Scream

In light of some discussions I have been having lately, I find myself curious about what this community thinks regarding Scream (specifically the original installment)...
do you view it as merely another entry in the slasher subgenre, or do you believe it represents a more significant turning point for the entire genre—much like Friday the 13th or Halloween?
To what extent do you value Scream?

I am genuinely interested in your perspectives... 😬

Definitely the more important moment. The other two are just okay—but the first one hits differently because of how dark it is.👍

The movie was fantastic. Honestly, the horror genre had been totally stagnant, but this really breathed new life into it. My only gripe is that it kicked off this massive trend of teen-centric slashers again. To be fair, nothing since then has even come close to its level... if only we didn't have all those Japanese remakes to deal with.

If you take a closer look, this movie isn't actually all that special. Before the big twist reveals who the killer (or killers, in this case) really is, it feels pretty indistinguishable from any other low-budget horror flick. You get the usual formula: an opening kill, some introductions to the main cast, another murder, a bit of forced romance, more killing, and then pure panic...

The only thing that saves it is the ending—specifically the originality of having two killers instead of just one, which is what the audience spends the whole time assuming. I think that single subversion is the only reason it actually connected with people at the box office...

As for me, the film was 👍

That’s really where the magic lies for me—it looks like your standard teen slasher at first glance, but it’s actually such a clever deconstruction of the whole genre. It’s that constant playing with genre tropes that makes it work; without that layer, it would just be another run-of-the-mill slasher flick.

Jose Chase2 said:To me, the true charm of the film lies in how it masquerades as a standard teen slasher while actually functioning as a sophisticated satire of the genre itself. It is precisely this subversion of established tropes that defines the work; without such cleverness, it would simply be another unremarkable entry in the slasher category.

It isn't merely playing with motifs...
it is pure intertextuality—a literary concept, perhaps, but one that feels entirely appropriate here—given how Scream constantly references the cinematic landscape that preceded it. Consider the party scene where they watch Halloween (the mere fact that one horror film is being consumed within another is significant enough), or when Randy outlines the survival rules for 80s slashers: avoid sex, stay away from drugs or alcohol, and never promise "I'll be right back." In my view, that is the film's most brilliant stroke. When Sidney breaks those very rules (first one, perhaps even others) yet somehow survives, the movie transcends those arbitrary constraints, which is why I find that moment so much more profound.🙂

Yeah, honestly—I just don't have the right words to put it that way myself😬

I’ve sat through nearly 600 horror flicks at this point, and honestly? Scream is easily one of the best—one of the standout pieces of cinema from my generation...
It’s this self-parodying, postmodern masterpiece that stands as a total monument to the absolute madness of the nineties. 😁
I’ve probably watched it about 8 times now...
First on some bootleg, then in theaters, and finally on an original VHS...
It’s one of those rare movies I could actually watch once a week if I wasn't so busy with life. 🙂
My obsession with it is almost like how people feel about The Simpsons... every single time I rewatch it, I catch some tiny detail or moment I missed before.

Man, I really wish they had filmed Scream 4... 😁
My pitch would be "BEFORE SCREAM"—basically a prequel centered on the murder of Sidney's mother. 🙏 Though, let's be real, most of the cast is way too old for it now. 🙄

Everything that Zeljko said, I guess 😁 😁

When > first hit theaters, I honestly didn't know what to expect. I actually went out to see it in the cinema, and man, was I surprised by how good it really was! But after that? It felt like a total flood of garbage movies hitting the same theme. It was overwhelming! Honestly, sequels 2 and 3 really shouldn't have even been made—at least not the way they turned out! :P

Honestly, Scream just has that certain something—it stands out not just in the horror genre, but in cinema as a whole. It’s truly one of a kind.

For instance, that scene where the older couple comes home and finds Drew Barrymore hanging there in such a mess... plus that genius score by Marc Beltrami🙏 🙏 followed immediately by Red Right Hand by Nick Cave🙏 👍

Honestly, Halloween is just the absolute best

Get this evil out of my head🙂

Jose Chase2 said:Take, for instance, that sequence where the older couple returns and finds Drew Barrymore hanging there in such a state.

Honestly, I find the most harrowing moment to be when Drew sprints toward that old couple's car; you truly believe she might actually make it, only for Ghostface to catch up and strike. No matter how many times I sit through this film, does that tension not remain unsettling? She was so incredibly close to safety... just a sudden, terrifying end.😬

Adam Harris7 said:No matter how many times you watch it,

Seriously—you just never get tired of it. 👍

I’ve never been a fan of that movie, mostly because it kicked off a whole wave of slashers in the late 90s that were just one pathetic imitation after another... 🙄

Ethan Perez97 said:I have no appreciation for that film; it essentially triggered a wave of mediocre slashers during the late 90s, most of which were progressively worse than the last.🙄

Do you actually dislike the movie because it initiated a trend of subpar slashers, or is it simply that you personally find it lacking?

I honestly don’t know what it is, but I absolutely love this scene! There is just something about the angle and the way they shot it when Sidney is left all alone in the house—that moment when he finally reaches her... it’s pure mystery and chills!

You just don't get that kind of tension in the second or third movies.😳\

In my opinion, the absolute best scene in any horror movie... for me, anyway... is when Sidney makes that plan with Tatum—you know, agreeing she'll swing by the house once she finishes up her errands. Then Sidney gets home from school, flips on the TV, and catches the news report about what happened—it’s such a cliché, honestly, but since they live in a small town, those are basically the only stories on the air anyway. It’s a shame about 😁.
She just drifts off to sleep...

Man, I really need to brush up on my memory here.😁

I am not entirely certain, though I find the second installment quite compelling. While it may not reach the heights of the original, it holds a special place in my heart. Certain sequences are truly exceptional...
For instance, consider Sidney’s confrontation with Mickey at the climax, specifically when she strikes him with that fraternity keychain (s: you're forgetting one thing about Billy Loomis; m: what's that?; s: I fucking killed him! :bam: 😬 ). And then there is that entire tense sequence involving Ghostface trapped inside the locked vehicle; it was wicked. What else might one recall?
The ending appeals to me as well—that moment they exit the university campus, stepping out into the daylight where the trees are visible 😁 while "Your Lucky Day in Hell" begins to play. I find that particular conclusion to be quite striking. 😍