The Big Picture
Scream
stands out from other horror franchises due to its linear storyline.
Scream
‘s success is also due to the revolving Ghostface villain, making the franchise endless.
The franchise remains fresh by building upon established lore and embracing original characters in new ways.
When it comes to horror movies that changed and influenced the genre, many may come to mind for different reasons. Each film has molded the horror genre in some way, but there is one franchise in particular that has really made it what it is today and that’s Scream. Scream was unique in how it balanced its humor and horror aspects, and opted for a more self-aware approach that sort of poked fun at classic horror tropes. It’s an approach that easily could have gone off the wayside but instead instantly became a classic. From the “whodunnit” aspect, to the genuinely funny humor, and the surprisingly effective scares, Scream set up a new era of horror that is still prevalent today. It also helps that Wes Craven is the mastermind behind the film, as well as other horror classics such as The Hills Have Eyes, TheLast House on the Left, and of course, A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Naturally Scream went on to garner some sequels and quickly became a franchise that audiences couldn’t get enough of. Franchises in the horror genre aren’t exactly a rarity, in fact, some of the most well-known films are a part of a franchise. But Scream has always stood out from the rest, for more than just reshaping the genre. Unlike other franchises such as Halloween or Friday the 13th, Scream never got ahead of itself or felt like it was spinning its wheels. Sure, nothing will ever top the original, but as far as horror sequels go, Scream has some of the stronger ones. And with the news that Neve Campbell and Kevin Williamson are returning to collaborate on Scream 7, fans couldn’t be more ecstatic. It’s more clear than ever that Scream may be the one horror franchise that will never die, and perhaps it’s that fact that has allowed it to remain so successful, all these years and sequels later.
Scream
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
Release Date December 20, 1996
Runtime 111 minutes
Writers Kevin Williamson
Tagline Don’t answer the phone. Don’t open the door. Don’t try to escape.
‘Scream’ Is Different From Other Horror Franchises
One of the biggest reasons Scream has remained so successful all these years is because it’s so different from other horror franchises. But not in the way you may immediately think. Yes, Ghostface (Roger L. Jackson) is a vastly different villain than that of Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), but that isn’t what makes Scream stand out. It isn’t even its self-aware approach — though that is certainly a highlight. Scream is different because it has always followed a linear storyline. Each Scream movie is a sequel to the previous one and it never strays from the story. Even the Scream television series has no real connection to the movies, and doesn’t add anything to the canon of the films. Most franchises have a reboot somewhere in their lineup, which often breathes new life into the franchise and updates it for newer audiences. Or, some franchises go the retcon route and bring out a sequel that ignores every other movie aside from the original, such is the case with David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy. But Scream has never done that. Even when things got a little messy or convoluted in the timeline it rolled with it and made it work.
Scream constantly builds upon lore established in the first movie, and adapted storylines and new characters to fit into it. In Scream 2 Randy (Jamie Kennedy) meets a tragic end, but in Scream 5 his niece and nephew are main characters and carry on his legacy. Scream 6 found a way to bring back Kirby (Hayden Pannetiere) even though she seemingly died in Scream 4, but does so in a way that doesn’t feel messy or unbelievable. And considering the newest Scream movies come a decade after Scream 4, it wouldn’t have been all that unusual for the filmmakers to retcon some stuff and just make it a new era, or even a reboot. Instead, they kept everything the same and simply evolved the story by mixing new characters with the legacy ones, and playing off the original story in unique ways. Such as making Sam (Melissa Barrera) the daughter of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). It’s why the sequels are so successful, they don’t change anything or ignore that the original exists, and instead embrace it and build upon it to create a brilliantly cohesive story.
The ‘Scream’ Movies Will Never Die
Scream is unique in how it only follows one consecutive storyline, but it’s also unique in the sense that its villain is kind of indestructible. Ghostface isn’t indestructible in the same way that Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger is, there’s no magical reason as to why Ghostface comes back every time. Ghostface is just a random person every movie, someone with a sinister motive, whether it be they’re a copycat looking for the infamy a mass killing would bring them, or they have some sort of tie to the original or previous Ghostface. In Scream 5 Amber (Mikey Madison) and Richie (Jack Quaid) are the Ghostface duo, and Amber lives in Stu Macher’s (Matthew Lillard) (one-half of the original Ghostface duo) old house. In Scream 6 the people behind the Ghostface mask are Richie’s family. It all comes full circle.
There’s no way to fully extinguish Ghostface since it’s a new person every time, giving the franchise an eerie longevity that can outlast all other franchises – for better or worse. The protagonists may manage to defeat whoever’s behind the mask by the end of the movie, but someone always dons the mask again, and we’re never truly rid of Ghostface’s reign of terror. There will always be someone who gets a little too invested in the original murders and decides to copycat them, meaning there’s endless content for the Scream franchise. As unbeatable as a villain like Freddy Krueger may seem, there are creative ways to do and put a proper end to the story. But there’s no such conclusion for Ghostface, and it’s honestly frightening just how unbeatable a villain they are. It’s so easy to make a Scream sequel for that reason, but it’s also interesting how the people behind the movies haven’t exhausted that fact. In comparison to other franchises, Scream is relatively tame in its length with only six movies under its belt, and a seventh on the way. Other franchises are bafflingly long, having numbers high in the double digits, but Scream plays it close to the chest and because of that remains one of the better horror franchises out there. It’s not exhaustive, it’s not overdone, and even though it follows a linea storyline it still manages to add new and exciting aspects that keep the franchise feeling fresh. So long live Ghostface, and long live the Scream movies, here’s to many more.
Scream is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
WATCH ON MAX