![]() As heartbreaking as it is, Randy’s death marks the beginning of a new era of horror movie “rules” that are broken within the next two films in the series. It’s clear that in the Scream sequel, Randy is trying to move past the horrific events of his hometown of Woodsboro years before, and this is possibly what gives way to his eventual death in only the second film of the franchise. What’s so tongue-in-cheek is Randy’s view that “Sequels suck,” and that “by definition alone they’re inferior films.” Introducing the killer in Scream 2, Mickey’s role in the film is to somewhat challenge Randy’s notion that sequels are destined to be overshadowed by their originals. One of the scenes that best demonstrates conflicting views of the credibility of sequels in the film world, takes place in Randy’s college film class, in which he and Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) debate whether sequels are capable of originality. This time around, Randy turns film geek to film major (ugh) and within the film, begins to unravel the reputation of sequels to their predecessors. Wee’s concept of hyper-postmodernism is really able to flourish in Scream 2, where we are introduced to the film within the film, Stab. Additionally, one of his consistent strengths as a tool for meta-writing is that he acknowledges the constant fluctuation in traditional horror tropes “It’s the millennium motives are incidental.” In the best example of his tendency to incorporate meta-horror to the film, he explains “the rules” to survive a horror movie which include avoiding sex and drugs, but ultimately set a precedent for the rest of the franchise. Setting up “the rules” for a slasher film, in the first Scream Randy is able to also set a part the way the film differs in the ‘90s postmodern era of horror. ![]() ![]() In the first Scream, Randy is a video store employee who shares his knowledge of film ad nauseum to the other characters, but with the evolution of the series comes a greater appreciation of his expertise from the characters. As a self proclaimed “love slave of Sidney Prescott”, Randy diegetically brings his knowledge of film and horror tropes to his friends at Woodsboro High, but in reality is one of Craven’s tools of acknowledging to the audience that the film is a self-referential piece. The combination of Craven’s success as a director ( A Nightmare on Elm Street already under his belt), and his love of film that is so visible in Scream, Randy’s character is created as probably a semi-autobiographical version of the director himself. With this unique aspect of borrowing styles from film and digital content, the birth of a critic and fan-favourite was born. To start looking at the impact Randy has on the entire series, of which he is merely included in the first two films (and has a small return in the third), it’s important to look at what Scream did and what film scholars such as Valerie Wee call “hyper-postmodernism.” Wee describes the advanced level of postmodernism in Scream as a product of the digital age, and being able to reference the entire canon of horror films that led up to its release. As my own love letter to the beloved horror franchise, I’d like to dedicate some time to explore the importance of my favourite character in Scream Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), and not only gush about how I’m in love with him (although this is true), but more importantly discuss the significance of his character as a tool for Craven’s meta-horror masterpiece. In honour of a Scream 5 release date being announced, many fans have been sent into a reminiscent phase of re-watching and rediscovering our favourite moments from the series. The series - which spans 15 years into the life of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) - earned its fan base by actively paying homage to the slasher genre it coincidentally parodies, and for many this quality is what makes it such a remarkable accomplishment in horror. In 1996 the release of Scream began the legacy of the horror franchise that became an immediate post-modern horror classic, and truly brought late director Wes Craven’s talent for meta-filmmaking to the mainstream.
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