Scream, or the Outing as it's known in the UK, has one of the most bizarre opening scenes I've ever seen. A slow moving camera shot over some horrible wallpaper revealing a painting of a boat in an incredibly cheap wooden frame, eventually the camera comes to rest on an antique looking clock (considering the films budget it's probably a fake) which is striking 12 O'clock. The camera then moves along to three doll like figures, two of which are decapitated & the third has splashes of blood on it, then the film cuts to the opening credits & three rafts travelling downriver. At this point I was confused about the painting, clock & figures. Unfortunately the filmmakers don't really care & it never becomes clear what the opening was all about, although I will return to this opening scene later. Anyway, three rafts stop ashore and the passengers get off. They are all on a $100 each tour. The guides, two cowboys called Stan (Etan Wayne) & Rudy (Joseph Alvarado) lead them to a deserted ghost town for the night. Just think of an old western set & your pretty much there. Everyone starts to bed down for the night, in sleeping bags on dusty floors no less. Great holiday choice. While outside on his own having a cigarette an old man named Allen (Alvy Moore) is hung. Some woman whose name is never mentioned finds him. After everyone has finished discussing the situation and decided that there is a killer running around a fat guy with a beard named Ross (Gregg Palmer) thinks going outside on his own in the dark to fetch a can of beer is a good idea, hey this guy deserves to die. Luckily the killer does his job and Ross is dead within minutes. The next morning the rafts are gone, the remaining tourists are trapped. Luckily two bikers show up, Rod (Bobby Diamond) & Jerry (John Nowak). Unluckily their soon both dead, along with another couple of our main group. And that's about it as the film plods along as they try and survive the night, half way through which a man on a horse named Charlie Winters (Woody Strode) and his Rotwieler turns up, tells them a story about how he used to be a Sailor & then rides off again! I really don't want to discuss Scream anymore so if you want to find out how it all comes together and ends then you'll have to track a copy down & watch it for yourself, although I'd strongly advise against it! Executive produced, written & directed by Byron Quisenberry this is one sorry lame excuse for a horror film. First lets talk about the script, most of the characters are never given a name & absolutely no personalities or background. This makes caring and emoting with anyone almost totally impossible, none of the characters are given any human qualities. Nor do we discover anybodies relationship with anyone else. Logic, or a lack of it to be more precise, why do people insist on splitting up all the time when there's a psycho killer running around? The killer or their motives are never revealed, hell we don't even know whether their a man or woman. The film as a whole is also very slow, boring & ultimately frustrating because nothing is explained or revealed to keep anyone unlucky enough to be watching this interested, & I haven't forgot about that opening scene which still baffles me even now! Almost the exact same shot is repeated at the very end of the film too, only this time all three figures are decapitated and the camera zooms in on the painting and reveals the date which is '1891' & then the film finishes and the end credits roll, what the hell is all that about?! Forget about any decent murders or gore, there's a meat cleaver with some blood on it and a decapitation from a really bad camera angle that basically shows the viewer nothing. That's it, I can't remember anything else that might keep you awake. On a positive note, hey I'm trying to be generous here OK, there is a cool shot where the camera moves along a wall with the killers collection of weapons, an axe, a meat cleaver & a scythe which as I said is quite a cool shot, unfortunately the killer doesn't really use them to any great effect. It is also competently made, not brilliant but at the same time not too bad, & that's about it for good points I'm afraid. Scream is absolutely terrible & doesn't deliver anything that a slasher film should, avoid at all costs. Trust me you'll be glad you did.