Scream Queens (Season One)
Couldn't you just die?
Remember when horror was becoming more and more popular on television? During the 2010’s decade, we were fed. Shows like American Horror Story, Bates Motel, The Walking Dead, Hannibal, Ash vs Evil Dead & Scream: The TV Series, to name a few, were bringing in new audiences while drawing existing ones into the long-format of episodic television from the comfort of their own homes. Till this day, horror television is still alive and kicking. With no signs of it going anywhere.
When I found out, almost a decade ago (I feel old), that a horror-comedy series called Scream Queens was being developed by Ryan Murphy (Glee, AHS) and it would star the ULTIMATE Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Prom Night) and budding Scream Queen Emma Roberts (Scream 4, AHS: Coven). I was like “sign me the hell up”. I’ll have my popcorn in one hand and the TV remote in the other. Now I have a slight bone to pick with Mr. Murphy. I was waiting for a casting announcement for Sarah Michelle Gellar. Hello!! Scream Queen of the 90’s and television star. I mean, c’mon. It basically sells itself. That was a HUGE missed opportunity and selfishly, I just wanted SMG back on our screens.
Anyhoo…
At the time, my slasher appetite was ravenous and every little morsel I could get, I was going to devour. So you bet I was tuned in for the premiere episode and eager to see what it was going to give. Week after week , I tuned in and by the end of the season…I had some thoughts. I was mixed on the show at first. There were some moments I liked and some that I didn’t. It leaned more comedic than it did horror and I don’t think I was expecting it to be as campy and slapstick-satirical as it was. To be honest, I think I was expecting something that was going to lean more towards Scream than Scary Movie. But quite a lot of time has passed, and both my comedy and horror palette has been more refined since. So let’s see if season one will have me screaming or queening.
Chanel Oberlin. Let’s start with her because she’d demand it that way. She’s selfish, unaware, everything that ends in -phobic and -ist and for all intents and purposes, she’s a stone cold bitch. However, we can’t help but love her…or rather, love to hate her. That’s because despite all that pink and sass, we want to see more of her on screen. We just know that when she purses her lips and has an annoyed look on her face, she’s coming for the characters guns blazing and ready to read them to filth. Her response to situations happening to and around her provide great entertainment value and belly laughs. Those one-liners and zingers are comedy gold. Ultimately, making her the shining star and vehicle of the series and the one we tune in for on a weekly basis. Emma Roberts plays this character so well. Her comedic timing and facial acting are the highlight of her performance. Committing to each gag without being afraid of being laughed at, rather than with. Emma has to know that this character is ridiculous so she’s able to let go and have no limits, because Chanel herself has none whatsoever. Perhaps borrowing a little from past roles Jill Roberts (Scream 4) and more noticeably Madison Montgomery (AHS: Coven), she is able to utilise her acting toolbelt to her advantage and add yet another “meme-able”, quotable character into her iconic roster. Something tells me she’s also pulling from her own personality too…(headlines don’t always lie)😏But let’s not forget. Every queen bee needs her minions. I mean, who else is Chanel #1 going to berate more harshly than those closest to her.
Chanel #3 and Chanel #5 played by Billie Lourd and Abigail Breslin are just as vital to the show, because they offset Chanel #1’s ridiculousness, by adding their own quirkiness. Chanel #3 is known for: her earmuffs, off-kilter observations and her deadpan delivery. Chanel #5 is known for: being overly emotional, desperate for validation and an insult-receiving punching bag. Although opposites in every sense of the word, they are bonded by their need to keep Chanel happy (which she often isn’t lol) so that they can maintain the perks that come with their positions at Kappa Kappa Tau. They also have their own character side plots within the series that are equally ridiculous. #3 is apparently the daughter of Charles Manson and #5 apparently has teeth in her coochie.
Of course there is Chanel #2 played by Ariana Grande who has a funny death scene, but she’s mostly stunt cast to bring some extra eyes to the show. She doesn’t have a lot of screen time so hardly makes an impact on the show or the dynamic of the Chanel’s. Around this time she was the breakout singer with the ponytail and the high notes, sworn to take over the pop scene and she did exactly that.
Our final girl archetype comes in a pair this season. Grace Gardner (played by Skyler Samuels) and Zayday Williams (played by Keke Palmer) take the lead as our investigative, suspect savvy and “on the alert” characters. This show needed to be grounded somehow and while these two have their own random characterizations, it’s not as wacky as we get from the others. When they’re on screen, especially together, it leaves us with some room to breathe before the mayhem picks back up. Keke Palmer is as charismatic as ever and gives us the funky, fashionable level-headedness we need in order to keep the plot and mystery-solving going, but at the same time isn’t afraid to shake up the system when she runs for Kappa president against Chanel #1. Skyler Samuels also does a good job with Grace, but as a character she fell a little flat for me. Her character’s personality is almost too sane and normal for this bunch, so her quest for stepping into her mom’s Kappa shoes while having the overbearing father by her side, didn’t secure my emotional investment because I was so distracted by everything else.
Other female characters such as Hester (Lea Michele), Denise (Niecy Nash), Gigi (Nasim Pedrad), Jennifer (Breezy Eslin) and Dean Munch (Jamie Lee Curtis) all add their own zany spice to an already overcooked, overspiced and overwhelming stew. Although they have secondary roles, they are a vital part of the ensemble and flow of the story. All actresses understand comedy really well, therefore their jokes gave me plenty of laughs and their presence was able to shine just as bright as the primary characters. Denise Hemphill is on such a trip that I couldn’t help but wonder what a buddy cop show with her and Loretta Devine’s Reece (Urban Legend) would be like. I don’t know if I’d be ready for that, but I want it ASAP. She was one of my favourites and had me giggling every time she had a nonsensical monologue that she’d deliver with the signature Niecy cadence.
We also can’t have a sorority without some man candy to balance it out. Well in the form of abs and chiselled jawlines we have Chad Radwell (Glen Powell), Boone Clemens (Nick Jonas) and Pete Martinez (Diego Boneta).
Nick Jonas was another stunt cast with his solo career picking up some momentum post Jonas Brothers. Although not there for most of the series, his character had more impact to the overall mystery. I thought he did a good job at playing the gay-yet-not-so-gay frat brother Boone and his reveal as one of the killers was actually able to catch me off guard. I also remember that his homoerotic relationship with Chad had many queer people accusing Nick of fueling the queer-baiting he was heavily attached to at the time. Since then, I guess Harry Styles gladly took the torch.
Pete Martinez had the makings of a final boy. However, he is also unfortunately bland in comparison to the rest of the cast. Even though he is the investigative, sweet guy with a face that can launch a thousand rockets, I never really cared much when he was on screen. Especially when sharing scenes with Grace. Not to the fault of Diego, he did a good job with the character and had a good Matthew McConaughey impression scene, but the character wasn’t written with enough zest to give me any sort of memorable impression after each episode.
Chad Radwell on the other hand doesn’t just have zest, he is the entire damn lemon. Sometimes he enhances the flavour of the scenes and other times he just leaves a sour taste. This character is as ridiculous as Chanel #1, but what makes this sex-crazed, hornball frat bro charismatic is that he is able to put Chanel #1 on her place. Few characters are able to get under her skin and sometimes we needed to see the queen bee brought down to Earth every now and then. Glen Powell did an amazing job with this character by leaning into every stereotype we could possibly associate with a rich, white frat boy named Chad.
Lastly we can’t talk about the series’ characters without talking about the killer: The Red Devil. The costume design for this villain is cartoony, bold and menacing which fits perfectly with the tone of the show. However, the RD still has a threatening presence when he appears out of nowhere and has a strong physicality to him that is dare I say…suave. This killer isn’t afraid to use multiple weapons to carry out his kills in a precise, well executed fashion and while they may not have been very visibly gory, they were actually quite brutal even when skewing comedic. The nods to other horror movies sprinkled throughout were highly appreciated as a horror fan, particularly the Psycho reference with Dean Munch and The Exorcist 3 shears kill in the Overlook Maze. It tells me that the writers are most likely fans of horror themselves.
The Scream Queen’ writing department must have been a lot of fun because this show can only be conjured up by people who understand and appreciate a certain brand of comedy. The strongest element of the show is its dialogue between characters and the jokes are supposed to take horror tropes and maximise their comedic effect, and I would say they succeeded in that direction. However, comedy and horror are not that different in that they both elicit a visceral human response, but where comedy still has the ability to play within the lines of stupid and get away with it, horror requires a different flavour of silly in order to make it work. I’d say that this show bordered on spoof, caricature and camp which has its place, but I personally would have liked to see them go just as hard on the horror and mystery as they did with the comedy and one-line zingers. I think the best horror comedies are able to balance both by leaning into what makes each genre great.
I would recommend this series to people who know that this is purposefully trying to be silly. You’ll definitely have a great time with it and it might be the show that helps you to decompress after a long, tiring day. If you’re familiar with Glee, then you’re for sure going to enjoy it. It’s irreverent in the best way and has a talented cast that is able to roll with the punchlines.
I give Scream Queens 3.5 out of 5 Chanel’s 💅🏼
What did you think of the show and how would you rate it? Share your thoughts below.
