By Julianne Huff (Contributor) – Email
Well, Ryan Murphy is at it again. If you thought that Glee had no plot line and terrible drama, prepare yourself before you venture into the world of Scream Queens.
Created by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy, Scream Queens is a fusion of satirical humour and terrible horror scenes. With big names like Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer, Nick Jonas, and Murphy’s favourite star, Lea Michele, one would expect the show to be something big.
Scream Queens centres on the Kappa House sorority at Wallace University, which is plagued by a murderous villain dressed as a red devil. Ridiculous drama ensues as the killer runs around campus, claiming victims every episode. IMDB describes it as “part black comedy, part slasher flick … a modern take on the classic whodunit, in which every character has a motive for murder … Or could easily be the next blood-soaked casualty.”
Even though the humour is outlandish and some of the effects are inadequate, the show somehow hooks people in. Do you want terrible drama and great satire? Do you want to see people die in crazy ways, including loss of extremities, or strange instances where the victim knows the killer? The comedy-drama comes off like a mix of Scream and Scary Movie.
And if that doesn’t sway you to at least give the show a chance, consider the fact that you get to see Lea Michele be a strange character in a back brace, or that you are continually left guessing whether Nick Jonas’ character will die or not. Perhaps the idea of seeing Emma Roberts finally shed her “nice girl or rebel” attitude, and instead adopt that of a critical and selfish sorority leader will entice you.
I had simply planned to watch a single episode, but was hooked by the satire and slasher flick deaths, which are not quite as gruesome as true horror movies. As I watched more episodes, my brother joined for a quick watch — and then got mad at me when I watched a single episode without him and deleted it off the PVR. If you don’t want to take my word for it, Rotten Tomatoes audiences have given the show a 75 per cent rating. Although it’s not the highest, that is a decent rating from one of the websites most trusted by university students for the truth about movies and TV shows.
So if horror comedy is your thing, you might want to give the show a chance — despite the seemingly ridiculous commercials. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be pulled into the show, wondering who the killer is along with the characters and the rest of Scream Queens’ growing audience.
