22. Scream
I saw Scream and The Frighteners within the same week and it completely changes my horror movie life forever. I went from a kid terrified of horror movies to someone completely obsessed. To this day I still adore every second of Scream and consider it the best written horror film ever and the second best horror film in general (behind Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Some would say that those are some pretty big words but the fact is that movie ranks with Silence of the Lambs, Halloween and Jaws as one of the most important films in the horror genre, it is the film that brought the slasher film back (for better or for worse).
I must admit it’s strange watching for one of your first horror films to be a movie specifically written FOR horror movie buffs (and actually spoils a shit ton of movies), but at the time I didn’t care. It was scary, it was funny, it was quotable and every character was super likable. It made me question why I had put off being a horror fan for so long (a weird thought when you factor in that I was only like 12 at the time I saw it).
For those who haven’t seen it Scream tells the story of Sidney Prescott. A year ago her mother was murdered. Things have finally slowed down for her, she has a great boyfriend (Billy) and a group of close friends. Everything is finally normal for her when one day she discovers two classmates were brutally murdered.
A masked killer (using horror movie trivia as his gimmick) is slashing his way through Sidney’s classmates and he has his eye on her. Could it be her friends? Her father? Her boyfriend? Everyone is a suspect.
The film’s ultra-meta style is in keeping with Wes Craven’s previous film Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (depending on who you are one of the best or one of the worst films in the franchise). Unlike many slasher films (specifically the mid-80’s films) Scream still holds up as a fresh idea with genuine scares and shocks. It’s also the best acting you’ll ever see out of Matthew Lillard (though I did love him in 13 Ghosts and Scooby Doo).
I’ll always hold a place in my heart for this film not just because it’s great, but for all the great things in introduced into my life (like 75% of this list).
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