 

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is grieving over the one year anniversary of the murder of her mother by Cotton Weary (Li ev Schreiber) when she starts receiving the same taunting phone calls bumbling deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette) begins to investigate. 

Suspicion falls on Sidney’s boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich), but then shifts to several others.  Who will make it out alive?  Only if they follow the horror movie rules that fan Randy (Jamie Kennedy) suggests they follow.

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Scream 2 (1997): Two years later, the murders in Woodsboro have been adapted into a film called Stab. 

When a couple (Omar Epps and Jada Pinkett) are murdered during the premiere the media descends on Windsor College where Sidney (Campbell), Randy (Kennedy), and a new set of friends attend. 

That herd begins to thin as the Ghostface killer begins to stalk Sidney and kill her friends. 

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Scream 3 (2000): Cotton Weary (Schreiber) gets a call from the Ghostface killer who wants to know the whereabouts of Sidney (Campbell), who has gone into hiding from the previous events, but when he refuses to give her up, the killer strikes. 

Det. Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey) is brought in to investigate the murders, which prompts him to talk to Gale Weathers (Cox) who then goes to Hollywood to the set of Stab 3. 

The killer follows and begins to murder his or her way through the film’s cast. 

Visit the DVD database for more information.

The first film was trend-setting, the second continued its winking skewering of horror film tropes, but the third film would lose some luster.  The films do offer some greater definition in their transfers, but are improvements over their DVD counterparts, though not every special feature transfers over. 

All three Scream films are presented in 1080p high definition transfers (2.35:1).  All special features are presented in standard definition. 

The special features on Scream include a commentary with screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven, a 6 minute production featurette, 6 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, 5 minutes of Q&A with the cast and crew, 2 trailers, and 7 TV spots. 

Scream 2 has a commentary by Craven, producer Marianne Maddalena, and editor Patrick Lussier, 4 minutes of deleted scenes, 9 minutes of outtakes, a 7 minute production featurette, 6 minutes of music videos, the theatrical trailer, and TV spots. 

Scream 3 has a commentary with Craven, Maddalena, and Lussier, 13 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary, a 10 minute alternative ending with optional commentary, 6 minutes of outtakes, 6 minutes behind-the-scenes, a music video, 2 trailers, and TV spots.  All three also feature a trailer for the latest sequel. 

I haven’t seen Scream 4 (box office receipts aren’t piling up and I can’t help but think they waited too long for a fourth go round), but the original films are fun for fans of the horror genre.  The first film is the best (4 stars), but the others start to depreciates as they continue (each sequel probably drops half a star).