“Do you like scary movies?”

Even from Wes Craven’s 1996 film “Scream’s” iconic opening scene, this film takes your horror movie expectations and slices right through them.

“Scream” takes on the typical slasher film format: a masked killer that goes by the name Ghostface terrorizes his select victims in the small town of Woodsboro.

However, “Scream” isn’t your average slasher film; it’s a brilliantly self-aware thrill from start to finish blending terror and humor into a movie that redefined the horror genre.

This movie stars renowned actors such as Matthew Lillard, Courtney Cox, and Skeet Ulrich. The movie’s protagonist, Sidney Prescott, is played by Neve Campbell.

Campbell is a breath of fresh air, as she fights back and stands her ground against Ghostface.

Part of what makes “Scream” stand out from the rest is that it recognizes the basic tropes that horror movies fall into and instead of accepting that fact, the film pokes fun at those stereotypes. In contrast to other horror movies and their iconic killers, Ghostface isn’t an inhuman force of unstoppable evil. He is chatty and sarcastic towards his victims and even stumbles and trips when chasing after them.

Ghostface’s human traits show Craven’s meta-commentary on the ‘horror-movie villain trope’ and terrifies the audience more given a real person is behind all of the bloodshed.
5/5 stars.