Scream (1996): The Meta-Horror Classic
1996 • Wes Craven • 2.35:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
If there is one man who understood the strength of a good costume for a masked killer in a slasher film, it is Wes Craven. In his satirical meta-masterpiece Scream (1996), he couldn’t resist including a visual reference to Freddy Krueger, proving his point: just a glimpse of it makes for a good jumpscare.
The Ghostface mask may have become as iconic as the striped red-and-green sweater and the dark brown fedora worn by Freddy. It’s also certain that Neve Campbell, as the final girl Sidney Prescott, is now more recognisable than Heather Langenkamp’s Nancy Thompson, but it’s probably more dependent on the horror franchise you grew up watching.
That said, if you are familiar with Craven’s previous successes and other classics like John Carpenter’s Halloween, watching Scream blending the then-tired (and in need of a revival) slasher tropes with the 1990s teen movie aesthetic, makes the film’s self-awareness more impactful. But without that, it’s still a memorable viewing full of iconic scenes, dialogue, and bloody twists.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A quiet suburban town becomes the hunting ground of a masked killer obsessed with horror movies, forcing a group of teenagers to confront both the slasher’s game and the genre’s own bloody tropes. Read my review of Scream.
- Actors: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Drew Barrymore.
- Director: Wes Craven
- Year: 1996
- Cinematographer: Mark Irwin
- Origin: American Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Genre: Horror / Slasher
