Ryan Murphy has decided to drop the mic and pick up a chainsaw and butcher knife for his new creation “Scream Queens.” The Fox show aired Sept. 22 and had everyone raving at the whitty sass and insane murder scenes being presented. With a top-notch cast, well-liked writers and a storyline that kills (pun-intended), is this new show the complete package or is it just a play off of Glee featuring bloody corpses?
The show has been on air for a little over two weeks, and audiences have tasted the eccentric style of the show from the first two episodes. To sum up quickly, for those of you not caught up, it tells the story of a sorority, Kappa Kappa Tau (KKT), being hunted by a evil red devil mascot going on a rampage on campus.
Setting aside a serial killer running around chopping heads off, the other conflict is between the Dean (played by the original scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis), Cathy Munsch, and the president of KKT (Emma Roberts), Chanel. Munsch has made it her mission to bring down the sorority that she believes is tainting the minds of girls at the school; Chanel, who calling a bitch would be an understatement, is not going down without a fight.
The first episode lays in the over-the-top dialogue from the first scene. Not only are we introduced to the show with a KKT sister and her just-born baby in a bathtub covered in blood, but the reaction given by her fellow sisters is nothing short of priceless. Some of the lines entail things like, “I didn’t even know I was pregnant, I just thought it was the freshman 15 and I was having a bread baby,” “Give the baby a mojito to quiet it down,” and my personal favorite, once TLC’s “Waterfalls” plays in the background, “I’m not missing ‘Waterfalls’ for this, ‘Waterfalls’ is my jam.”
The dialogue between the characters is basically the dialogue of the cheerleaders in “Glee” hyped up on acid. This is one aspect of the show that, admittedly, makes it entertaining to watch. It’s almost a guarantee the audience will never be bored, however every good thing has it’s faults. Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s writing holds nothing back, and leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to offensive insults and low-blows. With this dialogue, being easily offended might make it a rough ride.
Not only is the dialogue something that might blindside viewers, the murder scenes on the show have outdone themselves with the unbelievable. Each kill is so bizarre and unrealistic that laughing will always be in the cards, but I think that’s the point.
Take one of the sister’s (played by Ariana Grande) deaths in the pilot episode, the scene takes the concept of society being taken over by technology to a new level. Chanel #2, as she’s called on the show, converses entirely with the killer standing in front of her through texting. Even after he/she has revealed their intent to kill her, she responds to it through texting (shockingly, of course). And just after the red devil has stabbed her a couple of times and is about to finish her off, she makes her way to her laptop to tweet about the event. Talk about being addicted to social media.
If you enjoy a new-age twist on dark comedy and watching well-known stars live in fear and speak absurdly in a hilarious manner, then “Scream Queens” is a show for you. It’s fun, interesting and something to watch if you feel like escaping from real life issues and not having to use an ounce of brainpower.
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Verdict
Scream Queens is a show that draws in the audience through an elaborate use of dialogue, which makes the classic slasher thriller plot appealing to the young demographic in society today.
Grade: A
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Drink Up
“Scream Queens” Drinking Game
Drink every time one of these scenarios presents themselves on screen (trust me, it will be a lot).
-An offensive joke/comment is made
-A pop culture reference is made
-Chanel makes you dumbfounded at her utter bitchiness
-A new secret is uncovered/told
-Someone screams
Drinks to take a “stab” at
Various mixed drinks to try that fit the theme, because you might pass out in ten minutes from just taking shots.
-Bloody Mary (the connection is clear)
-Cosmopolitan (it’s fancy like the KKT sisters)
-Screwdriver (could become a weapon of choice)
-Red Lotus (the killer is red, might as well make your drink too)
-Painkiller (it has the word killer, go with me here)
