• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
  
• Resolution: 1080p/24
  
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
  
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
  
• Region: A (Region-Locked)
  
• Rating: R
  
• Discs: 1
• Studio: Lionsgate
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: March 29, 2011
  
• List Price: $19.99

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BestBuy.com:

Purchase Scream on Blu-ray at CD Universe

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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG  thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

The Film

[Rating:4/5]

It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since Scream hit theatres and shook up the world of horror. It’s no surprise that the man that would be responsible for reinvigorating the flagging horror scene would be the same man who gave it one of its most iconic figures, A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddie Krueger. Director Wes Craven’s 1996 film wasn’t the typical slasher film, it was hip, it was fresh, and merged genres. It was slasher, horror, murder mystery, and suspense thriller all in one, while also in a tongue-in-cheek way making fun of the very idiosyncrasies peculiar to the genre.

In Scream, a group of teenagers is terrorized by a masked serial killer who likes to call his victims from a cell phone. With the body count on the rise, their lives begin to mirror the same horror movies they’ve been talking about. With the whole town on edge and the killer on the loose, everyone is suspicious of the next person – who could the killer be?

Part murder mystery, part thriller and part slasher flick, Scream‘s strength lies in its clever plot twists, witty dialogue and particularly strong acting for a horror film. This is one truly deserving of the label “classic.”

The film stars Neve Campbell as the killer’s main focus Sydney, Courteney Cox as a tabloid reporter covering the killings and reporting on the death of Sydney’s mother the previous year, David Arquette as a local Sheriff’s deputy and Skeet Ulrich as Billy, Sydney’s boyfriend, upon whom suspicion falls immediately and throughout the film.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Scream has been nicely spruced up by Lionsgate for this release on Blu-ray. The 15-year-old film looks splendid in this 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 transfer. Flesh tones are natural, black levels are relatively deep, while shadow details are nicely extended. Detail is rather sharp as well; one can make out the freckles on Neve Campbell’s and Courteney Cox’s faces quite clearly. There are only a few instances of flicker and film judder detectable and some very slight source damage apparent. Overall, the presentation is pleasingly film-like with a fine layer of grain.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a good one that places sounds, both discrete and atmospheric all around. There are voices that come from the sides and behind, scary noises, lots of activity to make you jump. High frequencies might be just a tad grungy sounding, but overall the audio sounds great.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:3.5/5]

The best extra on here in the audio commentary with Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson. Everything else is in standard definition and doesn’t offer much insight or replay value.

The supplements provided with this release are:

• Audio Commentary by Director Wes Craven and Writer Kevin Williamson
• Production Featurette (1.33:1; 480i/60; 0:06.12)
• Behind the Scenes (1.33:1; 480i/60):
  • On the Scream Set
  • Drew Barrymore
• Q&A with the Cast and Crew (1.33:1; 480i/60)
• Trailers (1.33:1; 480i/60):
  • Red Band Trailer
  • Green Band Trailer
• TV Spots (1.33:1; 480i/60)

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

A nearly perfect thrill ride of scares, wit, and gore, Scream has no peer when it comes to modern horror. Lionsgate has done a splendid job bringing the 15-year-old film to high definition as well, making it look like it was 1996 all over again. Highly recommended.

Additional Screen Captures

Purchase Scream on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]