Scream (1996 film)

Scream is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. Set in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, the plot follows high school student Sidney Prescott (Campbell) and her friends, who, on the anniversary of her mother's murder, become the targets of a costumed serial killer.

Williamson, who was struggling to get his projects off the ground, was inspired by reports of a series of murders by the Gainesville Ripper as he wrote a screenplay that satirized the clichés of the slasher genre popularized in films such as Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and Craven's own A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Developed under the title Scary Movie, Williamson's script became the subject of an intense bidding war from multiple studios before Miramax Films purchased the rights for its Dimension Films label. Craven, despite turning down the opportunity multiple times, agreed to direct the film after he had read the script as he was determined to re-establish himself after several career setbacks. The involvement of Barrymore and Cox helped secure more support from the studio. Principal photography took place from April to June 1996 in California on a budget of $15Template:Nbspmillion. Craven trimmed down the violence in the film after being involved in a tense conflict with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) over the desired R rating.

Released on December 20, Scream was not expected to perform well due to concerns over releasing a slasher film in a time normally reserved for holiday entertainment. However, it went on to gross approximately $173Template:Nbspmillion worldwide through the strength of word of mouth, becoming an unexpected success and one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Contemporary reviews were positive, with praise going to the performances of its cast and its unique meta humor, but criticism was directed at its excessive violence and lack of suspense in favor of that humor. Scream revitalized both Craven's and Barrymore's careers and helped bolster the careers of its young cast.

In the years since its release, ScreamTemplate:'s reception has continued to be positive. It has been credited with rekindling interest in the horror genre during the 1990s following a decline in the genre's popularity and has been credited for shifting the genre towards younger audiences and casting established actors. The film's opening sequence, in which Barrymore's character is killed by Ghostface, is considered one of the most shocking and subversive in cinematic history. The success of the film launched a multimedia franchise, which comprises the sequels Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), Scream (2022), Scream VI (2023), and Scream 7 (2026), as well as an anthology television series.

Plot

In the small town of Woodsboro, California, high school student Casey Becker is home alone when she receives a phone call from an unknown person. They discuss horror films until the caller turns sadistic, threatening her life and revealing that her boyfriend, Steve Orth, is tied up on her patio. The caller demands she answer questions about horror films to save his life, but Casey gives an incorrect answer about Friday the 13th, resulting in Steve's death. Casey attempts to escape, but is stabbed to death by someone wearing a "Ghostface" costume, and her disemboweled corpse is found hanging from a tree by her parents.

The next morning, the news media descend on the town as a police investigation ensues. Casey's classmate, Sidney Prescott, struggles with the impending first anniversary of the rape and murder of her mother Maureen by Cotton Weary. The trauma has made her unable to consummate her relationship with her boyfriend, Billy Loomis. As her father Neil is traveling for work, Sidney waits at home alone for her best friend, Tatum Riley. She receives a call taunting her about Maureen's death and is attacked by Ghostface, who disappears just before Billy climbs through her window. Sidney immediately grows suspicious when he drops a cell phone, and Billy is arrested by Deputy Sheriff Dewey, Tatum's brother. Outside the police station, Sidney gets into a physical altercation with investigative journalist Gale Weathers. Gale had written a book claiming that Maureen had multiple extramarital affairs, including one with Cotton, who Gale believes was falsely accused of Maureen's homicide. Sidney stays at Tatum's home but receives another taunting call from the killer. The calls are traced to Neil's phone, but the police are unable to locate him.

Following his release, Billy encounters Sidney at school and further upsets her by comparing his absent mother to Maureen's death. After suspending classes in the wake of the murders, Principal Himbry is killed in his office. To celebrate the school's closure, Stu Macher, Tatum's boyfriend, hosts a party at his secluded home. Dewey and Gale keep watch on the party in case the killer strikes again. Tatum is isolated in the garage by Ghostface, who crushes her neck in the garage door. As fellow high schooler Randy Meeks details the rules of surviving a horror film, news arrives of Himbry's murder. Most partygoers leave to see his body, nearly running over Dewey and Gale while inadvertently leading them to Neil's hidden car. Billy arrives at the house to reconcile with Sidney, and they finally have sex. Afterward, they are attacked by Ghostface, and Billy is stabbed. Sidney evades Ghostface, who kills Gale's cameraman Kenny and stabs Dewey when he returns. Gale, attempting to flee in her van, crashes and is knocked unconscious. Sidney seeks refuge inside the house, locking Stu and Randy outside as they accuse each other of being the killer.

A seemingly wounded Billy emerges and allows Randy inside before shooting him in the shoulder, revealing himself as the killer and Stu as his accomplice. Billy confesses they killed Maureen because the discovery of her affair with his father led to his mother's abandonment. The pair abducted Neil to frame him for their crimes and proceed to stab each other to depict themselves as the last survivors. However, they are distracted by Gale's return, allowing Sidney to incapacitate Billy and kill Stu by dropping a television set on his head. Billy nearly stabs Sidney but is shot by Gale. After Randy remarks that horror film killers revive for a final scare, Billy lunges for them, but Sidney shoots him in the head, killing him. As dawn breaks, Neil is rescued, Dewey is taken away by ambulance, and Gale provides an impromptu news report about the night's events.

Cast

• David Arquette as Dewey Riley: The goofy and hapless, but caring deputy sheriff<ref name="ArquetteVariety" /><ref name="ArquetteThrillist" /><ref name="VultureCast" />
• Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott: A strong and resilient high-schooler traumatized by the murder of her mother<ref name="FarOutCampbell" />
• Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers: A snarky and ruthless investigative journalist<ref name="CoxCBR" /><ref name="CoxVogue" /><ref name="VultureCast" />
• Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher: The eccentric and clumsy boyfriend of Tatum, and Billy's best friend<ref name="EmpireCast" /><ref name="StylistCast" />
• Rose McGowan as Tatum Riley: Sidney's spunky best friend and Dewey's younger sister<ref name="EWMcGowan" />
• Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis: Sidney's boyfriend, who has a passion for horror films<ref name="IndieWireBilly" /><ref name="TimeBilly" />
• Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks: A horror film fanatic<ref name="EmpireCast" />
• W. Earl Brown as Kenny: Gale's cameraman<ref name="ColliderCast" />
• Joseph Whipp as Burke: The town sheriff<ref name="ShortList15" /><ref name="BFICast" />
• Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary: The man convicted of killing Sidney's mother<ref name="CastSchreiber" />
• Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker: A high-schooler<ref name="FarOutCasey" />

Scream also features Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface,<ref name="ViceJackson" /> and Kevin Patrick Walls as Steve Orth, Casey's boyfriend.<ref name="FarOutCasey" /><ref name="ColliderCast" /> Lawrence Hecht and Lynn McRee portray Sidney's parents, Neil and Maureen.<ref name="BFICast" /><ref name="ScreenRantMcRee" />Template:Sfn C.W. Morgan appears as Hank Loomis, Frances Lee McCain portrays Mrs. Riley, and David Booth and Carla Hatley appear as Casey's father and mother.<ref name="BFICast" /> Leonora Scelfo portrays a "bitchy" cheerleader in the school bathroom.Template:Sfn Scream features several cameo appearances, including Henry Winkler as principal Arthur Himbry,Template:Sfn<ref name="ReviewReelViews" /> Linda Blair as Obnoxious Reporter,<ref name="ColliderCameos" /> casting director Lisa Beach as a reporter,Template:Sfn<ref name="BFICast" /> and director Wes Craven as Fred the janitor, an homage to iconic horror character Freddy Krueger.<ref name="ColliderCameos" />

Production

Writing

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson (pictured in 2012)

In 1994, Kevin Williamson was a novice and financially struggling screenwriter, having recently sold his first script, Killing Mrs. Tingle (1999).Template:Efn While house-sitting, Williamson watched a Turning Point documentary about serial killer Danny Rolling which he said left him unsettled. Williamson later noticed an open window, armed himself with a knife, and called his friend for support. The pair began discussing horror characters that had resonated with them such as Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="MTVLegacy" /> The following morning, Williamson was woken by a nightmare and used the experience as inspiration for the opening home invasion of Scream. He was also influenced by a one-act play he wrote in college about an unknown caller taunting a young girl.Template:Sfn<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="MTVLegacy" />

Williamson spent the next three days writing a script for a slasher film he called Scary Movie while listening to the score to Halloween for further inspiration.Template:Efn He also drafted two five-page outlines for possible sequels.<ref name="MTVLegacy" />Template:Sfn He developed much of the script around a single line of dialogue, "movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative". This was his response to contemporary concerns about the influence of cinematic violence on audience, and he "thought it was a great line".<ref name="THROralHistory" /> Williamson's script drew upon many of his favorite horror films, such as Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th, Prom Night (both 1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).Template:Sfn At the time, the successful slasher films of the 1970s and 1980s had fallen out of favor, in part because of increasingly poorly received sequels to long-running horror franchises.<ref name="ETLegacy" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="EWOral" />

His characters were intentionally designed to be knowledgeable about these horror films and their typical elements, with the intention of creating a unique killer who was not only aware of horror film clichés but also exploited them for his own advantage. Williamson expressed his approach, "I thought if you could expose the rules and play with them, then the audience doesn't know what they're going to get. Suddenly they're on edge. I started playing with the tropes, and the 'rules' were part of that."<ref name="EWOral" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /> The opening scene depicting Casey Becker's death emulates that of Janet Leigh's character in Psycho (1960) by killing off a possible main character early on. Williamson believed it would hook studio executives and leave audiences unsure how the plot would progress.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Williamson set the script in his hometown of Bayboro, North Carolina, believing its quiet atmosphere would provide a strong contrast with a serial killer's actions.Template:Sfn

Williamson pursued Scary Movie because it was the type of horror film he enjoyed as a child but believed were no longer being made.Template:Sfn<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="ColliderWilliamson20" /> Even so, he did not believe studios would develop and intended to use it to garner attention and secure other work.<ref name="THROralHistory" /> Williamson's agent had him scale back the gore, removing descriptions such as "the insides are slowly rolling down her leg", because it would make it difficult to sell the script. Williamson refused to cut any dialogue, however, believing it set it apart from similar films.Template:Sfn<ref name="MTVLegacy" />

Development

Director Wes Craven (pictured in 2010)

By 1995, there was competition to secure the rights to Scary Movie, with early interest expressed by Morgan Creek Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and filmmaker Oliver Stone.Template:Efn The script came to the attention of producer Cathy Konrad of Woods Entertainment, which had a development deal with production studio Miramax Films. She brought it to Richard Potter, the director of development for Miramax Films' genre-film-focused subsidiary Dimension Films.Template:Sfn Potter expected a "stupid spoof" but was drawn in by the opening scene and recommended Miramax Films chairman, Bob Weinstein, pursue the rights.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="NYTimesCravenInt" /> He agreed, considering it an opportunity to produce films instead of distributing those of others.Template:Sfn Although others offered larger figures, Williamson's lawyer advised him take Weinstein's offer ($400,000–$500,000) because Dimension Films was willing to make the film immediately.Template:Efn

Williamson revised the script based on studio input, removing some gorier content (such as exposed internal organs and severed limbs) and adding the murder of principal Himbry because Weinstein said there was too long a period following the opening without any deaths. This solved a separate difficulty Williamson was having explaining why all but the core group of characters leave Stu's party in the finale, as they go to see Himbry's corpse.Template:Sfn<ref name="MTVLegacy" />Template:Sfn The Scary Movie title was also changed to Scream late in production because Weinstein was concerned Scary Movie would lead audiences to believe it was a comedy instead of a horror.Template:Efn

The search for a director was protracted, with Danny Boyle,Template:Sfn<ref name="MTVLegacy" /> Tom McLoughlin,<ref name="BDDirectors" /> Sam Raimi,<ref name="MTVLegacy" /> George A. Romero,<ref name="BDDirectors" /> Bryan Singer,Template:Sfn Quentin Tarantino,<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Robert Rodriguez,<ref name="TheRingerOral" />Template:Sfn and Anthony WallerTemplate:Sfn being considered. No agreements were secured because those approached for the role interpreted the script as a comedy instead of a horror satire.Template:Efn Wes Craven was discounted by the studio due to his lack of experience directing satires.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Craven liked the script but he wanted to work on less gory and more mainstream content (including a film adaptation of the 1959 horror novel The Haunting of Hill House) because of the negative public perception of him based on his previous films.Template:Efn

Craven's assistant Julie Plec and producer Marianne Maddalena continued to push Scream to Craven.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" />Template:Sfn His interest was renewed after The Haunting of Hill House adaptation was cancelled and he experienced the personal disappointment of his failed horror comedy, Vampire in Brooklyn (1995).<ref name="TheRingerOral" />Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn After reading the script, Plec said Craven suggested the studio Template:" 'make him an offer he can't refuse.' And so Dimension did. And he took it."<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> The deal also offered Craven his choice of other projects to direct after Scream.<ref name="NYTimesCravenInt" />

Williamson met Craven to discuss the script, believing he would request substantial rewrites, but Craven's notes related mainly to typos and some minor additions including restoring some of the gorier content and refining the ending which was not yet fully realized.Template:Efn Williamson said "The story stayed pretty much intact, but we added some scares, and shortened it. Wes reworked some of the action sequences, and we would argue and go back and forth, but there's a point where I had to realize that Wes is more experienced than I am."Template:Sfn Describing the script Craven said, "what it forces you to do is sort of look at the reality of things we typically look at as amusing, like the Friday the 13th type of deaths where people have arrows through their heads and kids scream and laugh. But that suddenly starts happening in their actual lives."Template:Sfn

Casting

Template:Multiple image Atypical for the genre at the time, Scream featured a cast of established stars, such as Drew Barrymore and Courteney Cox, as well as relatively unknown actors.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Executive producer Cary Woods used his friendship with Barrymore's agent to cast her in the lead role of Sidney Prescott, but she later requested the smaller role of Casey Becker.Template:Efn Maddalena suggested that Barrymore had wanted to leave the project entirely, but took the smaller role to avoid disappointing Bob Weinstein and his brother Harvey.Template:Sfn The filmmakers agreed to the change, believing it would be impactful to kill off their most well-known actor during ScreamTemplate:'s opening and convince audiences that no character was safe.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="MovieWebColdOpen" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Vinessa Shaw and Reese Witherspoon were also considered for Sidney Prescott. Witherspoon was discounted because she looked too young compared to the other cast, and Williamson's choice, Molly Ringwald, believed she was too old for the part.<ref name="MTVLegacy" />Template:Sfn The final choices came down to Alicia Witt, Brittany Murphy, and Neve Campbell.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="ETLegacy" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> According to Williamson, Campbell swiftly emerged as the favored choice among the principal crew and, to improve her chances, they filmed her screen-test first, forcing the other contenders to try and surpass her performance.<ref name="THROralHistory" /> Beach and Maddalena said Campbell brought athleticism from her dancing background with a combination of strength and vulnerability.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Describing what attracted her to the role, Campbell said Sidney was "a fantastic character for any kind of movie" who transitions from "tormented, traumatized, insecure young woman to overwhelmingly empowered and strong".Template:Sfn

Woods suggested Courteney Cox for the cold and calculating Gale Weathers, believing it would be interesting to play against her typical personable characters in series such as Family Ties (1982–1989) and Friends (1994–2004). Craven did not believe Cox could play the part and so she wrote a letter assuring him that "being 'a bitch' wouldn't be a stretch at all".<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> Brooke Shields and Janeane Garofalo were considered but a more established actress was preferred.Template:Sfn David Arquette auditioned for unspecified younger characters, but he was attracted to the role of Dewey and acting against Cox. The character was written as a "dumb jock" but Arquette interpreted it as a "position of authority getting no respectTemplate:Spaces... He wants to be John WayneTemplate:Spaces... He wants to be this tough guy, but he's just got a heart of gold."<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> Rose McGowan's agent jeopardized her chance to play Tatum by insisting on a payment of $250,000 instead of the offered $50,000, which was lower than the $100,000 received by some other principal actors. As a result, McGowan had to reaudition for the role twice.Template:Sfn<ref name="EWMcGowan" /> McGowan influenced Tatum's design, dying her hair blonde to avoid having two dark-haired main female characters,<ref name="EWMcGowan" /> removing an Indigo Girls poster from Tatum's bedroom (because she would not listen to the relatively older band), and rejecting costuming suggestions in favor of her self-bought outfits.Template:Sfn Thora Birch and Natasha Lyonne also auditioned for the role; Lyonne was the preferred choice but, as she was under 18, could not consent to joining without parental permission.Template:Sfn

Believing he was rising in popularity, Vince Vaughn was the studio's preferred choice for Billy Loomis, but he was too ill to audition.Template:Sfn Skeet Ulrich did not attend auditions because of scheduling conflicts but his girlfriend did and mentioned Ulrich brought her; Beach went out to meet him personally.Template:Sfn Ulrich liked playing a serial killer after more innocent and naive previous roles.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="RottenTomatoesLegacy" /> To develop his character, Ulrich researched serial murders, psychological profiles, and outfitted one of his hotel rooms to the Billy persona to help him get into character, outfitting it with punk rock posters and blacklights. He said, "I was into punk music in my teens and really just trying to recapture that angstTemplate:Spaces... I would sit in there and read about serial killers and watch Faces of Death (1978)Template:Spaces... anything to get into that gory mindset."<ref name="RottenTomatoesLegacy" /><ref name="EWUlrich" /> Ulrich and Campbell starred together in The Craft (1996), which they believed fostered a natural relationship between their characters.Template:Sfn Matthew Lillard auditioned for Billy, but the casting directors did not consider him the right actor to "make out with [Campbell]" and had him audition as Stu for Craven, who immediately offered him the part.<ref name="EWOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" />

Seth Green, Jason Lee, and Breckin Meyer were all preferred for Randy, the "lanky, gangly, opinionated fifth wheel, who really has a love and passion for movies", but Craven and Williamson appreciated the innocence and comedy that Jamie Kennedy brought to his portrayal. Kennedy credited Craven for supporting his casting.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="EWOral" />Template:Sfn W. Earl Brown and Craven were friends and he was not required to audition but did have to gain about Template:Cvt; he originally wanted to portray Dewey.<ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn Roger L. Jackson was hired based on his voice work for Mars Attacks! (1996).<ref name="ViceJackson" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /> He recounted overhearing his competitors discussing the Ghostface as the "new Freddy Krueger", but Jackson interpreted it as a more subtle role which required charisma and sexiness to keep his target on the phone even though they want to hang up.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> Barrymore wanted someone to act against in her scene instead of the character's lines being read to her, and while the filmmakers intended to dub over Jackson's voice with Tom Kane, Craven liked his performance.<ref name="ViceJackson" /><ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn Henry Winkler shared an agent with Craven and made his cameo appearance as a favor.Template:Sfn Lynn McCree, Sidney's mother, was a Sonoma local; she spent two hours taking pictures with Campbell for the role but had no knowledge of the character's backstory.Template:Sfn Liev Schreiber took the part of Cotton Weary for $20,000 during an unrelated meeting with Bob Weinstein.<ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn Extras were drawn from locals including the owners of a restaurant frequented by the cast and crew.Template:Sfn

Pre-production

An isolated home in Tomales, California served as the location of ScreamTemplate:'s finale.

It was determined early on that Scream required too many different interior and exterior locations to be filmed on sets. Production designer Bruce Miller explained that it was important to portray the characters as vulnerable in their homes which made it essential that they could film inside and outside the properties.Template:Sfn Scouts researched locations in the United States and Canada but struggled to locate a house for the opening scene which featured plentiful windows and visibility.Template:Sfn Craven initially researched Wilmington, North Carolina but it failed to meet his expectations: "I wanted to have very American looking housesTemplate:Spaces... and a lot of the houses there were very dark brown, or brick, and that didn't look attractive to me."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Locations near Vancouver were discounted for similar reasons, as was Napa County, California.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California offered most features the filmmakers required, but the Weinsteins rejected the additional $1 to 2Template:Spacesmillion required to film there until the filmmakers convinced them that Craven's name would attract enough audiences to compensate for the added cost.Template:Efn The opening scene used a house in Glen Ellen.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="Cinemaholic" /> Miller said, "We didn't want homes that looked like castles, or that you could really protect yourself inTemplate:Spaces... so if somebody was going to be stalking them, they could get to them very quickly."Template:Sfn Other Santa Rosa locations used in Scream include Sidney's House at 1820 Calistoga Road, interiors of Tatum's house at 824 McDonald Avenue, and the Bradley Video store, where Randy works.<ref name="ScreenRantLocations" /><ref name="Cinemaholic" /><ref name="SFGateLocation" /> The Healdsburg, California town square appears as the location of the Woodsboro Town Square, the fountain, and the exterior of the town police station.<ref name="Cinemaholic" /><ref name="ScreenRantLocations" /><ref name="YahooLocations" />

Stu's home was an unoccupied property in Tomales which offered a dark and isolated atmosphere for the finale.<ref name="EWOral" /><ref name="DreadHouse" /><ref name="Distractify" /> Cinematographer Mark Irwin unsuccessfully argued against using the property because it was on top of a hill, introducing logistical challenges for accessing trailers and equipment.Template:Sfn Miller built a facade of barns in front of the house so trailers could be sited closer while remaining concealed.Template:Sfn The art department extensively modified the house, adding Gothic elements such as beams and stained-glass windows to give it a haunted feel, painting the walls red (although they realized later this made the blood stand out less), and adding a white picket fence.Template:Sfn<ref name="DreadHouse" /> The farmhouse-style home offered a "convoluted" layout for a convincing setting where the murders could occur without the other characters realizing. The production crew also added a volleyball net to make it appear as if a teenager lived there.<ref name="DreadHouse" />

Santa Rosa High School was selected to portray Woodsboro High School due to its gothic and castle-like imposing visuals.Template:Sfn<ref name="LATimesSchool" /> Ten days of filming were to take place there in early June at a cost of $30,000 to 50,000, but permission was revoked in March 1996 by the Santa Rosa school district. The change was ostensibly because of the disruption filming would cause during school hours and scheduled exams, but several school board members objected to the violent content in the script, and hundreds of locals attended a council meeting to debate against and for the production; the board ultimately voted against allowing filming.Template:Sfn<ref name="LATimesSchool" />Template:Sfn

The Sonoma Community Center served as a replacement filming location, but scenes had to be rewritten to accommodate the new location and additional costs to transform the former elementary school into one appropriate for young adults, including larger desks and installing lockers.Template:Sfn<ref name="LATimesSchool" /> Craven estimated the disruption and location changes caused by the Santa Rosa district's decision cost the production $350,000, including the $27,000 the center was paid for three days of filming.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn<ref name="LATimesSchool" /> The disruption to filming by the school was not forgotten, with the film's credits stating "No thanks whatsoever to the Santa Rosa city school district governing board."<ref name="LATimesSchool" />

Williamson's script had not described the killer's appearance beyond wearing a "ghostly white mask".Template:Sfn<ref name="FangoriaMask" /> Special effects company KNB EFX Group was commissioned to design a mask, but the filmmakers disliked their "gargoyle-ish", witch, and goblin-like masks designs.Template:Sfn<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="FangoriaMask" /> While location scouting a house, Maddalena came across what would become the Ghostface mask.Template:Sfn<ref name="FangoriaMask" /> This mask, featuring a white shroud, was designed by Brigitte Sleiertin as "the Peanut-Eyed Ghost" for the novelty company Fun World in 1991, based on a design by makeup artist Loren Gitthens.<ref name="THRMask" /><ref name="FangoriaMask" /> However, Craven and the studio wanted to own the design used in the film and tasked KNB EFX with creating a similar but legally distinct design, stretching the nose and chin.Template:Sfn<ref name="FangoriaMask" /> Unhappy with the results, Craven eventually decided to pursue the original Fun World design.Template:Sfn The killer's outfit was completed with a black shroud to avoid their clothing or movements hinting at their identity.Template:Sfn

Filming

Principal photography began on April 15, 1996, on a $14Template:Spacesmillion budget.<ref name="TCM" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="VarietyLegacy" />Template:Efn The first week was spent filming the Casey Becker scenes.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> To elicit the necessary emotions, Barrymore recalled a sad story developed with Craven and made herself hyperventilate.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="EWBarrymore" /> To enhance her performance, Jackson was situated outside the house so that he could see Barrymore while making the calls but she could not see him.<ref name="TheRingerOral" />Template:Sfn Jackson was used similarly for other Ghostface call scenes, and never met the cast in person.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="ViceJackson" /> He said "the scariest monsters are the monsters you don't see, but the monsters you make in your mind. So just having the voice to react to made it larger in their minds".<ref name="TheRingerOral" />

For safety, stunt performers portrayed the killer in costume, although Craven portrays the killer in parts of the opening.<ref name="MTVLegacy" /><ref name="ColliderUlrich" /> The first few days of filming used a custom mask designed for Scream, but Craven did not like it and reshot various scenes with the Fun World design before it was licensed.Template:Sfn Because the hung Casey was to appear gutted from chest to waist, effects artist Howard Berger decided against applying prosthetics to Barrymore in favor of a mannequin that could be hollowed out, showing her spine holding her upper and lower parts together. The effect was enhanced with various rubber and vinyl guts.Template:Sfn For Steve Orth's death, KNB created an open back chair allowing the actor to kneel behind a hollowed out anatomical mannequin torso cut open at the abdomen and filled with latex, rubber, and gelatin intestines.Template:Sfn

After viewing the dailies raw footage, Bob criticized the quality of Craven's work as "workmanlike at best", believing it lacked tension and had an inconsistent tone.Template:Sfn<ref name="THROralHistory" /> He was critical of the Fun World Mask—believing it was "flat" and not scary—and ordered that the opening scene be re-filmed with alternative masks to see which worked best.<ref name="IndieWireCraven" /><ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn Barrymore was also criticized for lacking sex appeal because of the pageboy hairstyle she had chosen.Template:Sfn Williamson recounted Craven receiving a call from the brothers and seeing "his back slump. He just started sliding down the chair."<ref name="IndieWireCraven" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> The studio considered firing Craven, and sent him dailies from other films, such as Nightwatch (1997), to demonstrate what they wanted for Scream.Template:Efn

Konrad defended Craven to the brothers, and in response Bob Weinstein sent Dimension executives Cary Granat and Andrew Rona to the set to directly intervene.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Craven, Konrad, Maddalena, and line producer Stuart M. Besser met with Granat, who wanted the opening reshot with each of the Weinstein's alternative mask suggestions.<ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn Instead, they offered to edit together the existing footage to prove the scene and mask worked and if it did not, then the project would be cancelled.Template:Efn

Editor Patrick Lussier worked with Craven to piece together most of the opening, adding temporary music and sound effects.Template:Sfn<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> The Weinsteins barred Craven and the producers from attending screening of the footage.Template:Sfn Afterward, Bob Weinstein told the filmmakers, "What do I know about dailies? Keep going", and provided additional financing.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The producers suggested Weinstein had an "ulterior motive" to force the filmmakers to complete the footage – the upcoming Milan Film Festival, as edited footage was not typically allowed to be screened until eight weeks after filming concluded.Template:Sfn

The next main scene filmed was of the central cast sitting around a fountain. Ulrich admitted he did not realize Scream was intended to be a horror with comedic elements and was confused by Lillard's and Kennedy's "humorous moments", believing they were "ruining the movieTemplate:Spaces... Like, 'This isn't funny. This isn't supposed to be funny.' And man, was I wrong."<ref name="EWUlrich" /><ref name="VarietyLegacy" /> Craven encouraged improvisation throughout filming, much of it coming from Arquette and Lillard, with Williamson acknowledging that Lillard's ad-libs improved the script.Template:Efn

The finale

Template:Multiple image The film's 42-minute end sequence set at Stu's party was filmed at night over three weeks.<ref name="EWLillard" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="DreadHouse" /> Issues filming at the location, including difficulties with providing proper lighting because of the uneven landscape, exacerbated tensions between Craven and Irwin regarding the quality of Irwin's footage. Scream was filmed with an anamorphic lens, which distorts and stretches the image to achieve a specific aspect ratio. However, neither Craven nor Irwin had much experience with this type of lens. The crew, including Lussier, had raised concerns about lens flares and out-of-focus images, partially blaming the focus puller hired by Irwin.Template:Sfn Lussier explained, "You can often tell your focus is supposed to be on somebody's eye usually, Template:Spaces... and the focus puller just hasn't moved with the actor".Template:Sfn As a result, there were limited options during the editing process due to the inconsistent focus.Template:Sfn Irwin said he was informed that all filmed footage was unusable and that 35 days of scenes needed to be reshot. After an argument with Maddalena, Irwin was immediately fired and replaced by Peter Deming for the final three weeks of filming.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Irwin believed he was made a scapegoat for the film's behind-schedule status, risking Craven forfeiting his salary, but Konrad denied this.Template:Sfn

Kennedy's horror rules scene was initially performed in a single take, but he requested additional takes, feeling he could enhance the performance (Craven ultimately chose the third take).<ref name="EWOral" /> During Tatum's death scene, McGowan had trouble staying in the pet door as the garage door rose. To address this, the crew nailed her shirt to the frame to hold her in place.<ref name="MTVLegacy" /><ref name="EWMcGowan" /> Craven found it challenging managing the scene's tone, aiming to avoid trivializing Tatum's death while paying homage to other horror films.Template:Sfn McGowan improvised the screams for her mother to give the character more humanity.Template:Sfn When Gale drives a van with Kenny's corpse on top, Brown was on top of the van, but the unprepared stunt driver accelerated at full speed. When he hit the brakes, Brown fell off the side of the van and the stunt coordinator grabbed Brown's pants and ankle, saving him from harm.Template:Sfn

Five nights were spent on the kitchen confrontation between Billy, Stu, and Sidney.<ref name="RottenTomatoesLegacy" /><ref name="VultureCast" /> By the time they had filmed Gale returning with a gun, Ulrich said he and Lillard were "roaming around like caged animals" to keep the intensity of their performances high, to the point Craven asked them to relax because they were scaring Cox. Lillard described maintaining that level of adrenaline as exhausting.<ref name="RottenTomatoesLegacy" /><ref name="EWLillard" /><ref name="VultureCast" /> Campbell, Kennedy, Lillard, and Ulrich endured multiple nights covered in fake blood, and the costumes could not be washed to maintain continuity (they were dampened each night to make the blood appear fresh).<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="EWLillard" /><ref name="EWKennedy" /> When Ulrich stabs a sofa, the filmmakers were unaware it was stuffed with feathers which stuck to the fake blood; Maddalena considered Craven "nuts" for keeping the feathers in the scene.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Lillard improvised lines such as "My mom and dad are going to be so mad at me" and "You fucking hit me with the phone, you dick", the latter taking place when Ulrich threw a phone near him as intended but the sticky blood caused it to veer off and inadvertently hit Lillard.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="ColliderUlrich" /> Ulrich suggested Billy cracking his neck before shooting Gale, and the sound was added in post-production.<ref name="RottenTomatoesLegacy" /> Campbell's stuntwoman accidentally stabbed Ulrich with an umbrella tip, missing the protective vest he was wearing and hitting the site of an open heart surgery Ulrich had as a child.Template:Sfn

Filming concluded on June 14, 1996.<ref name="TCM" /> The cast spoke fondly of the "summer camp" atmosphere during filming and the camaraderie they formed.<ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn The main cast and select crew members, including Craven, often gathered together in the early mornings after filming for meals, activities, and socializing.Template:Sfn<ref name="VultureCast" /> Arquette's hotel room was transformed into a makeshift club where they would congregate.<ref name="EWOral" /><ref name="ETLegacy" /> However, due to complaints from other residents, they eventually relocated their early morning gatherings to a nearby barn.Template:Sfn

Post-production

The Scary Movie title remained late into production, appearing on the cast and crew gifts for completing filming.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="EWMcGowan" />Template:Sfn Harvey Weinstein suggested Scream based on the Michael and Janet Jackson song "Scream".<ref name="Jackson" />Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Many of the cast and crew were initially unhappy with the change. Sony Pictures filed a lawsuit against Dimension and Miramax, claiming Scream infringed on their copyright of Screamers (1995). The case was settled out of court with Dimension being able to use Scream going forward.Template:Sfn Although Arquette's and Kennedy's characters were killed in the script, alternate scenes were filmed showing them survive in case they proved popular with test screening audiences.Template:Sfn<ref name="EntertainmaintIE" /> The successful screenings also resulted in Miramax asking Craven to direct two Scream sequels.Template:Sfn

Scream was rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), restricting its audience to those over 17 years of age, which was considered "box-office suicide" by industry experts.<ref name="nc17deathformovies" /> The MPAA told Craven that Scream would never receive a more commercial R-rating, allowing younger people to see the film when accompanied by an adult.<ref name="nc17deathformovies" />Template:Sfn<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Craven said, "I'm a director who can do something very well but am not allowed to put it on screen. And they ultimately get you, as they did on this one, on intensity. They say, 'it's not a specific shot, it's not blood, it's just too intenseTemplate:'".Template:Sfn<ref name="DreadMPAA" /> The filmmakers eventually convinced the MPAA that Scream was a spoof, believing they were too focused on the horror aspects.<ref name="THROralHistory" />

It took up to nine cuts to address the MPAA's complaints,<ref name="NYTimesCravenInt" />Template:Sfn including removing any movement of Steve Orth's internal organs,Template:Sfn trimming Kenny's throat being slit (because the actor's pained expression was too "disturbing"), moving Billy and Stu stabbing each other off screen, and reducing scenes of Casey's hanging body and Tatum's crushed head.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn The slow motion stabbing of Casey was considered excessive but was allowed with only a few frames removed because there was no alternate footage to use.<ref name="THROralHistory" /> The final cut runs for 111Template:Spacesminutes.<ref name="RunTime" />

Music

Template:Main Template:Listen Despite having no background in film scoring or an interest in the horror genre, Marco Beltrami was recommended to Plec and Craven, who found his music samples original compared with Beltrami's contemporaries.Template:Efn Craven gave Beltrami a weekend to compose "The Cue from Hell", the score for the film's opening sequence, which secured his hiring. Beltrami wrote the piece from Casey's perspective and used an "operatic" style, employing a range of instruments, including piano and brass.<ref name="FangoriaDiscSet" /><ref name="IGNMusic" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> Beltrami described himself as "bumbling" through the scoring process, acknowledging his limited knowledge of horror music styles.<ref name="MPAABeltrami" /><ref name="FilmTracks" /><ref name="FangoriaDiscSet" /> He incorporated elements of the western genre, particularly for Dewey's theme, and took cues from composers including Elliot Goldenthal, Ennio Morricone, Eric Serra, Christopher Young, and Hans Zimmer.<ref name="MPAABeltrami" /><ref name="FilmTracks" /><ref name="FangoriaDiscSet" />

Due to budget constraints, Beltrami had to work with a small orchestra of fewer than 50 performers.<ref name="InsiderBeltrami" /><ref name="FilmTracks" /> To compensate for the lack of string harmonics, he instructed the string players to whistle, and asked Craven, Lussier, Maddalena, and Woods to join and boost their numbers.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="LATimesBeltrami" />Template:Sfn Beltrami identified most with Sidney's character and considered her themeTemplate:Snd"Sidney's Lament"Template:Sndto be one of the score's crucial pieces.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="InsiderBeltrami" /> He chose not to assign a distinctive motif to Ghostface, to avoid hinting at the killer's identity.<ref name="FilmTracks" /> Licensed music for Scream was provided by TVT Records and includes covers of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Gus Black and "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)" by Soho, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, "First Cool Hive" by Moby, and "Drop Dead Gorgeous" by Republica.<ref name="ColliderMusic" /><ref name="FangoriaMusic" /><ref name="AVClubSoundtrack" /> Excepts from the Halloween score are also present.Template:Sfn

Release

Context

Template:See also Over forty films were scheduled for release in late 1996, including Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, Jerry Maguire, Mars Attacks!, Ransom, Space Jam, and Star Trek: First Contact.<ref name="AustinContext" /><ref name="NYTimesContext2" /> Bob Weinstein opted to release Scream in December as counterprogramming, offering teenagers an alternative to more traditional holiday fare. The decision was unpopular with the cast and crew, with Williamson expecting the film to fail.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Weinstein explained, "people said we were crazy to put out Scream over ChristmasTemplate:Spaces... It was a thriller; it didn't have big stars; it couldn't compete. Well, after Beavis and Butt-Head, where is that audience going to go?"<ref name="NYTimesPostBO" />

The marketing for Scream positioned Barrymore as the lead character to intentionally shock the audience with her death.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="MovieWebColdOpen" /> During a promotional interview, Ulrich inadvertently revealed he portrayed one of the killers and called his agent to get the story blocked.<ref name="EWSecrets" />

Box office

The premiere of Scream took place on December 18, 1996, at the AVCO theater in Westwood, Los Angeles.<ref name="EWOral" /><ref name="YahooPremiere" /> It was released in the United States and Canada on December 20.<ref name="VarietyLegacy" /><ref name="EWOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> During its opening weekend, the film grossed $6.4Template:Spacesmillion across 1,413 theaters—an average of $4,497 per theater—making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of the weekend, behind 101 Dalmatians ($7Template:Spacesmillion), Jerry Maguire ($13.1Template:Spacesmillion), and the debut of Beavis and Butt-Head Do America ($20.1Template:Spacesmillion).<ref name="BOMWeekend1" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> The performance was considered a failure by industry professionals, resulting in Variety labeling Scream "dead on arrival".<ref name="VarietyLegacy" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" />Template:Verify source Maddalena recounted herself and Craven observing a raucous audience for Beavis and Butt-Head Do America while Scream had "maybe seven people in there. No one was laughing or screaming. We went away so dejected."<ref name="TheRingerOral" /> However, Scream received positive audience word-of-mouth and exit-polling responses, leading the studio to increase the marketing and distribution budget. This contributed to ScreamTemplate:'s performance improving in the following weeks.<ref name="EWOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /> Although it fell to fifth place in its second weekend, it increased its weekend gross to $9.1Template:Spacesmillion,<ref name="BOMWeekend2" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" /> and again in its third weekend, rising to third place with $10Template:Spacesmillion.<ref name="BOMWeekend3" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> Scream remained in the top-ten-highest-grossing films for nine weeks in total, becoming a surprise success and grossing a total of $103Template:Spacesmillion.<ref name="BOMWeekends" /><ref name="NYTimesPostBO2" /><ref name="NYTimesHorrorSuccess" /> This figure made it the numberTemplate:Spaces13 highest-grossing film of 1996,<ref name="BOM1996DOMESTIC" /> and highest-grossing slasher film of its time, until Halloween (2018).<ref name="NYTimesHorrorSuccess" /><ref name="HighestSlasherHallo" /><ref name="BOMhighestslasher" /> It was Miramax's second film to gross $100Template:Nbspmillion in the United States and Canada after Pulp Fiction (1994).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The film was most successful with teenagers and young people in their 20s.<ref name="NYTSuccess" />

Outside of the U.S. and Canada, Scream is estimated to have grossed a further $70Template:Spacesmillion, including $14Template:Nbspmillion in the United Kingdom, making it the numberTemplate:Spaces21 highest-grossing film.<ref name="TheNumbers1996INT" />Template:Sfn This gives Scream a cumulative worldwide total of $173Template:Spacesmillion, making it the numberTemplate:Spaces14 highest-grossing film of the year.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="VarietyLegacy" /><ref name="TheNumbers1996WW" />Template:Efn After four weeks of release, it became the highest-grossing horror film in France, with a gross of $6.2Template:Nbspmillion (37.9Template:Nbspmillion French Francs).Template:Sfn In Japan, the release date was postponed from May 1997 to August after the murder of a 14-year-old boy, whose killer was apparently obsessed with horror movies.Template:Sfn

Industry analysis showed that most of the films released toward the end of the year were box office failures, including both big-budget fare and a surge of films targeted toward women. Only a few were seen as successes, including 101 Dalmatians, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, Jerry Maguire, Ransom, Scream, and Star Trek: First Contact.<ref name="NYTimesPostBO" /> The success of Scream resulted in additional financial compensation for the principal crew and cast, triggered by the box office surpassing $40Template:Nbspmillion and subsequent increments of $10Template:Nbspmillion up to $100Template:Nbspmillion. Kennedy noted that his first residual check was double his salary.<ref name="THROralHistory" /><ref name="TheRingerOral" />Template:Sfn

Reception

Critical response

Template:Multiple image Scream received generally positive reviews.<ref name="NYTWarm" /> Critics, such as Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli, and Owen Gleiberman, praised ScreamTemplate:'s meta commentary about its horror predecessors and its self-referential humor while also writing that the self parody diluted any suspense, and criticizing the excessive violence.Template:Efn Some critics said that the film's intelligence and wit beneath the gore would be appreciated by "sophisticated viewers",<ref name="ReviewReelViews" /><ref name="ReviewSFGate" /> but Ebert was unsure if the degree of violence was "defused by the ironic way the film uses it and comments on it".<ref name="ReviewEbert" />

Janet Maslin wrote that while Scream offered original ideas for the genre, it quickly exhausted them.<ref name="ReviewNYT" /> John Hartl offered a similar sentiment, believing Scream was so focused on referencing other films that it did not know when to "settle down to tell a coherent story".<ref name="ReviewSeattleTimes" /> Bill Stamets considered these references insightful, particularly the killers' motives, saying "Killers without motives are far more scary."<ref name="ReviewChicagoReadStamets" />

Critics such as Berardinelli, Thomas, and Leonard Klady wrote positively of the ensemble cast and their instrumentality in the film's success.Template:Efn Peter Stack and Dave Kehr praised Campbell for her standout performance that successfully carried the central focus on her character, portraying a tough, capable heroine who avoids the "damsel in distress" archetype.Template:Efn While some reviewers appreciated Cox for delivering a strong performance in an against-type role, others criticized her for being unconvincing as a tough and career-obsessed reporter.Template:Efn Thomas and John Hartl wrote that Arquette delivered a "goofily charming" performance.<ref name="ReviewLATimes" /><ref name="ReviewSeattleTimes" /> Lisa Alspector described Ulrich as the only cast member capable of balancing genuine characterization with self-parody.<ref name="ReviewChicagoRead" /><ref name="ReviewLATimes" /><ref name="ReviewTimeOut" />

The film's opening sequence received praise for building tension and suspense. Gleiberman and Richard Harrington appreciated the absence of gratuitous nudity in the scene, which was atypical for the genre.Template:Efn Kevin Thomas credited Irwin's "resourcefulness" and Lussier's "razor-sharp" editing as key to ScreamTemplate:'s success.<ref name="ReviewLATimes" />

Accolades

At the 23rd Saturn Awards in 1997, Scream won awards for Best Actress (Campbell), Best Writing (Williamson), and Best Horror Film.<ref name="saturnaward" /> The film was named Best Movie at the MTV Movie Awards, and Campbell was nominated for Best Female Performance.<ref name="mtvmovieaward1997" /> Scream was named Best Film by the International Horror Guild.<ref name="internationalhorrorguild" /> Craven also received the Grand Prize at the Gérardmer Film Festival.<ref name="GerardmerFestival2" />

Post-release

Home media

The soundtrack of Scream was released in December 1996 by TVT Records as Scream: Music From The Dimension Motion Picture; it sold poorly.<ref name="NYTimesSoundtrack" /><ref name="AVClubSoundtrack" /><ref name="SoundtrackNet1996" /> Scream was released on VHS and Laserdisc in June 1997,<ref name="NYTimes1997LaserDisc" /> and was especially successful in the video rental market, becoming the second most rented movie of 1997 in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2000, Scream was released as part of "The Ultimate Scream Collection", alongside its then-two sequels, Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The release introduced special features including cast screen tests, outtakes, and a documentary about the making of the three films featuring interviews with Craven, Williamson, Campbell, Cox, and Arquette.<ref name="LAtimesUltimate" /><ref name="FarOutUltimate" /> A director's cut release of Scream restored uncut sequences removed for the theatrical release.Template:Sfn

The film was released on Blu-ray in 2011, including previously released special features.<ref name="EWBluRay2011" /><ref name="IGNBluray2011" /><ref name="HiDefBluRay2011" /> For the film's 25th anniversary in 2021, Scream was remastered and released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in a steelbook case.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="THROralHistory" /> Alongside the previously released special features, the remastered version included "A Bloody Legacy: Scream 25 Years Later", a documentary featuring new interviews with the cast and crew.<ref name="BleedColin2021BluRay" /><ref name="BloodyDisgust2021BluRay" /> In 2022, Varèse Sarabande released the score in a limited-edition six-disc box CD set and digitally, alongside Beltrami's work on other installments, as well as unreleased music, demos, and alternate versions. A four-LP record set was released separately in a jacket that turns into a Ghostface mask.<ref name="FangoriaDiscSet" />

Other media

A 2011 documentary, Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective, documents the production of the original trilogy of Scream films, and includes interviews with cast and crew from throughout the series.<ref name="AVClubStillScream" /> A book, It All Began With A Scream by Padraic Maroney, was also released that year, offering a similar look at the production of Scream and its three immediate sequels.<ref name="WorldCatItBegan" /><ref name="TelegraphItBegan" />

The popularity of the Ghostface character generated a variety of merchandise, and the killer's outfit remained a popular Halloween costume Template:As of.Template:Efn

Thematic analysis

Themes

Scream is influenced by, and pays many homages to, the history of the horror genre, including a school janitor referencing Freddy Krueger, a cameo appearance by Linda Blair, famed for her appearance in The Exorcist (1973), and the killers admonishing the police for not watching Prom Night for advice. In a meta reference, Randy recounts the rules of the genre: to survive a horror film, characters cannot sin by drinking, taking drugs, or having sex, and they cannot say "'I'll be right back.' Because you won't be back".<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="ReviewNYT" /><ref name="ReviewChicagoReadStamets" /> This self reference is extended when Randy (Jamie Kennedy), watches Halloween and yells at the lead character Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) to look behind her, oblivious to the killer approaching himself from behind. Further, Kenny futilely yells at Randy to look behind him while observing via a remote camera.<ref name="ReviewChicagoReadStamets" /> When Sidney confronts Billy and Stu, she says "You've seen one too many movies", to which Billy replies "Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative."Template:Efn Writer Kate Gardener believed this dialogue rejects the blame on horror films for inspiring real-world violence.<ref name="MarySueAnalysis" /> Lussier said the MPAA had objected to this dialogue because "you can't speak that kind of truth".<ref name="THROralHistory" />

Writers Adam White and Michelle Delgado wrote that Scream is an exploration of the "exploitative" nature of the news media using traumatic events as entertainment. The debut of Scream coincided with growing discourse in the United States on the impact of on-screen violence and its potential consequences for society. During this time, the Clinton administration introduced the V-chip, a device designed to enable parents to block mature television content. However, news programs remained exempt from the ratings system, which Delgado said continued to "exploit" violent incidents to captivate audiences.<ref name="IndependentFame" /><ref name="SmithsonianThemes" /> Gale portrays a relentless television reporter who used Maureen's murder to further her own career and seeks to do the same with the Woodsboro murders. Although Gale advocates for the innocence of Cotton Weary in Maureen's death, she does so both because she believes he is innocent and to secure a lucrative book deal.<ref name="IndependentFame" /><ref name="SmithsonianThemes" /><ref name="MarySueAnalysis" /> While Gale's actions revolve around profiting from the suffering of others, she is depicted not as a villain but a careerist and an antagonist to Sidney who evolves into a heroic figure, aiding in the deaths of Billy and Stu. Gardener wrote that making a living from murder is not morally equal to committing murder, but that it represents the commodification of crime and female trauma. Scream acknowledges the audience's voyeuristic interest in murder and horror, underscoring the monetary value placed on sensationalized crimes.<ref name="MarySueAnalysis" />

White described Williamson's script as emblematic of its time, featuring a "picture-perfect" mother raped and murdered in American suburbia and the stalking of her daughter one year later. He compared it to contemporary sensationalized cases such as the Murder trial of O. J. Simpson, Lorena Bobbit's assault of her husband, the Long Island Lolita case, and the Gainesville Ripper.<ref name="IndependentFame" /> The Ripper's defence included his assertion of being influenced by films such as The Exorcist III (1990). Despite public concerns about the influence of violent media, instances of violent crime were decreasing when Scream was released and there remained no direct link between violent media content and real-life crimes.<ref name="SmithsonianThemes" /> Even so, public fascination with these media portrayals created a form of celebrity for the victims or perpetrators, with dramatic events being turned into documentaries and films. In Scream, Sidney jokes that a film will be made about the traumatic events of her life and, in the sequels, the film-within-a-film Stab horror series is created, based partly on the events of each preceding Scream entry.<ref name="IndependentFame" />

Analysis

Author Padraic Maroney wrote that Scream was pro-feminism, depicting several final girls who fight the killer instead of submitting. The success of Scream demonstrated to studios that although typically seen as fare for young males, horror films had an untapped female market.Template:Sfn Writer Aime Simon said Sidney, like Craven's Nancy Thompson, is allowed to develop as a character by surviving successive films.Template:Sfn The Scream films often explore female trauma through characters such as Sidney and Gale, including the dangers posed by angry males who feel rejected. Gardener said that although this may not have been Craven's intention, the film's narrative effectively conveys this theme. She continued that the male killers in Scream enact violence and intimidation primarily on women, including Casey who romantically rejects Stu before the events of the film, and Sidney's mother Maureen, as Billy blames her for the end of his parents' marriage. Maureen is not responsible for his mother leaving, but Billy blames her, takes his anger out on her directly, and then abuses Sidney's emotional vulnerability caused by her death. In this way, the portrayal of Billy and Stu as angry entitled men seeking revenge is more relatable and realistic than supernatural horror villains.<ref name="MarySueAnalysis" />

Scream has been analyzed for homosexual or queer undertones, influenced by Williamson's own experiences as a gay man. He has expressed how his personal struggles informed Sidney's character because he identified parallels between her survival tactics and those of young gay individuals. In a 2021 interview, he said "as a gay kid, I related to the final girl and to her struggle because it's what one has to do to survive as a young gay kid, too. Subconsciously, I think the Scream movies are coded in gay survival."<ref name="DigitalSpyThemes" /> Several publications have highlighted the positive response from gay fans of the franchise to these underlying themes.<ref name="BloodyDisgustingThemes" /><ref name="DigitalSpyThemes" /><ref name="FangoriaThemes" />

Some writers, such as Maroney, Brant Lewis, and Joe Lipsett, have discussed the theory that Billy and Stu are in a homosexual relationship or that Stu held unrequited feelings for Billy.Template:Efn Professor David Greven wrote that Billy and Stu are representative of the changing notions of masculinity and the underlying currents of queer desire in 90s films. The interactions between them throughout the movie contain themes of homoeroticism, such as when Stu playfully touches Randy's earlobe or leans on Billy during the climax before they stab each other with phallic weapons. Greven believed that although it is easy to assign homosexuality to Stu because of his lack of motive to kill and apparent willingness to please his friend, Billy also features homoerotic characteristics such as the gay trope of fixating on his maternal relationship, similar to Norman Bates in Psycho, and Billy's visual styling resembling actor James Dean, considered a queer icon.<ref name="BloodyDisgustingThemes" /> Williamson loosely based the characters on Leopold and Loeb,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> queer individuals who committed murder to prove their intellectual superiority.Template:Efn In a 2022 interview he said he was "very hesitant to present the gay side of me in [Scream]" and that any queerness in Billy's and Stu's characters was "a little coded and maybe accidental".<ref name="PrideSource" />

Legacy

Cultural influence

In the decades following its release, Scream has remained an enduringly popular horror film and launched a successful film franchise.Template:Sfn<ref name="THROralHistory" /> It is credited with revitalizing the horror genre, which had significantly declined in popularity by the early 1990s.Template:Efn Far Out and MTV described Scream as a "ground-breaking" slasher film that "successfully crossed over into the mainstream" because of its deft blend of traditional horror with self-aware commentary and satire.<ref name="MTVLegacy" /><ref name="FarOutLegacy" /> Vox wrote that Scream "mainstreamed metatextual storytelling and made that analytical understanding of the genre mainstream in a lot of ways".<ref name="VoxLegacy" />

Studios rushed to capitalize on ScreamTemplate:'s success with teen-centric horror films and television series leading into the 2000s, such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Urban Legend, The Faculty (both 1998), Final Destination, and Cherry Falls (both 2000), as well as sequels to popular, but diminished, franchises such as Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and Bride of Chucky (both 1998).Template:Efn Scream also serves as the subject of the parody film Scary Movie (2000), which in turn launched its own franchise of horror spoofs.Template:Sfn<ref name="EbertscaryMovie" /><ref name="VultureScaryMovie" /> Director Jordan Peele has credited Scream as a direct inspiration for his own influential horror film, Get Out (2017), in manipulating the audience's expectations of the contemporary horror genre.<ref name="VoxLegacy" />

Scream helped launch or bolster the careers of its principal stars, including Campbell, Ulrich, Lillard, McGowan, Kennedy, and Arquette.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="MovieFoneScreamsLegacy" /> Williamson became an in-demand screenwriter, contributing to horror films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and television series Dawson's Creek (1998–2003).<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="NYTSuccess" /> Scream helped revitalize Craven's career after several career setbacks and a string of poor performances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lussier credited his work on ScreamTemplate:'s opening with his transition to director, beginning with Dracula 2000 (2000).Template:Sfn Barrymore's involvement helped raised the profile of the horror genre, making it a more attractive prospect for prominent actors instead of relative unknowns.Template:Sfn In a 2021 interview, Kennedy said he was still approached by fans about his horror rules monologue.<ref name="EWOral" /> Lillard described Scream as a "seminal" moment of his career.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="MTVLegacy" /> He and Campbell began a two-year relationship during filming, while Cox and Arquette married and eventually divorced.<ref name="TheRingerOral" /><ref name="MTVLegacy" /><ref name="PeopleArquetteCox" />

Scream has often been referenced in popular culture in and outside the horror genre.Template:Sfn<ref name="VoxLegacy" /> The Ghostface killer is considered to be among the most iconic cinematic horror villains.Template:Efn The Billy and Stu version of Ghostface (voiced by Jackson) appears as a playable character in the fighting game Mortal Kombat 1 (2023).<ref name="MortalKombat" /> As of 2021, Lillard's improvised dialogue, "My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me", was still quoted to him by fans.<ref name="THROralHistory" />

In the years since its release, Scream was cited as an influence in several violent crimes and murders, with perpetrators sometimes dressing as Ghostface, as in the 2006 murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart.Template:Efn Following the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, an increasing media and public scrutiny on the influence of violent films, games, and other media on society the United States Senate Commerce committee reviewed the marketing of films to youths, specifically the horror genre. ScreamTemplate:'s opening was shown as an example of negative media which may be viewed by children.<ref name="controversySenate" /> The use of Caller ID to identify incoming callers also increased by 300% following ScreamTemplate:'s release.Template:Sfn<ref name="DOGCallerID" />

Retrospective assessments

Scream is regarded as a classic of the horror genre,<ref name="MovieWebColdOpen" />Template:Sfn<ref name="BFI5Essential" /> and among the greatest horror and slasher films ever made.Template:Efn Several publications have also listed it among the best films of the 1990s.Template:Efn Williamson believed ScreamTemplate:'s success was due, in part, to fitting the contemporary zeitgeist when "everyone wanted to have scary and fun in their lifeTemplate:Spaces... If the movie had been released at any other time, I'm not sure that would've been the case". Campbell believed it connected with audiences because of a deft combination of humor, horror, and intelligence.<ref name="THROralHistory" /> Template:As of, Scream remains the highest-grossing film in the Scream film series,<ref name="VarietyLegacy" /><ref name="TheNumbersAllScreams" /> and is generally considered to be the best film in the series.Template:Efn The franchise is also among the highest-grossing horror franchises, alongside Halloween, Saw, and The Conjuring Universe.<ref name="VarietyLegacy" />

In 2008, Empire ranked the film numberTemplate:Spaces482 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time",<ref name="Empire500Greatest" /> and Entertainment Weekly listed Scream as one of the Best High School movies and among the best films of the preceding 13 years.<ref name="EW50BestHighSchoolMovies" /><ref name="EW100BestFilms" /> On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{#invoke: Rotten Tomatoes data|main|score|qid=|title=}} from the aggregated reviews of {{#invoke: Rotten Tomatoes data|main|count|qid=|title=}} critics, with an average score of {{#invoke: Rotten Tomatoes data|main|average|qid=|title=}}. The consensus reads: "Horror icon Wes Craven's subversive deconstruction of the genre is sly, witty, and surprisingly effective as a slasher film itself, even if it's a little too cheeky for some".<ref name="RottenTomatoes" /> The film has a score of 66 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="MetaCritic" /> The British Film Institute (BFI) called the opening scene "one of the all-time great pre-credit scenes—an unforgettable masterclass of building tension, heart-stopping terror, and shocking images".<ref name="BFI5Essential" /> The scene appeared at numberTemplate:Spaces13 on BravoTemplate:'s 2004 list of the 100 Scariest Movie Moments.<ref name="Bravo100Scariest" />

Sequels

Template:Further Due to the success of Scream, development of a sequel began while the original was still in theaters.<ref name="THROralHistory" />Template:Sfn Scream 2 (1997) achieved similar financial and critical success as Scream.<ref name="ColliderSequels" /> Williamson was unavailable to write Scream 3 (2000), the trilogy's concluding chapter, and was replaced with Ehren Kruger. The film fared less well than its predecessors, commercially and critically, and is regarded as the franchise's most divisive entry.<ref name="ColliderSequels" /><ref name="FangoriaSequel" /> Williamson returned to the series with the reboot film Scream 4 (2011).<ref name="EmpireScream4" /> While Scream 4 has been positively reassessed since its release, its modest box office and critical reception on its release, as well as Craven's death, placed the franchise on hold.<ref name="BloodyDisgustingSequels" /><ref name="FangoriaSequel" /><ref name="DOGSequels" />

A television adaptation, Scream (2015–2019), ran for three seasons. The Weinsteins refused to license the Fun World costume for the show or allow references to the films, which was controversial with fans and contributed to the series' low ratings, poor reception, and eventual cancellation.<ref name="BloodyTV" /><ref name="CBRTV" />

The film series was relaunched with Scream (2022), and its success led to immediate development of a sixth installment, Scream VI (2023). Both films are directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.<ref name="ColliderSequels" /><ref name="DeadlineSequels" /><ref name="Gemmill" /> These films focus on a younger cast, including Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, with Campbell, Cox, and Arquette appearing in supporting legacy roles. Scream VI was the first film in the series not to feature Campbell, who declined to return following a dispute over pay, or Arquette.<ref name="ColliderSequels" /><ref name="DeadlineSequels" /> Scream 7 began filming in January 2025, with Campbell reprising her role and Kevin Williamson directing.<ref name="Scream7" />

References

Works cited

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External links

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