Scream – The Giallo Cut

This is a novel way to re-do the movie, and I recommend it just for being different and unusual.

It uses a VHS quality (with the screen crawl at the bottom of the frame), so the video is intentionally dull - it even begins with a VHS introduction ad, like videotapes used to have. And that's cool. What I didn't understand or appreciate is the insertion of some 1970s European softcore erotica, at two different points; it didn't seem coherent, like it wasn't intended to be adding to the "Scream" story, but it also didn't come in like it was part of the videotape being recorded over, so I just didn't know what purpose it served or what value it added. (I think it takes away from the overall goodness of the edit.)

Aside from the video aspect, the audio is very cool: it fits the theme, adds a creepy ambience and tension, and I appreciated that whole change to Diallo theme music being the crux of this movie, which I have no reason to see otherwise. The enjoyment is minimal having seen the film a few times already, but the change to the Diallo music and the VHS effects are cool.

I do recommend this for anyone who hasn't seen the movie, or who loves the normal version of the movie.

I wonder what Wes would've thought of this. I like to think he'd think it was cool as hell. It's a great edit that delivers on its core premise almost to a fault.

A/V Quality - 9 - Honestly, I thought this was going to bother the shit out of me. I can be a bit of a quality snob sometimes. But I was immediately taken back to the glorious time that was the late 90s and not only did it not bother me, I loved it. I just can't rate it a 10 because, you know, it looked like crap. But Neg's intentions are fully realized.
Visual Editing - 10 - I love Scream, and I love this. The additional footage was perfect and it was added in such a way that it didn't take me out of it at all. Well done. Also, I loved the trailer at the front that you have to FF through or watch, and when I saw that 'Feature Presentation' I felt like I was a teenager again.
Audio Editing - 9 - I gotta be honest. Neg used Goblin's music better than I did. Super well done here. Some standout audio work and choices for me were during Billy and Sidney's almost sex scene, Sidney's first conversation with Ghostface (how it cuts when she talks to him on the porch), little sting as Billy looks at Sidney in the police station, the actual Billy/Sidney sex scene (that was fucking perfect), the killer reveal and the Ghostface theme throughout. Perfect. I only have to rate it a 9 because I did not like the music when Sidney attacks Billy at the end at all. It seemed very at odds with the scene IMO.
Narrative - 10 - Dope movie, nothing lost, breasts added.
Enjoyment - 9 - I really enjoyed this edit. Obviously I'm a fan of the music but it is used so well here. Scream is great but to be able to enjoy it the way I first owned it + Goblin tunes = awesome.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Neg. Really glad you did.

Overview - Groundbreaking and fresh when first released, Scream has now been copied and parodied so much that return viewings now seem stale and predictable. Neglify drags a rather scrubbed and polished film straight into grindhouse hell. And the result is so much the better.

Video - Awful, by design. Cropped to 4.3 to resemble the VHS experience. The top of the screen suffers pronounced curling and distortion. Noise appears at random times, as does flutter. Then there are surprise, inserted scenes. Colour does not match, nor does brightness or focus. That said, the video itself did not suffer from over used damaging.

Audio - Pretty good here. I warble frequently about not being able to transition from deafening explosions to whispered dialogue, but no problem here. Sound mix excellent.

Narrative - The additional sequences, a few seconds here and there, actually improve the story. Adding a flashback element to the main character’s (Sidney’s) intimacy issues and obvious weird dreams. The narrative does not lose coherence due to trims.

Enjoyment - Watched this Halloween night and enjoyed it a lot. I have not watched the original in years, in fact, I’m tired of it and the boatload of sequels. This will be the version that plays at Halloween parties from now on, if only to hear someone wonder aloud if this is the unrated, European version.

Definitely one for Gaillo fans - even if you’d only watched one or two Argento or Fulci. Be aware this ain’t your daddy’s Scream, though. It looks like something Frantic Canadian picked up at the pawn shop for loose coins.

Brilliantly executed.

What can I say about this edit that has not already been said?

This is an awesome cut of an already good film. I've always liked Scream for its novel approach to the slasher genre-- and though the idea was great and the execution good, the FEEL of the original film was that of a conventional American slasher flick. Perhaps this was the goal of Wes Craven and co. but nevertheless it did not make the film memorable from an audio-visual standpoint compared to say, Suspiria-- a film that immediately evokes certain sights and sounds simply by the feel it imparted upon me.

Enter the Giallo cut--I was hooked from the start. The trailer that precedes the film is cut to the beat of the theme from Argento's Tenebre. It immediately throws you back to the old-school giallos-- and then the first scene, brilliantly rescored and culminating in the masterful Suspiria theme. The look and sound of the film gives it a whole new texture and feel--now you not only watch the story play out, but are disturbed by it (again a reference to how disturbing the old giallos were--see Deep Red, Tenebre, Opera.. they were old school, but there was always something creepy and off about them). This mood is captured perfectly in this edit. The gruesome freeze frame over which the credits play out to great music tell you what you're in for, and even if you've seen the movie simply up to that point, you won't lose the image anytime soon-- unlike the original where, no disrespect intended, but it plays out like just another scene.

The creepy mood and look Neglify brings to the film remains through it. It feels like an old VHS you found and realize you shouldn't be watching (like when I snuck away with uncle's VHS copy of Brainscan-- nightmares for a kid sigh). The unique spin brought on by the classic music amplifies the film's horror and excitement. This edit is everything it promises to be and then some. I enjoyed the original Scream. I both enjoyed and was terrified by the Giallo cut. This will be my go-to version of the movie.

I cannot recommend this highly enough. Thank you for making this. Cheers!