When I first heard about this show, I was pretty skeptical about it. I just wasn't sure there was a way they could turn a beloved slasher movie into a TV show. Especially one with multiple seasons. I just didn't see it working out. I loved the 1996 film so of course I, like everyone else, didn't want to see it tarnished in any way. But I knew Wes Craven (the director of the original movie) was involved in this show so I was sure it couldn't be that bad. I think most people were turned away from this show because it was created by MTV. These days MTV is full of useless trash, so I understand that. However, they managed to take the 80's classic, Teen Wolf, and make it into a super successful show so maybe they could do the same with is one. Knowing all of that, I decided to give Scream a chance. Honestly, I am glad I did.
Scream takes place in a fictional town called Lakewood where a string of murders is taking place. These murders are similar to some that occurred 20 years prier by a man named Brandon James. In the first episode we see a great sequence that pays homage to the 1996 film, but also establishes its own storyline. So right off the bat, the show starts good. Then we see that first brutal murders we saw are a direct response to a viral video those characters posted on YouTube of Audrey and her love interest, Rachel making out. Similar to the movie, a group of teens become the main targets of a serial killer. In this season we start to see the town's dark secrets come out and learn more about some of the adult character's troubling pasts.
Emma Duval (played by Willa Fitzgerald), finds that she is somehow linked to that past and is the killer's obsession. We spend the whole seasons learning more and more about how she is connected to Brandon James (the original killer), and the new killer. Often times, her family and friends are put in dangerous situations and she has to try and save them, all while trying to figure out who the killer is and why he/she is targeting her. At some point or another in this season, you suspect nearly everyone. You also learn about the other significant characters and their importance to Emma.
First, there's Audrey Jensen (played by Bex Taylor-Klaus), Emma's childhood best friend that she grew apart from in high school. She is one of the girls in the viral video from the beginning. She's a loner with a passion for horror movies and dreams to be a filmmaker. She holds some resentment towards Emma at first because she feels she lost Emma in the popular crowd once they got into high school. It isn't until the viral video and the murder of Nina, that they come together again. She resembles Hayden Panettiere; character, Kirby Reed in Scream 4.
Nina Patterson (played by Bella Thorne), is the popular girl Audrey "lost" Emma to in high school. She is the queen bee at her school. She is petty, vindictive, and one of the people responsible for the viral video from the beginning. She resembles Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore's character) in Scream. Her boyfriend, Tyler O'Neill, is the other person responsible. At first, everyone suspects him to be the killer, until it is revealed otherwise. He is the typical handsome, bad boy that every school has. He is similar to Steven Orth, Casey Becker's boyfriend. Brooke Maddox is pretty, sassy, and wealthy. She is at times snobby, carefree, and blunt. Like Rose McGoran's character Tatum Riley was in the first movie. She has daddy issues, and has an affair with her teacher before dating Jake. Her father is the mayor of Lakewood.
Jake Fitzgerald is the handsome, athletic guy with a wicked sense of humor. He's the lady magnet in the show and loves playing pranks on people. Jake is similar to Stu Macher. Noah Foster is Audrey's closest friend. He is smart, tech savvy, and funny. He has a huge love for horror movies and knows so much about them. He has a podcast called "The Morgue" where he talks about them and the local murders. He is also well versed in knowledge about the original Brandon James murders, as he cites him as his favorite murder. He is easily the best character in the series. (To me at least). His comparisons of slasher movies to his real life stuff is always super exciting to me. His crush on Audrey is adorable too! He is most like Randy Meeks from Scream.
Will Belmont is the good guy boyfriend of Emma. He is attractive, athletic, and hopes to get a scholarship to play basketball. He is a lot like Billy Loomis from Scream in that he does some questionable stuff in the show and is the main character's boyfriend. He also has a relationship with Jake like Stu and Billy did. Kieran Wilcox is the brooding, mysterious guy that girls seem to just love. He is smart and mature, and the new kid in school. He is also very similar to Billy Loomis. The only really significant adult in season one is Doctor Margaret "Maggie" Duval. She is the towns beautiful medical examiner and Emma's mom. She is harboring a dark secret though that comes out in the end. There's some other characters in this season, but these are the most important.
After watching the 10 episode season, I realized I really enjoyed it. It surprised me. The characters were interesting and made me really care what happened to them. I had fun trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together and watching the story unfold. I LOVED Noah and Audrey. I loved the ending and how they decided to deviate from the movie a bit with the who the killer was and his/her motives. Emma's showdown with the killer was great too. Even though there wasn't a death in every episode, the killer's presence was always felt. Honestly, I never lost interest in the season. I always wanted to see more. It is the first show in a really long time that I finished a season so quickly. The mask was a little different and didn't quite sit well with me at first, but I grew to tolerate it. And I loved that the characters all resembled characteristics of characters from the original movies. But by far, my favorite part about this season was the part in the finale where the characters made a direct reference to the Scream movie. The characters are talking about using a landline in Brooke's house. Jake replies with "A land line? What is this, 1996?". Scream came out in 1996.
If you love slasher movies and teen dramas, this show is for you. It has all of that family drama, life in high school, and dealing with a killer. You will probably love most of the characters and love this season. Try not to compare it too much to the movies and enjoy it for what it is. And please, don't let the fact that it is made by MTV sway you. It really isn't too bad.
I give Scream Season 1 a 4/5 Star Rating.