“What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?” is probably the most famous quote from Ghostface, the killer and star of the Scream movies. In the game with the same name, based on the movies, players take on Ghostface in a frantic battle not only against the killer, but also against the clock. Ghostface calls at random times, and you better answer the phone. “You Hang Up on Me Again, I’ll Gut You Like a Fish!”
Background
The first Scream movie was released in 1996. Horror legend Wes Craven, better known as the director of The Nightmare on Elm Street, directed the first 4 Scream films. 10 years after The Nighmare of Elm Street, the film Wes Craven’s New Nightmare was released. In this meta-horror, in which the actors from the first film play fictional versions of themselves, Freddy Krueger, the monster who terrorized Elm Street, broke the fourth wall to enter the real world. The film contained many references to horror films and paved the way for Scream.
With Scream, Wes Craven simultaneously made a parody of and an ode to horror films. In the film, the characters referred to horror films and stereotypes from the genre. The characters in the Scream films are all too aware of the dangers and clichés they are exposed to. The film has since had several sequels that also incorporate other meta-aspects and take on clichés.
The first sequel involved a fictionalization of the events of the first part and persiflated sequels that are repeats of the first part of a film series. The second sequel took on trilogies. The fourth film appeared more than a decade later than part 3 and criticized remakes and reboots of popular films. In the fifth installment – 25 years after the first – legacy sequels had to suffer.
The Scream films are still parodies, but do not themselves escape many cliches of the horror genre. Incidentally, not everyone understood that the Scream films are already parodies, as the uncreative minds behind the movie Scary Movie pitched a parody of Scream as the premise of their terrible comedy films.
Unlike many killers, killers do not return in the Scream films. Dead is dead, and every movie other people creep into the role of Ghostface. Madmen, copycat killers and those involved with grudges don the black robe and put on the signature mask. In Scream the Game, players take on the faceless Ghostface.
Gameplay
In the game, players try to complete scenes each time by discarding the correct cards. Each turn, a player can take a card, trade a card with another player or complete a scene. When a player completes 1 action, they pass the knife to the next player. The knife indicates the active player. What makes players’ lives difficult is Ghostface’s interference.
To play Scream, players must download an app on their phone or tablet. Players enter their names and are ready to play. The timer starts running and players turn over their scenes and begin their turns. Once in a while, Ghostface will call to bully, insult and threaten players. When Ghostface calls, you better answer. Ghostface makes players discard their cards if they do not have the right cards in hand, but sometimes Ghostface targets a specific player. This player must have the correct cards in hand the next time Ghostface calls, otherwise this player is killed and the players have collectively lost.
Players also lose if time runs out and they have not completed all the scenes. If players manage to clear the pile of scene cards before Ghostface gets hold of them, they collectively win the game.
Conclusion
Scream is a frantic game in which tension is absolutely central. Ghostface can call at any moment and every time is scare. Ghostface is unpredictable and chaotic. As a result, Scream is the game ideal for an evening of horror.
