Scream (1996), directed by Wes Craven, is a meta-horror slasher film that reinvents the genre by combining traditional horror tropes with self-aware humor and commentary on horror films themselves. The story takes place in the small town of Woodsboro, where a masked killer known as Ghostface begins a series of brutal murders targeting a group of high school students.
The film’s protagonist, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), becomes the primary target of the killer, who starts by murdering her motherโs friends and gradually works his way through Sidneyโs inner circle. As the killings escalate, Sidney and her friends, including her best friend Tatum (Rose McGowan), her love interest Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), and her friend Randy (Jamie Kennedy), try to figure out who the killer is before they become the next victims.
Throughout the film, the characters frequently reference classic horror movie rules and clichรฉs, such as โdonโt have sexโ and โdonโt say youโll be right back,โ which become central to the film’s plot as the killer seems to follow them. Sidneyโs own history, including the mysterious murder of her mother the previous year, also becomes intertwined with the events, leading to a series of twists and reveals.
In the filmโs climactic final act, Sidney discovers that the killers are Billy and his friend Stu (Matthew Lillard), who had been using the horror movie rules to plot their own murderous rampage. The film ends with a final showdown between Sidney and the killers, where she manages to outsmart them and survive.
Scream is credited with revitalizing the slasher genre, blending self-aware humor, suspense, and horror. Its success led to multiple sequels and made Ghostface one of the most iconic horror villains of the 1990s and beyond. The film is known for its witty dialogue, memorable characters, and unexpected twists, all while paying homage to horror classics.