MTV's New 'Scream' TV Series Uses Technology to Make You Scream

[Warning: May Contain Spoilers]

With the second episode of MTV's "Scream" premiering this Tuesday, there's been a buzz about the show's success and how it's playing with the old horror strategy of taking an element where human beings find themselves to be safe and secure and turning that on its head and making it the opposite, creating a situation where the character is most vulnerable.

"Scream" does this and so much more. It is self-aware and makes mention of other horror movies like the previous Wes Craven directed films, but it also projects what is going on in contemporary society. One could say that is what the downfall of the Scream films was, that technology keeps changing and upgrading and improving. A most memorable line from the original 1996 film was a sheriff asking a then suspect, "What are you doing with a cellular telephone, son?" Not only the use of the phrase "cellular telephone," but also the idea that a teenager in high school having a phone would be suspect is what is so dated. However, has this really tarnished the following of the films? No, in fact the best aspect of "Scream" either the original or the new TV series is that, like technology, it keeps improving and changing. It's still the same idea, and Jill Blotevogel, who is most notable for Harpers Island and Ravenswood, tried to play with the idea of different types of masks. Theoretically, how could the killer scare and stalk a victim and then reveal something in order to make them vulnerable?

The pilot of "Scream" toys with the audience's expectations and even leaves horror movie fans guessing as to who's going to bite it. Much like the original Scream, there are some elements of taking a popular celebrity and tossing her off in the beginning to give the impression that anyone can die, but the new script also plays with issue of today. For instance, the show doesn't open with a kill, but with outing a girl at school for kissing another girl. It's evident that many characters within the first ten minutes or so are interested in recording video. The opens the door for so many possibilities, but it doesn't stop there. There is also a hidden back-story to a series of murders committed years ago, but that one of the survivors was a minor so now her identity is conveniently hidden. Therefore the pilot does an excellent job of opening up doors and giving us an immediate body count along the way.

"Scream" will be a fun summer show to continue to watch and it'll be interesting to see if it can survive. Watch full episodes at MTV.com and check out the trailer here.