A sharp, self-aware slasher that still works as a genuinely tense murder mystery. Its mix of wit, suspense, and genre commentary makes it both entertaining and influential, with a strong payoff and memorable set pieces.
Scream
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Crime · Horror
Fri · 1h 52m
Director: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan
Overview
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.
Director
Wes Craven
Cast
Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, self-aware slasher that still works as a genuinely tense murder mystery. Its mix of wit, suspense, and genre commentary makes it both entertaining and influential, with a strong payoff and memorable set pieces.
Best for
slasher fans
meta-horror viewers
mystery-thriller audiences
90s horror nostalgia
campy-but-smart genre movies
Skip if
you want serious, realism-first horror
you dislike self-referential humor
you prefer slow-burn atmosphere over fast, quippy pacing
you are looking for extreme gore or brutality
Overview
Scream is the rare horror movie that understands the rules well enough to break them with confidence. It plays like a murder mystery with a pulse, constantly balancing genuine suspense against a sly, knowing sense of humor. The result is a film that feels both of its era and ahead of it, especially in how it turns movie literacy into part of the danger.
Worth noting
What keeps it from becoming a pure parody is the craftsmanship. Wes Craven stages the attacks with clean, escalating tension, and the film never loses sight of the vulnerability at its center. The opening alone is iconic, but the movie keeps finding fresh ways to unsettle you even after it has made you laugh.
Bottom line
It is especially rewarding for viewers who like horror that talks back to the audience while still delivering the goods. If you enjoy slashers, whodunits, or movies that helped define the modern meta-horror playbook, this is essential viewing.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jay (4★) · 33595 likes
gale weathers setting up her camera immediately after surviving a serial killer attack: STORYTIME! I ALMOST DIED [No Clickbait] [Gone WRONG]
Dawson (4.5★) · 26278 likes
Billy rlly said “you’ve been acting like such a bitch since ur mom died :/“
ciara (4.5★) · 25589 likes
i already knew billy was gonna be the killer because i have seen so many fifteen year old girls on tumblr nutting over pics of him covered in blood but i did not suspect shaggy from scooby doo for one god damn second consider me SHOOK
siobhan (5★) · 23191 likes
sidney: i was literally just almost brutally murdered last night billy: haha yeah idk anything abt that haha that’s so weird 😂😂😂 so anyways more importantly ............. what are we? 😝😝
Muriel (5★) · 21628 likes
when he tells you the exorcist reminded him of you 😍
Themes
slasher horror, meta-horror, whodunit mystery, teen survival, media literacy, phone-call menace, small-town fear, genre deconstruction
Topics
slasher, meta-horror, mystery, teen horror, 90s horror, whodunit, suspense, camp, genre satire, serial killer