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- - Halloween vs. Scream (https://www.horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66426)

Halloween. Every year around this time, I start singing the Silver Shamrock song...which I think was the reason for that movie. I just moved to New England and the Halloween vibe here rocks! Also check out and please share https://youtu.be/Z2byPsp4weg
YouTube Mark Manchuria King of Halloween
Thanks!!! Happy Halloween!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonleezombie (Post 1002392)

I never thought about comparing these two as when Scream came out Halloween was already a classic. But I just watched Scream for the first time in close to fifteen years, and I have to say the first one has held up surprisingly well (the sequels were much harder to get through).

I never hear much talk about whether or not it is comparable to Halloween, but since most of the final act of Scream is cleverly scored by John Carpenter, I wonder if it is worth debating. Which is the more effective horror movie? Is Scream even a horror movie (I have friends who say no, but I disagree, it is extremely intense and scary at times)?

If you want my opinion, I have to say Halloween. I would say Scream's biggest fault is its reliance on Halloween at the end--it made me yearn for the superior film in Scream's final act. Though Scream had better developed characters overall, you will never find slasher film that matches the on screen persona of Donald Pleasance. Let alone Michael Myers. His creeping around the background is phenomenally scary throughout the film.

Halloween does suffer a bit at times from its low budget, but I still find it more effective. Thoughts? Am I way off on my comparison here?

Typo? IMDB even gives Craig Braginsky "composer: additional music (uncredited)", but nothing for Carpenter. In fact I find nothing on the internet about Carpenter composing anything for Scream.

If you really think so, can you post a link?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sculpt (Post 1002968)

Through the use of the film playing in the background. With Dewey searching the house while the Shape stalks theme is playing, to other eerie piano themes playing from the television during key moments. I know this is played as a wink, but it also works to put iconic Halloween themes throughout the final third act of the film. Ghostface creeping up on Randy has Halloween music playing from the TV, and there are other scenes too I believe. For me, on my recent viewing of Scream, it actually made me realize how much better a film Halloween is, and how much the score can change a film's tone.

Foglights: Fixation

Scream has a better character menu, while Halloween has a better avatar (Michael Myers) presentation.

Scream appeals to the horror film fan looking for an exposition on the intrigue behind thrilling fear, while Halloween appeals to the horror film fan looking for a spotlight on the eeriness of a haunted town.

If you're interested in bloodlust, then go for Scream, but if you're interested in folk goosebumps, go for Halloween.

The Scream killer(s) are great paragons of youthful angst, but Michael Myers is the king of fog. It's already been said on this thread --- you need someone like Leatherface (from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror film franchise) to compete with the likes of Michael Myers, but Scream does provide great hellfire theatrics.

I'll have to give the edge to John Carpenter's creation, since there's an undeniable phantasm associated with Halloween Eve and the panic of someone morbid lurking around in the shadows and fog.

::roll eyes::

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...vie_poster.jpg

It's a horror film VS a parody here.
Nearly everything about the scream series has been tongue in cheek, and a deliberate re-creation of the slasher genre.
I mean it does well at doing it - I quite liked Scream and the first sequel...though the series went to shit.

If we're strictly going on the first installments vs each other, Halloween was a superior film in terms of atmosphere and tension, and the somewhat claustrophobic setting built further on that...the addition of Dr Loomis to further add to the narrative and the overall dread and mystique of this character was a great addition too. It was a chilling story, and was genuinely scary.
...and that goddamn musical score, it's iconic, and for good reason.

Scream was a fun foray into the slasher genre that took the piss at every other turn, but was an overall decent story, with some humourous dialogue and some killers that seemed to really have some great fun doing what they were doing.
The first time through, it was a bit of a mystery and personally I thought the reveal was excellent. The characters perhaps seemed a little more affable.
It did rely more on jump scares and shock and awe over atmosphere, but it wasn't completely lacking there either.
I'd recommend this over Halloween for a younger audience who hasn't had a lot of exposure to horror, wouldn't be a bad entry point, and would likely generate some interest in the kinda of films that inspired it.

They're both, for what they were going for - pretty strong entrants.
I do think the comparison suffers a pretty narrow field of similar elements though.

The superior HORROR film in my eyes, was Halloween.
My personal preference and go-to film, would likely be Scream of these two though.

I think Halloween is the better of the two, but I don't know if it's fair to compare them.

Halloween is so influential that it's greatness stands on its own. However, the great thing about Scream is that it paid homage to all these great horror movies that its audience likely hadn't seen yet, and in doing so introduced some of the classics to a whole new generation of horror fans.

Tough for me to say; I like Scream more than the original Halloween but I like Rob Zombie's Hallowen more than Scream? But if the tv show is in the mix then I have to go back to Scream.

I just don't get what folk see in Scream.For me it was overblown trash.

I can't really say which one of them I like more. Scream is more of a comedy movie and Halloween is rather in the horror genre. I myself enjoyed watching both of them - just in different ways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheebacheeba (Post 1003432)

Really good description of both films; I see them that way as well.

When I saw Halloween as a kid on TV, it was more an experience. I learned to appreciate it as a film later.

Scream, on the other hand, as I was an old vet to horror film, I saw it as it was meant to be seen: a postmodern slasher horror homage. It started out with an expert opening, that was quite fine as horror and dark parody. After that, there was some snappy intriguing dialogue here and there, but I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed 80% of the middle.

Scream's ending reveal was satisfying enough, though it really has more meaning in the context of the hoard of silly "killer's motivation" reveals of late-'70 and '80 slasher films. But it's an inherently tricky, if not inherently flawed, endeavor to not make a stand-alone film, but rather one partly dependent on the audience's knowledge of other films. Even as a target audience member, though acknowledging the impressive opening and the unique genre, my overall impression of the film at the time was that it was fairly entertaining, but not impressively entertaining, nor a film leaving a lasting impression on me.

I think the "significance" and overall excellence comparison of these two films has already played out... I'd suggest one is known by nearly everyone who isn't a horror fan, carrying 5-star ratings, and the other is not -- but rather swims along as more of a cult-following film. The fact that "you" know which film I mean, without me naming them, proves the point.