Credit my wife for this one. She made the original observation.

The next time you watch a major-Hollywood-studio movie, notice if it has a young girl as a main character - one who is young enough that she is not there for sexual interest, appears on screen for at least 15 minutes of the movie, has real lines to speak, and is important to the plot. She doesn't have to be the lead character. Usually she is a daughter of the lead character.

Here's the secret: some time during the movie she will scream.

It may be just a short, gasping scream or it may be an Edvard Munch all-out scream. But, as far as Hollywood studios are concerned, all girls scream. It is intrinsic to their being.

In over five years of testing, this observation has not yet failed. I'd be interested to know any exceptions to this iron rule.

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), December 17, 2001

Answers

LN, I think 95% of all females in movies are required to scream before the final credits roll.

-- just an@anonymous.one (edvard@buttmunch.com), December 17, 2001.

LN: I only know ONE person who's an actress. She gets MOST of her parts because she's a good screamer. [I've never heard her scream IRL, but she seems to do well at it in the movies.]

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

LN is married?!

-- (cin@cin.cin), December 17, 2001.

Hollywood is getting ready to re-release ET.... talk about a little girl with a great scream!!! : )

-- Pammy (pamela_sue57@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

It's "Primal Scream Therapy.

-- (lars@indy.net), December 17, 2001.

Christina Ricci in the Addams Family movies. It was against her nature to scream about anything.

-- (here@you.go), December 18, 2001.