Scream, the 1996 cult classic horror film, is known for saving the horror genre at the time and getting audiences excited for scary movies again, especially after the box office smashes Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street. The high school setting and nod to the horror movies that came before it intrigued audiences so much that the movie became an entire franchise. The film’s villain — the mysterious Ghostface — has made a place for himself as not only an iconic scary movie figure but as an iconic movie character overall. It’s been going for almost 30 years and has 6 movies to its name, making it the longest-running scary movie franchise ever. The series is known for its star-studded casts, amazing opening kill scenes, and plot twists that will have you on the edge of your seat.
The Scream franchise follows high schooler Sidney Prescott from Woodsboro, California, who is dealing with the death of her mother all while being hunted down by the serial killer, Ghostface, as I mentioned above. We follow Sidney’s journey for the first four movies, and then movies 5 and 6 shift focus onto the Carpenter sisters — Sam and Tara — as they begin their ordeal with Ghostface.
Usually, franchises feel watered down and lazy after the first few films. Things get repetitive, the writers start pandering to audiences instead of trying to be original and creative. However, even six films in, the Scream franchise still feels as fresh as ever. There are one or two duds out of all the movies, but nothing that’s absolutely awful. The writers do a great job at developing the same characters that have been there from the start, and they also do really well at introducing new characters and integrating them into the plot.
And diving deeper into the plot aspect, the writers are good at not reusing the same setting and plot points over and over. Obviously, they keep up the same tropes that make Scream movies special; the ragtag friend group, the shocking reveal to see who Ghostface is, and a crazy final battle. The writers have used different locations for the movies; we’ve seen the characters in the original town of Woodsboro, New York City, a college campus, and even a Hollywood film set. The different locations reveal a different set of conflicts and a different set of motives for the killer.
Another fun thing about the movies is how likable nearly every character is. The killers are always characters that we’ve already been introduced to, and the writers do a good job at making you find everyone interesting but also make you apprehensive about their actions at the same time. You’re stuck in a constant loop of wondering whether or not their actions are genuine, and you’re looking closely to see if you can solve the mystery before the characters in the movie do. And even when the killer is revealed to be someone you liked, you can’t help but like them more because of how well they carried out their plan. Everyone loves a good villain, and Scream is really great at capitalizing on that fact.
The opening kill scenes do an amazing job of setting the tone for the rest of the movie, and they always bring in the most recognizable stars to be in them. Some notable first kills are Drew Barrymore in the first movie, Jada Pinkett Smith in the second one, and Lucy Hale in the fourth movie. These scenes get the audience excited for what’s to come and are really good at setting up the personality and pattern that Ghostface will follow for the rest of the movie.
I think a big reason why these films are so popular is that they’re just fun. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and the producers aren’t trying to do anything super extravagant. It’s cool seeing how even the tiniest details from the first movies stay relevant even now. It’s also great how you don’t need to see every single movie to understand what’s going on. The loose connections of all the movies make it easy for anyone to jump right in at any film. They also don’t try to be too scary; there are the obvious jumpscares, but the series is pretty tame, even for those who get creeped out easily.
All in all, I think the franchise does a good job of staying true to what it was at the start. It never strayed away, or catered to what was popular, which makes it stand out. The production team is so intentional, and every time you rewatch one of the movies, you notice a new detail that didn’t catch your eye before. I might be biased since these movies are some of my favorites, but I definitely think they’re worth the hype and they deserve their flowers.
If you haven’t seen any of them yet, I suggest you start planning a scary movie night with your friends right away.