Scream
1996 · Directed by Wes Craven
A small town stalked by a Ghostface killer who knows horror-movie rules and quizzes his victims on them. Wes Craven's meta-slasher relaunched the genre in 1996.
Why It's Cult
Scream is the film that taught a generation horror movies could be self-aware without being toothless. Kevin Williamson's script knows every slasher trope and uses each one anyway. The opening Drew Barrymore phone-call sequence is one of the all-time-great cold opens. Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott as the final girl who reads the rules. Matthew Lillard losing his mind in the climax. Craven directed it like he was teaching a master class on his own genre. Every horror movie since — Cabin in the Woods, the new Scream sequels, the entire elevated-horror wave — owes it royalties.
The Plot, Officially
A year after her mother's death, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her friends started experiencing some strange phone calls. They later learned the calls were coming from a crazed serial killer, in a white faced mask and a large black robe, looking for revenge. His phone calls usually consist of many questions, the main one being: What's your favorite scary movie? Along with much scary movie trivia, ending with bloody pieces of innocent lives scattered around the small town of Woodsboro.
Starring
Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
Where to Watch
via JustWatch →
