‘Scream’ – Ranking the Entries of the Killer Franchise
1- Scream
As Sidney Prescott says “don’t f*&ck with the original”. Released in 1996, the first Scream is considered one of the best horror movies. It does something not many other films do – they use a big star for the opening kill. Drew Barrymore plays Casey Becker, who is all over the promotion, making people believe she’s one of the stars of the movie.
Yet, in the opening 10 minutes, she’s killed by Ghostface. Furthermore, the opening of the movie is a masterclass in suspense and horror action. The phone call between Casey and Ghostface is easily a story in itself and nothing’s come close to it since.
It also blends slasher and murder mystery as audiences have to guess who’s behind the mask. The beauty of Scream is that it tells everyone who one of the killers is right away. However, it cleverly misdirects by pinning the crimes on someone else through a series of red herrings. Therefore, when the twist arrives at the end, Billy Loomis being the villain is surprising.
Even more so, when Stu Macher turns out to be his accomplice, it’s heartbreaking. Especially when you realise there’s a chance he killed his ex and his girlfriend. Of course, the latter seems more like it was Billy.
There you have it. My personal ranking of the Scream movies. Why don’t you tell us yours in the comments below?
