What if the characters in a Horror film were aware of other Horror films? It’s one of those simple genius ideas every writer hopes their brain will come up with. It made the career of writer Kevin Williamson. The script landed on the desk of legendary Horror director Wes Craven, arguably the best material he’s had to work with. (If not this, it’s a film coming up in less than a month.) He assembled a talented and likable cast, something else novel to the slasher genre and the secret sauce that makes this the best film of its type.
It’s not as scary as Halloween, there’s too much meta-ironic detachment. However, that’s what makes this a livelier work of pop culture entertainment, and it raised the bar for this type of film by showing the success that comes with a little respectability. An instantly iconic mask also helps.
The opening sequence is unquestionably a high-point for the entire genre, and in contention for the finest opening ten-minutes of any film on this list. Wes Craven’s directing career was almost 25 years in, but there’s a previously unseen assurance in his abilities, and it’s a quality that improved with the first two sequels. Even when the material wasn’t as good, he could save the films with well-executed suspense.
A final nod of respect for the way Scream plays out like an Agatha Christie whodunit, including a most unexpected but completely logical killer reveal. Many Italian giallos have stumbled with surprise murders who often seem chosen at random for maximum unexpectedness. The solution to this mystery makes for a finale that bookends the quality of the opening.
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