Originally opening in December 1996 in the States, and hitting the UK in the spring of 1997, Wes Craven’s Scream was a surprise hit, aided by Kevin Williamson’s satirical screenplay that switched the idea of a classic slasher with huge box office success, the film not only aided a relaunch of Craven into the horror-sphere but set the killer groundwork for a franchise that’d last to this day.

The truth is, before Scream, I was [cotton] w[e]ary of horror films, but its arrival was perfect for me in my teenage years. Scream has remained one of my all-time Top 5 favourite films since, it’s self-referential and smart, with consistent hits of amusing dark humour and formidable, scary big-scene setups. As well standing the test of time, this would be a very different film without the sheer intensity of Marco Beltrami’s timeless, visceral film score, as well as that cast which included Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, and Jamie Kennedy.

This new vinyl and CD reissue is thanks to Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings, and it comes with a fine selection of record choices as well (which I’ve listed below) but we’ll be looking specifically closer at the Woodsboro Bloodbath red vinyl, which offers the original 14-track album with an embossed ‘Scream’ title as their new take on a blood-soaked sleeve, complete with the iconic image of Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker, who stars in the haunting opening sequence. 

At the time of creating the original motion picture score, Marco Beltrami was a young, up-and-coming composer—one who, ironically, had never scored or even seen a horror film before. After being found via AOL chat no less, he ended up submitting 13 minutes of music for that initial scene, and his future was changed – just a few years after studying at the University of Southern California. Once hired and working on a budget, Beltrami recorded smaller groups of musicians instead of utilising a full orchestra, and we all know the outcome: a dynamic work that’s now intrinsically tied to horror cinema.

The Cue from Hell is that piece which accompanies the beginning, as it insanely tracks Casey’s emotions in real-time, meaning we’re involved with the introduction and tragic fall that sits timelessly in horror history, and it’s forever our introduction to Ghostface. There’s Sid’s House (or Lament in certain scenarios) that captures the grief Sidney (Campbell) embodies after her mother’s death. This piece revels in echoey reverb, and the composition features soprano Rose Thomson, who’s vocal track has become synonymous with grief-laden Sidney from the start.

Red Herring continues to represent a melancholia felt in our lead final girl, while also celebrating Beltrami’s love for the Spaghetti Western, where orchestra accompaniment is key in the atmospherics, inducing the spirit of Ennio Morricone no less. Bathroom slows it down, initially suggesting we’re in a safe High School environment with that haunting high note before returning us to fear itself, before then merging into Mr. Himbry Gets It and a Psycho motif inclination – although this track isn’t on the vinyl but is on the CD extended version! And then, we get to Tatum’s Torture that features a fall from reality, an almost-Vertigo-like piece that twists and turns to her untimely garage-door demise. Killer Stabs Billy inverts again, and throws questions into the mind both musically and filmically, before we get deep inside They’re Crazy which must be absolutely right in terms of the rolling changes in its environment and Beltrami nails it once again.

Overall, this is a film score that was brave enough to try new things and also celebrate both its inspirations and breathes fresh [non dead] air into the lungs of ‘Surprise, Sidney!’ And, throughout, they also somehow avoided creating a ‘theme’ for their main villain, instead focusing on the journey of an individual character in symphonies – a plan that remained as they worked together through Scream 2, 3 and 4 – something Craven reflected on in 2012, saying:

“We knew in half a minute that we had found our composer. The music was haunting, beautiful and totally original. Marco turned out to be shy and soft-spoken, but a fountain of ideas and innovation. I never looked back.” 

Sophisticated and inventive, with an unerringly intelligent amalgamation of contemporary and classic, Marco Beltrami’s Scream score set the bar for a whole new era of film score in horror and deserves this sharp new reissue and, now, I’m off for another listen, so I’ll be right back….

As well as this “Woodsboro Bloodbath” red vinyl, depending on where you are in the world, there’s also a “Knife’s Edge” silver vinyl with poster (Target), “Surprise, Sidney” metallic blend vinyl (Barnes & Noble), “Don’t Hang Up” clear vinyl (Books-A-Million), “I’ll Be Right Back” blue vinyl (Urban Outfitters), “Final Girl” splatter vinyl (Hot Topic), “Wrong Answer” Blood Red Splatter vinyl (Varèse Sarabande/Craft Recordings), and a “Final Phone Call” blue vinyl at select indie retailers. Need a version on CD? No problem, check out the ‘Extended Cut Edition’ that features all 40 of the film’s cues!

Order your US version by clicking here!

There’s also the UK red vinyl or CD here*https://link.amazon/B0cqzKR4P

*This is an affiliate link but this review comes from my own adoration for the score