Screams from the Tower
Filmmaker Cory Wexler Grant gave DWF NY 2024 audiences belly laughs with the East Coast debut of SCREAMS FROM THE TOWER. The film follows best friends Julien and Cary as they vie for a morning radio spot at their high school in the early 90s. Getting there is only the beginning. As the show evolved, so did its creators and fans.
The script is quirky, whippy, and bold. The dialogue settles into 90s jargon in such a natural way you might think it has been sitting on a shelf since. I mean that as a compliment. Each character has unique flaws and big feelings. The chemistry between every cast member is outstanding. Even the parents and teachers are memorable.
David Bloom gives Cary a solid best-friend connection and comic foil for Richie Fusco. Opposites attract in every sense. Other notable performances from Ryan Golf, Madison Tevlin, Amanda Bruton, and TJ Lee round out the hilarity.
Richie Fusco has genuine Ducky meets Ferris Bueller energy playing Julien. From his style to his humor, he effortlessly commands this ensemble. His journey of self-discovery drives SCREAMS from beginning to end. He oozes charm.
Knowing that the film is an homage to Grant’s teenage years makes every aspect more delicious. As a theatre kid from the class of ’99 growing up on John Hughes films, this film tapped into every bit of my coming-of-age individuality. Grant taps into the loneliness of secrets and the handling of creative kids. I felt this film in my bones.
Screams from the Tower Trailer:
WRITER/DIR: Cory Wexler Grant
PROD: Alexander Wenger
CAST: Richie Fusco, David Bloom, Madison Tevlin
“Screams from the Tower” Synopsis:
“Screams from the Tower” is a gay, coming of-age comedy that follows Julien, his best friend Cary, and their outcast friends through high school in the early 90’s. Julien and Carys dream of having their own show on the high school radio station is finally realized, bringing them popularity and infamy they never imagined.“Screams from the Tower” Directors Note:
“Screams from the Tower” is broadly based on my teenage years, growing up in the 1990s in the Chicago suburbs. I wanted to write a gay, coming-of-age comedy in the style of the late great John Hughes who only ever hinted at the concept of being gay in his movies but was so very instrumental in highlighting the growing pains of the nerds, weirdos, and outliers. I didn’t want to focus on the trauma experienced by so many queer kids or even the passion surrounding unrequited teenage crushes. So many young adult gay movies have already illustrated these themes so well. Instead, I wanted to make a broader movie to which more people could relate. Focusing on the absurd, painful, and often laughable journey of self-discovery and identity exploration every teen goes through before graduating and leaving the lives they know.
I wanted to show the generation currently enduring high school the technological and cultural changes which have occurred since I was a kid – not out of nostalgia – but to highlight areas of cultural and social change and the areas which have not. Mostly, I hope they find it funny. I hope they can empathize. I hope they can identify in the same way those who lived it can. “Screams from the Tower” is a love story, but not a romantic one. This movie is a love letter to an old friend who forever changed my perception of the world. He taught me how to be proud, stranger and fearless. This movie i s in large part, for him and all the “weird” kids out there.
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