Scream (1996)
★★★½ — Scream (1996)
Wes Craven arrived at Scream in 1996 having already defined the slasher genre once before with A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and screenwriter Kevin Williamson's self-aware script gave him the rare chance to do it again from a completely different angle. Dimension Films, then still establishing itself as a reliable home for genre fare, backed the production to the tune of $14 million, a modest enough outlay given what it returned. Shot largely in and around Santa Rosa and Sonoma County in California, the film came together during a period when the horror genre had genuinely stalled commercially, with the major studios largely uninterested. Its extraordinary box office performance, clearing $173 million worldwide, effectively revived the slasher cycle and triggered a wave of knowing teen horror pictures that dominated the back half of the decade.
What's your favourite scary movie? Not this. By the mid-90s, the slasher genre was basically on life support, and then Scream came in and jump-started the whole thing like a knife to the chest. For a newer player in the mix, its impact was massive. Ghostface went from being the new kid on the block to standing shoulder to shoulder with Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers. That’s legendary status. It’s clever, self-aware, and packed with great horror moments… but let’s be honest, Scary Movie probably did just as much for Scream as Scream did for Scream. You can’t unhear “Wassssup” when Ghostface makes a call now. Still, even with that baggage, this film works. It’s a love letter to horror, a deconstruction of the genre, and a revival all in one. Not perfect, but undeniably iconic.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 1996 | Watched: 2025-04-02
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Wes Craven: The Hills Have Eyes (1977) · A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More crime: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Angst (1983) · Stolen Face (1952) · Cairo Station (1958)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
