max_nunez_c1y6vogt0e5qi's profile

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Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

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Still more genre submissions declined

I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but my submissions to list these titles as thrillers were declined. Unlike last time, these films fit the IMDb definition of "thriller" to a T.

The Ring (both sequels are listed as thrillers)
Scream 1, 2, 3, 4
Stigmata
Oldest First
Selected Oldest First

Employee

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6 years ago

Hi Max, do you have the submission reference numbers for these? Thank you! 

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3 years ago

The original Scream film meets the Thriller genre definition. 

Consider the following evidence:

1. The IMDb genre definition of Thriller is in pertinent part as follows: "Should contain numerous sensational scenes or a narrative that is sensational or suspenseful." The entire Scream film is all about building suspense, plus the film features multiple sensational scenes, so the film meets both elements of this definition (suspense and sensational scenes), even though it only needs to meet one element. In the film, nobody knows who the killer is, where the killer is, or when or whom the killer will strike next. These are the hallmarks of suspense. Just search for the word "suspense" on the reviews of this film and it's clear that viewers find the film suspenseful. As for sensational scenes, literally from beginning to end there are numerous scenes of graphic violence, mostly involving stabbings by a masked killer. If that is not sensational, I don't know what is.

2. The taglines for this film show that it was marketed as "A new thriller from Wes Craven." That is currently the featured tagline on the title's reference view page.

3. Scream is currently listed on Wikipedia in the following film categories: 
1996 thriller films
1990s horror thriller films
1990s mystery thriller films
American horror thriller films
American mystery thriller films

4. The most recent Scream film in the series, Scream (2022), is listed in the Thriller genre. (I guess IMDb staff forgot to lock that one. In case it's not clear, I am being cynical and sarcastic.)

5. The Scream TV series (2015-2019) is also listed in the Thriller genre. 

6. The Scream plotline (an unknown killer telephones the victim from inside the house) can be traced back to the urban legend "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs." Most of the other popular films that also trace their origins back to this urban legend, like When a Stranger Calls (1979), When a Stranger Calls (2006), The Sitter (1977), When a Killer Calls (2006),  Black Christmas (1974), and Black Christmas (2019), are all listed under the Thriller category. So if all those other films are worthy of the Thriller genre, why not Scream (1996)?

Not a single shred of countering evidence has been offered by anyone in this thread, neither by IMDb staff nor by any contributors. If IMDb staff (or anyone who has actually seen this film) truly believes it does not qualify for the Thriller genre, they should be willing and able to back that belief up with reasoned argument and evidence. Yet no one has done so.

The listing on IMDb for Scream (1996) should be unlocked, or if the staff are not willing to unlock it, they need to, at a minimum, add the Thriller genre to this title. The same is probably true for every film in the entire Scream film series.

(edited)

Employee

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Hi @keyword_expert​ -

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  Typically, Horror and Thriller genres do not coincide with one another, and while I agree that there are elements of suspense within the film (from what I remember in my teenage years!), the driving force is based in fear/anxiety which is better categorized under the Horror genre.  I would argue that a Thriller is more prominently driven by certain features of an events outcome (1) where there is uncertainty and (2) based on the significance of what is at stake (often resulting in suspense), though it's all subjective.

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@Michelle​ I agree that it's not typical for the Horror and Thriller genres to coincide within the same title, but the Scream films definitely fit that bill. They are all listed here (on Wikipedia) specifically as "American horror thriller films," which I believe is accurate:

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:American_horror_thriller_films&from=S

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@Michelle​ I should also clarify what I said a while back, where I said that "nobody knows where the killer is" in the Scream films. That part of what I said wasn't entirely accurate. There are many stalking scenes, where we do see the killer(s) stalking a potential victim and there is no fear involved. The stalking scenes in Scream are classic suspense. This clip (at 1:43) is one of many examples. 

Also, in many of the scenes in the Scream films, the protagonist, Sidney Prescott, is not exactly afraid of Ghostface, but rather is trying to fight back and outsmart the killer. 

(edited)