10 About Scream Changed The Horror Genre Forever

In 1996, Wes Craven destroyed and remade all assumptions about the horror genre with the release of screamThe iconic slasher that made waves in the industry and evolved into a major franchise. With six movies to date and Shout 7 on the horizon, scream is one of the longest-running horror movie series ever. however, The effect of scream are seen in horror movies after just one installment, Demonstrating the brilliance of the effective standalone.

scream Famously took on many established horror tropes at a time when the genre was struggling Still the best horror movies of the 1980s. Craven created a new, razor-sharp slasher story that was as funny as it was disturbing, revitalizing the genre and making the best horror movies of the 21st century possible. Many modern horror movies and tropes exist only because of screamBut few live up to this Halloween-primed classic (which ironically came out a few days before Christmas).

10

The first scene is electrifying

Scream raised the bar for thrilling opening scenes in horror movies

ironic, scream is arguably Drew Barrymore’s best horror movie or TV show. Craven knew what he was doing by casting an established actress with significant horror experience in the role of the teenager who would be killed in the first minute of the movie. One of the most famous opening scenes of all time, the death of Casey and her boyfriend as a brutal introduction to Ghostface changed the game for how horror movies tried to hook their audience from the start.

In addition to the obvious subversion of audience expectations that set Barrymore up to be the main character before her quick murder, scream Set a new standard for electric movie openers. Horror movies should start right off with something shocking, and hopefully clever. The gory and horrifying first scenes of dog soldier And A quiet place are prime examples. However, few things are as iconic as that “Do you like scary movies?” – a line that changed horror simply by existing.

9

Scream is self-aware of the horror genre

Scream made metatextuality a staple of horror

Arguably the most famous way scream Changed the horror genre is through its self-awareness. It brings up the age-old question: “Have people in a horror movie never seen a horror movie?” The letters in scream Knowing how the horror genre works, Something made distinctly clear by watching them Halloween At a party, also one of the most popular horror movies ever made. This made for a weird moment of breaking the fourth wall, completely original at the time.

scream Addressed the moderate plot hole of the horror genre by lightly making fun of the characters who know what horror movies are but still do not know that they are in one, making some of ​​the same stupid mistakes. However, it also raises the stakes with Sidney and some others making smarter decisions, but they still can’t escape the danger. Nowadays, some amount of recognition of genre convention by the characters is common in horror, in everything from The cabin in the woods to Abigail.

8

Scream features two killers masquerading as one

Scream pulled off its famous plot twist by misdirecting with two villains

scream There is also an implicit assumption about horror movies that there can only be one killer. the first time, scream is a difficult mystery to piece together when it seems like Ghostface could be anywhere. As it turns out, he can’t because the primary killer has an accomplice. This is in addition to other dialogue specifically written to misdirect conclusions about what can be trusted, hide screams twist ending.

The problem with opening up the horror genre to multiple killers and intentional misdirection is that audiences begin to assume this as well, making plot twists even more challenging to pull off. This is one of the reasons why the movie that did it first is still considered the best example. However, even when horror movies aren’t going for shock value, they have the potential to further explore themes of violence and evil with multiple villains harboring different motives.

7

Scream dismantles one of horror’s biggest tropes

Scream deconstructs the trope while explaining it in the movie itself

One of the in-history conversations about the horror genre in scream is exemplary of arguably the heaviest trope that Craven took on. Before screamOne of the most prevalent tropes in horror was characters implicitly punished for being sexually active, Especially young women. Infidelity and teen sex are two major components of screams plot, but Sydney is not condemned for her sexuality. She is characterized as an intelligent and autonomous person who created a new “final girl” standard.

Sydney is conflicted about her mother’s life before her brutal murder; scream Acknowledge that the woman made some bad choices, but that doesn’t justify what happened to her or her daughter. Meanwhile, the murderer who takes it upon himself to punish her is portrayed as misguided in his anger. When sexuality continues to be an important theme in horror, Sidney and Craven led the way to be less judgmental of female characters.

6

Scream delves into real-world horror

Scream kicked off horror movies being driven by real problems

Aja Romano states (via growth): “After Scream, movies are free to examine the role horror plays in the real, post-9/11 world.” Aside from the trends of bleak, nihilistic horror Romano outlines in the 2000s, scream Has notably aligned his horror with grounded problems that audience members could realistically experience. Ghostface arises from conflict between dysfunctional families, rather than a supernatural, utterly impossible source. Then scream Movies continue to convey the horror and danger of Ghostface murders that are becoming increasingly publicized.

Meanwhile, horror movies that offer a range of social commentary have become more frequent in Hollywood, with Bong Joon-ho and Jordan Peele being all-star contributors in this regard. Other movies like Promising young woman And The invisible man Call back to the biases in horror scream Deconstructed, giving female characters more agency. The movies and more shows like scream Turned horror into an investigation of real fear and monsters.

5

Scream features strong supporting characters

Scream reinvents the horror genre’s stock characters

One of the troops scream Adheres to is the cops are essentially useless when the plot would resolve itself too easily if the killer was caught with a simple phone call. Interestingly, Devi is still a beloved character through scream Fans, who went on to appear in several more movies. The beginning of Gale Weathers also made an interesting addition to the genre, a journalist who has no boundaries and would probably be killed off just for being annoying in an older movie.

But Gale also adds to how scream Changed the image of women in horror when she is ambitious and morally gray, but still a character to root for the end and now one of the biggest stars of the series. In general, the history of all cinema has been pushing forward the way different genres showcase more nuanced characters and more complex stories. scream Reworked some of the stock characters from past horror movies For more delightful original content.

4

Scream was followed by many horror sequels

Horror movie sequels became more frequent after Scream

Horror sequels also became increasingly common after scream. Franchise included Halloween and cravings A Nightmare on Elm Street Are already producing sequels when scream came out With less impressive results – what scream Making fun of them. Halloween II Was a major step down, while A Nightmare on Elm Street Saw a slow decline before getting some redemption with the meta-names submitted in The New Nightmare by Wes CravenWhich led to scream.

Halloween After that, it was caught again screamWhile other horror movies have their chance to be long-running franchises, while older franchises made sequels they might not have otherwise. Movies like Happy Death Day And A quiet place May not have ever gotten sequels, but even one or two additional installments have proven enjoyable. It also coincided with more legacy sequels and spinoffs of all genres over the past 20 years.

3

Scream nails the fake-out dead

Scream popularized fake-out death in horror

scream has also notoriously relied on faked-out deaths since the beginning for plot twists and suspense. This wasn’t the first time the fake death was used in horror, but it wasn’t done quite in the same way. With both the story being grounded in reality and other teenagers being killed unceremoniously throughout the movie, with no option for a return, Billy’s survival came as a real shock.

The prolonged defeat of the villain has always been a way to raise the stakes in a horror movie (something Randy also references), but scream Combined it with his famous villain twist. Many more movies to come screamincluding these scream Sequels, used the fake-out death, Spared by the original as they were in many aspects. Today, it’s more difficult to tell if a movie or TV death is real when it’s such a widespread trope.

2

Shout changed the career prospects of many actors

New and old horror actors took on different projects because of Shrei

generally, scream revived the horror genre after its slow spell in the early 1990s. This in turn changed the prospects of the biggest horror stars in the business, as well as setting breakout stars like Neve Campbell on a defined career trajectory. scream changed horror by making Campbell and Courtney Cox staples of the genre while bringing back icons like Jamie Lee Curtis, Who returned to the Halloween Franchise soon after scream.

There is no way to know what the horror genre would look like today screamBut his success may also have contributed to stars like Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega being able to establish themselves in the industry through their association with scary stories. scream Both engaged past horror stars like Curtis and Barrymore while making Campbell and Skeet Ulrich famous – who also starred together in The Force In 1996.

1

Scream’s killer could be anyone

Shout notably changed things with a human killer

screams most outstanding trope: anyone can be the killer. The famous horror movies of the 1980s were often supernatural, with otherworldly and horrifically magical killers. scream Changed that by Ghostface revealed in the end to be just a regular person, Driven by anger and grief. The killer is just one of Sidney’s peers, and this has influenced many horror movies to come.

By setting the precedent, scream Allowed for many more realistic horror stories that could technically actually happen, making them even scarier. Hand in hand with its commentary on reality and trope deconstruction, Everyman Killers allowed for deeper thematic exploration in horror movies. Few movies since scream have changed the horror genre in the same way, giving rise to some of the most iconic moments in any slasher movie and featuring still impressive metatextual material.

Source: growth