Welcome to Woodsboro…

Welcome to Woodsboro, California. A quaint idyllic town to the South of the Golden State. Home to lush countryside, a vibrant community and a strong portfolio of luxury housing, it’s easy to see why Woodsboro is one of the state’s most desirable locations.

Whether you’re a young professional looking to get away from the chaos of city life or a parent in search of somewhere safe for your family. A place where you can leave your doors unlocked. A place where you and your better half can leave the kids at home and not have to worry about their safety. So, what are you waiting for? There is no better time to take a stab at a new life for you and your loved ones in Woodsboro…

Warning Scream Series Spoilers Ahead

In many ways, Woodsboro represents the realisation of the American Dream. Its inhabitants are clearly affluent despite the lack of any discernible career or responsibility. Their occupation is to simply be rich which., in all honesty, is the most notable definition of the American Dream. The town itself is pristine-lined with evergreen trees and lawns tended with surgical precision. Gargantuan people carriers and sleek phallic Ferraris (or the American made equivalent) adorn substantial driveways conjuring images of chubby regal bejewelled fingers. Homes in Woodsboro are not mere houses but palaces described as houses in such away that us mere mortals look at our own meagre abodes with utter contempt. Observing these generous living spaces makes one wonder- could Ghostface have been as prolific in towns which boast more modest square footage?

The most brutal moments in the slasher sub-genre have often taken place in the sacred recesses of home. Whether it’s the every day suburban homes of Haddonfield or the inner-city apartments of Cabrini-Green, the desecration of the living space has always been a central theme. Where Scream differs to other genre classics is the scale of the now iconic Woodsboro residences. Michael Myers and Candy Man’s imposing silhouettes ensured audiences suffocated in the tangible sense of claustrophobia that their victims experienced. In contrast, Ghost Face toys with his victims pursuing them with feline joy through labyrinthian corridors, imposing staircases and endless living spaces. The effect is disorientating but further reinforces Craven’s desire to twist audiences’ expectations at every turn.

Whilst death might be concealed in every cavernous closet or seen dashing across manicured lawns, the residences of Woodsboro inhabitants are victims to their own privilege as much as Ghostface itself. Stu Macher, best friend and accomplice to Billy Loomis, resides in a property with more rooms than a Hilton hotel, a barn for non-existent farm animals and has a well-placed speed boat on the driveway that saves Sydney during one run in with the killer. Matthew Lillard’s Stu is the epitome of entitled rich white boy who has a lack of empathy, boundaries and morals. Despite murdering a whole trigonometry class worth of teens, the only moment of regret Stu displays is when he wails the grotesquely hilarious line “My Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad at me!”. The cry of a child who is going to be grounded for a weekend not somebody who is about to be arrested for murder; such is the vast disconnect that Stu’s privilege has presented him with.

Whilst the films of David Lynch cemented the concept of mundane middle-class suburbia, disguising the rancid underbelly of its inhabitants- Craven and Williamson dial that theme up to 10. Appealing white picket fences give way to grand topiary borders, rose adorned porches replaced by 360 degree decking with views over the sprawling Cali countryside. Still ever-present is the seedy lives this wealth veils. Whether it’s the lurid affairs of Maureen Prescott or Billy’s estranged relationship with his Mother, all is definitely not as it seems in Woodsboro.

Close your eyes and think of an American 1990’s High School. Chances are you are conjuring images of a Kevin Williamson High School. The Pen behind Scream founded some of the most memorable horror institutions ever put to celluloid; Woodsboro High- Scream. Herrington High- The Faculty. Hillcrest Academy- Halloween:H20. All members of the Kevin Williamson Educational Group. Sydney Prescott’s school is less Grange Hill more Hogwarts- if JK Rowling listened to Blink 182 and ate Taco Bell. Step inside the welcoming façade and enter a hormone riddled jungle. As you step down a steel lined hall you’re confronted by countless demonic faces both spectre and student. If Woodsboro High students are products of their education then Stu and Billy will be the first in a long line of maniacal serial killers. As Kacey’s family grieves her brutal disembowelment, her peers mock her death running around the campus mimicking her final excruciating moments. Williamson is equally as scathing of adolescents in his other projects indicating that perhaps the teen years were equally as unkind for Williamson as they are to Sydney.

In the 1970’s, for many teen girls getting caressed by The Fonze was a fantasy that helped wile away the minutes during Maths class. In 1996 maybe not so much. Principal Himbry is at best an odd ball. A pedagogical rogue. Somebody who rules with an iron fist and expects the very best from his students. At worse he’s a manipulative, volatile pervert. His reaction after hearing of Sydney’s initial confrontation with Ghostface, is to caress and fondle the young teen to an extent that can only be described as downright icky. Perhaps Craven’s intention was to implicate Himbry as a suspect. Or maybe suggest that an illicit relationship between Himbry and Maureen Prescott existed.

There is an argument that Craven was perhaps hinting at something far more sinister, historical factual abuse that existed within the system he worked for. In Scream 3, Craven uses the film to expose the sexual exploitation committed by top Hollywood Executives on women in the industry (namely Harvey Weinstein who ironically produced the film). Perhaps Himbry’s uncomfortably presumptuous and inappropriate behaviour was a comment on, and reflection of, the complete misuse of power he witnessed whilst working with studio execs.

Home to quaint oak panelled book stores and independent coffee shops, Woodsboro (Santa Rosa, California in reality) is a modern influencers wet dream. Craven and Williamson wanted to create a paradise community devoid of any danger or risk so that when Ghostface begins his tirade of terror, the whole town is in disarray. As the news spreads of Casey Becker and Steve Orth’s grisly demise, a convoy of news vehicles descend on Woodsboro High. Each van containing a pair of relentless tabloid journalists equipped with a camera and a microphone side arm. It’s clear from this point on that the inexperienced and outnumbered Woodsboro PD are no match for what is to come.

Scream is an exclusively white story. In fact, it’s as white as the pasty pallor of the mask that haunts Sydney’s existence. The complete lack of diversity in Woodsboro is glaring. It’s also something Craven addresses in future instalments of the franchise such as the iconic Stab Premiere opening in Scream 2 where Jada Pinkett-Smith skewers the genre describing Stab as “some dumb-ass white movie about some dumb-ass white girls getting their white asses cut the fuck up, okay? At times it is easy to forget that Scream is not simply an effective addition to the countless teen slasher library entries but a meta dissection of a genre long since laid to rest. Candy Man aside, the slasher films have always been focused on the disruption of the charmed lives of white middle class teens. Such a peaceful and trouble-free existence doesn’t generally exist for minorities who don’t get to attend exclusive schools and don’t live in communities with a non-existent crime rate and towns that have band stands.

For a generation of thirty somethings, Scream is the ultimate comfort film. Woodsboro is akin to Hobbiton or Amity Island. It allows us to soak in nostalgia and reminds us of misspent youth. Spending hours at the local video rental store selecting a horror film for that night or buying snacks for sleepovers that offer us the first glances of the early hours of the morning. Woodsboro is a theme park that reminds us of all of the best scares that horror has to offer and I for one cannot wait to return.

Look out for more from Alex soon and follow him on Twitter HERE. You can also read our review of the new Scream movie right HERE