Yes, you read correctly. Without a doubt, the greatest horror franchise ever is the Scream series. The horror film of the nineties, if you were born in that era, was Scream. I understand what you’re thinking, though: “Those films are too amusing to be really scary. They also have a lot of ’90s cheese on them. Why do these twenty-five-year-olds act like teenagers? What about that mask? It’s absurd! You’re right, but bear with me.
My purpose is not to disparage other horror icons. Franchises that stand alone as classics include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Halloween. But let’s face it, the first episode of most of these programs marked their peak. The originals are still the best most of the time, however there may be one or two standout successors. To be honest, I can only think of a few respectable horror sequels off the top of my head: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, which is the one where Craven wrote himself into the movie, The Exorcist III, and the 2018 Halloween reboot.
But shout? Scream is a whole different animal. It’s not just blood and gore, or even the strange haircuts of Courtney Cox (really, what were they thinking?).
The Ultimate Meta-Horror Masterpiece
Scream is brilliant because of its incisive satire. It’s a reflection on media, violence, and horror itself, not just a typical slasher movie. And Sidney Prescott, the ultimate horror protagonist, is at the center of it all. In addition to escaping Ghostface, Sidney is also dealing with trauma. Her character arc and emotional range set her apart from previous final girls in the series. Apologies, Laurie Strode.You’re still awesome in my opinion, but Sidney is really great.
A Resurrected Genre
Slasher films were out of style by the middle of the 1990s. Freddy Krueger was less of a real threat and more of a cartoon persona than Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. Although New Nightmare is a shamefully undervalued film, moviegoers did not object when Wes Craven made Freddy meta. However, Kevin Williamson’s Scream, which was helmed by Wes Craven, the master of horror, arrived. It was the sole factor in the resurgence of the slasher subgenre, inspiring numerous copies (including Halloween H20, Valentine, Urban Legends, and I Know What You Did Last Summer).
Scream, which was first released as Scary Movie, was a novel concept. For once, the characters understood the horror movies that the rest of us had grown up watching. For the first time, the audience and the characters shared a common understanding of the common clichés. Jamie Kennedy’s character Randy acts as a stand-in for the audience, stating the “rules” of horror while we all nod in accord.
The Classic Opening
Scream’s opening sequence is legendary. In reality, it would likely rank among the best short films ever made if it had been released as a stand-alone piece. The configuration is easy: Drew Barrymore’s character Casey Becker is alone at home getting ready to watch a movie when she receives a call from an unknown caller. When the caller asks, “I want to know who I’m looking at,” what begins as lighthearted conversation about scary movies rapidly takes a dark turn.
The suspense grows as Casey is made to answer questions on horror trivia in order to save her boyfriend, but when she answers a question incorrectly, her boyfriend is brutally murdered. Casey is slain as the drama comes to a finish, and her parents are left speechless as they watch on the phone.
It’s a masterclass in suspense and establishes the mood for the remainder of the film: Scream is both hilarious, horrifying, and self-aware.
Introducing Sidney Prescott
Let us meet Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who is still struggling from her mother Maureen’s horrific murder. Sidney’s life is already complicated; she has a shady tabloid journalist named Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) writing a book claiming that Sidney mistakenly identified her mother’s killer, Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), and a suspicious boyfriend named Billy (Skeet Ulrich), who seems to communicate only in movie references. Now that a murderer is at large, Ghostface has turned his attention on Sidney.
Scream breaks down the slasher genre while providing something new, which is what makes it unique rather than merely being a thrilling and violent movie. The media circus is causing the residents of Woodsboro greater anxiety than the actual killings. The show has greater appeal to them than the casualty rate. Everyone, even Sidney’s friends, is too preoccupied with making jokes and alluding to horror flicks to notice the seriousness of the issue as Ghostface terrorizes the community. It’s a terrifying illustration of how numb to violence we’ve grown.
The People Are the True Horror
The true terror of Scream is not Ghostface, but rather the callousness of everyone else. Ghostface may be the masked killer. They handle actual murder cases as though they were any other movie. Students come to the site to see their principal’s body after learning that he has been slain. The media is less concerned with doing good journalism and more with book deals and ratings.
This desensitization is embodied by the two killers that are revealed in the conclusion, Billy and Stu. These are merely two guys who believe that real murder is a continuation of their love for horror films—they are not supernatural monsters. Why did they do it? Billy says he killed Sidney’s mother because she had an affair with his father, which led to his mother leaving, while Stu maintains there is no motive. These are basically affluent, bored teenagers who don’t think twice about the implications of their conduct. That is Scream’s true horror.
Scream 2: The Godfather’s Horror Sequels, Part II
Horror films in particular seldom have better sequels than the original. Scream 2 is an anomaly, though. It’s possibly on par with, if not superior to, The Godfather Part II in terms of horror films.
Scream 2 builds on the premise from the first film, maintaining the meta-commentary’s freshness while enhancing Sidney’s story’s emotional heart. The pain she carried through in the first film weighs considerably more on this occasion. Sidney is attempting to move on from his ordeal as a college student, but a cloned killer is at large, preying on kids whose names like those of the original victims. Randy is still dispensing horror movie advice, Cotton Weary is itching for his own moment in the limelight, and Gale Weathers is back.
Sidney’s PTSD gets worse as the killings keep happening. After her friends pass away, she starts to doubt the intentions of everyone, even Derek, her new boyfriend (Jerry O’Connell). In a suspenseful conclusion, we find out that Billy’s mother, Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf), is one of the murderers and is seeking retribution.
Sidney Prescott: The Real Last Female
Beyond merely being frightening, Scream and Scream 2 also address trauma, media exploitation, and the desensitization to violence. Sidney is a true survivor in every meaning of the term; she is more than simply a “final girl.” And for that reason, the Scream franchise is fantastic. It’s not simply another horror series; it’s a commentary on how violence and trauma are viewed and dealt with in our culture. Sidney Prescott, a protagonist with genuine emotional depth and development, is at the core of it all. a seemingly normal night away from home can be, with eerie atmospheres, sinister owners, and supernatural forces that leave an unforgettable mark on movie history.