This December marks the 30th anniversary of Wes Craven’s “Scream,” one of the most influential movies in horror history. On Saturday, Oct. 31, David Arquette, one of the film’s stars, came to the Warner Theatre in Torrington for a Halloween screening and conversation billed as “Behind the Scream.”
“Scream” was met with critical praise when it premiered in 1996, with many noting its satirical, self-aware look at the horror genre without the usual trappings of camp or kitsch. Featuring a cast of mid-1990s A-listers including Drew Barrymoore, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Liev Schreiber, Neve Campbell and “Friends” star Courteney Cox, the movie was destined to be part of the cinematic zeitgeist.
Ahead of the event, the Warner got into the Halloween spirit on Friday, Oct. 30, with a live performance on the street. Hartford’s Bushnell Theatre, which has a long working partnership with the Warner, brought its digital creative team to project a spectacular Halloween-themed visual display onto the theater’s facade while dancers from the Nutmeg Ballet performed the “Thriller” dance and employees passed out candy to area trick-or-treaters.
The spooky festivities continued on Halloween night, with some moviegoers dressing in costume for the screening. After the film, Arquette emerged from the wings donning a holiday-appropriate suit himself. His talk with the evening’s host, Victor Dandridge, seemed effortless, giving audience members the sense that they were sitting in on a candid conversation about “Scream,” Arquette’s life, his time as a professional wrestler, his status as a certified Bob Ross painting instructor and his relationships with his fellow actors.
While he regaled the audience with stories from his career, attendees seemed particularly tickled by the tale of Arquette and co-star Rose McGowan crashing a local prom. He talked about his relationship with Courteney Cox, which began on the set of “Scream,” thanks in part to his admitted crush on the TV star. He recalled his personal relationship with director Wes Craven, whose encouragement helped Cox and Arquette become a serious couple. The two would go on to marry and have a child together.
Though there were planned plugs for other projects, including the professional wrestling documentary “You Can Not Kill David Arquette” and his ownership of the rights to Bozo the Clown, the conversation felt more intimate than one might expect walking into the grand theater.
The Warner has a packed calendar of events for the remainder of the year. “Almost, Maine,” a play about relationships in a small town in Maine, will run on select dates throughout November. Almost Queen, a Queen tribute band, will take the stage just one night after country music superstar LeAnn Rimes comes to town.
From there, the theater will off a host of holiday programming, including productions of “The Nutcracker,” screenings of “Frozen,” “White Christmas” and “The Santa Clause,” and seasonal performances by Clay Walker, Jessica Lynn and the Torrington Symphony Orchestra.
For more information and a complete calendar of events, visit warnertheatre.org.
