WhenScreamcame out in 1996,it reinvigorated the horror genre, which was feeling past its prime, and for the most part, relegated to B-movie status and straight-to-video releases. There were still some franchises going, mostly those established in the 1970s and ’80s, but any new, original releases were few and far between.Wes Craven’s cult classic changed the way horror movies were made, making the characters much more self-aware and savvy, acknowledging all that came before, and bringing audiences right into the action. His casting was also considered, and very deliberate.
Killing Drew Barrymore’s characterin the first scene was a stroke of genius that left audiences in shock and questioning everything they thought they knew. Over the years, with every newmovieof the franchise,the stories relied on a spot-on cast to make each one workas best as it could. Each victim, killer, and suspect has left their mark on every single installment. Some have also had the opportunity to star in other horror films that allowed them to either meet a different fate than theirScreamcharacter, or step into a completely new role altogether.
10Urban Legend (1998)
Starring Joshua Jackson and Rebecca Gayheart
This film came out only a year afterScream 2, which featured Joshua Jackson as a film student in class with Randy and Rebecca Gayheart as Sorority Sister Lois. While they didn’t share any scenes together in Craven’s film,they were part of the same friend group inUrban Legend. While Gayheart’s role is substantially different in both, Jackson plays a similar character.
Alicia Witt’s Longlegs Performance Is A Perfect Reminder To Revisit This Unloved 26-Year-Old Slasher
Before starring as Ruth Harker in Longlegs, Alicia Witt played the final girl in this 1998 horror movie that is often overlooked in the genre.
In fact, it seems as if Film Class Guy #1 was expanded into Damon, as even his introduction is very similar. Both characters are seen discussing what turns out to be the premise of their respective movies. Part of the slasher film resurgence of the ’90s,Urban Legend’s premise is all in the title.
Urban Legend
Cast
Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film directed by Jamie Blanks. Centered on a series of gruesome murders at a New England university, the film follows a group of students as they unravel the connection between the killings and various urban legends. The ensemble cast includes Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, and Rebecca Gayheart, weaving suspense and fear through its exploration of modern folklore.
It followsa serial killer who bases their murders on various well-known urban legends. It also starred a lot of other up-and-coming young actors, like Jared Leto and Tara Reid, and has built a cult following among fans of the genre. Some of the kill scenes are elaborate and very memorable, and the big murderer reveal still stands the test of time.
9Piranha 3D (2010)
Starring Jerry O’Connell
As Derek,Sidney’s pre-med boyfriend inScream 2, Jerry O’Connell has a standout scene as he sings “I Think I Love You” in the cafeteria, and a very sad andmemorable face-off with the killerwhile tied to a cross-shaped prop on a theater stage. In a possible homage to his horror movie past, his character inPiranha 3Dis called Derrick, but is a very different personality.
Piranha 3D
Pirana 3D is a remake of the horror comedy Piranha, released in 1978, that sees a disaster unleash a wave of hungry piranas on an unsuspecting population. When a tectonic shift happens underground near Lake Victoria, a mass of prehistoric man-eating piranhas is released, forcing an officer, tourists, and other strangers to band together to wipe them out before they become fish food.
As an arrogant and wildly obnoxious adult film director, he was clearly being set up to meet the grisly end he ultimately did. A campy play on the 1970s classic,Piranha 3Dis very self-aware and does not take itself too seriously. It mixes gore with a lot of dark humor, as it features a lake filled with hungry prehistoric piranha fish and a lot of scantily clad people.
A cameo from Christopher Lloyd made maximum use of his time, and there are a lot of very funny lines to ease the tension. While the film is very colorful and lighthearted in tone, the gore comes in droves, so it’s not for the faint of heart.
8The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
Starring Emma Roberts
The eerie and moodydirectorial debut of Oz Perkins, stars Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, and Lucy Boynton. The story is told in a non-linear way, as mystery and tension build over time. Much like her role inScream 4, she plays the film’s lead, and many frightening and unexpected things happen around her.
15 Iconic Ghostface Quotes
Along with a high body count in the Scream franchise, the various Ghostface killer(s) also knows how to deliver iconic lines across the series.
Whether taking on the Ghost Face killer, or grappling with dark and mystifying forces,Emma Roberts fits into the horror genre very well, as seen in her variousAmerican Horror Storyroles as well. Joan (Roberts) has her very solitary storyline, as she travels towards the school where the two younger girls had been left on their own.
The Blackcoat’s Daughter
Girls Kat (Kiernan Shipka) and Rose (Lucy Boynton) are left alone in a Bramford prep boarding school during the winter holidays when their parents mysteriously fail to pick them up. While they experience increasingly strange events at the isolated school, the film shows another story - that of Joan (Emma Roberts), a troubled young woman on the road who, for reasons unknown, needs to get to Bramford as quickly as possible. As Joan gets closer to the school, Kat is tormented by increasingly horrifying visions.
Set in the dead of winter, the icy background and palpable chill only add to the atmosphere. AsThe Blackcoat’s Daughter progressesand the two separate stories begin to merge, and viewers get to slowly piece the puzzle together. This makes the movie a prime candidate for a rewatch to see what clues may have been missed along the way.
7Planet Terror (2007)
Starring Rose McGowan
One of the biggest scene-stealers inthe originalScreamas Tatum, Rose McGowan stood out in every way. From her clothing, iconic one-liners, and extremely memorable death scene, Sidney’s sassy friend was more than just a sidekick. It’s no wonder she went on to star in more projects connected to the horror genre.
She played a witch inCharmed, a manipulative mean girl inJawbreaker, anda zombie-slaying exotic dancer inPlanet Terror. Her innate charisma and strength shined through as she battled a dystopian hellscape with a band of rag-tag survivors. Part of theGrindhousedouble feature with Quentin Tarantino’sDeath Proof, this section is directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Planet Terror
Planet Terror is a 2007 action horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez. It follows survivors, including dancer Cherry Darling and her ex-boyfriend El Wray, as they combat a town overtaken by a virus that transforms infected citizens into aggressive killers.
A splatter horror with zombies, and a lot of dark humor at the center,Planet Terroris a high-octane ride from start to finish. Dealing with well-known tropes, including a viral outbreak that turns people into flesh-eating monsters, there is a very Rodriquez-esque twist to the film that makes it stand out. Another thing that makes it stand out is Rose McGowan’s machine gun leg, which makes her character one of the most visually recognizable ones in cinema history.
6Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Starring Adam Brody
Scream 4was an attempt to reboot the franchise, and the last one directed by Wes Craven. It featured a host of new characters, and one of them included doomed police officer, Deputy Hoss (Adam Brody). While his role wasn’t particularly large, he made it memorable by putting his signature charm and wit on display.
His role inJennifer’s Bodyalso leaned into his natural magnetism, but with a much more sinister twist.He plays the enigmatic lead singer of a bandthat dabbles in some very questionable extracurricular activities. Megan Fox is the very strong anti-hero lead in this horror comedy written by Diablo Cody.
Jennifer’s Body
Directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody, Jennifer’s Body is a horror-comedy film starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. When a newly possessed high school cheerleader (Fox) turns into a succubus specializing in seducing and killing her male classmates, her best friend (Seyfried) is the only thing that stands in the way of her sultry killing spree.
The witty script elevated the storywith its one-liners and elaborate slang terminology that resonated with a whole generation. With lots of dark themes and gory supernatural effects, it’s a clever twist on a typical teen movie. Evoking a zombieMean Girlsof sorts, it’s fitting that Amanda Seyfried has a big part in a much more cerebral capacity as Needy. There is alsoa welcome thread of feminismthat pops up towards the end that feels very satisfying.
5Abigail (2024)
Starring Melissa Barrera
Brought in as the new lead of the franchise’s reboot, Melissa Barrera starred asSam Carpenter in the last twoScreamfilms. As she took on the role of the new Sidney Prescott of sorts, she brought strength, determination, and compassion to her role.Her fresh energy was part of the reboot’s success, and here’s hoping both she and her character might get some closure at some point in the future.
Her role inAbigailmixes the confidence and resoluteness she displayed in theScreamfilms,but the threat she takes on is rather different.
Her role inAbigailmixes the confidence and resoluteness she displayed in theScreamfilms,but the threat she takes on is rather different. Horror films involving creepy children can be a particularly divisive genre. Some viewers specifically avoid them because of how unsettling these seemingly innocent beings can have such a sinister aura.
Abigail
Abigail is a 2024 horror thriller directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The plot follows a group of people who kidnap the daughter of a dangerous crime lord only to discover that the little girl is actually a vicious vampire out for blood. Alisha Weir stars as the titular character alongside Kathryn Newton, Melissa Barrera, and Dan Stevens.
Others embrace this threat that feels hidden in plain sight, andAbigaildoes not disappoint on that front. The bloodthirsty 12-year-old terrorizes her kidnappers in a shocking reversal of fortunes, as the hunters become the hunted.The film has 84% on Rotten Tomatoesand features Angus Cloud’s final screen appearance.
4Ready or Not (2019)
Starring Samara Weaving and Adam Brody
Samara Weaving’s role inScream VIhonors her horror movie legacy, which includes a few very successful scary movies.The Babysitterand its sequel were big hits for Netflix, andReady or Notis a great addition to the horror comedy genre. As Grace is on the cusp of joining a very affluent and eccentric family when she’s due to marry their son, it turns out demonic forces might be at play as a deadly game of “Hide and Seek” begins. Adam Brody co-stars as her soon-to-be-brother-in-law.
Ready or Not
In Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s 2019 black comedy Ready Or Not, newlywed bride Grace Le Domas participates in a violent game of hide-and-seek with her fiancé’s family, who attempt to kill her during her wedding night as part of a long-standing ritual. The film stars Samara Weaving as Grace, Mark O’Brien as Grace’s husband Alex, Adam Brody as Alex’s brother Daniel, Andie MacDowell as their mother Becky, and Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun, and Elyse Levesque as other members of the murderous family.
Unlike his role inScream 4, his moral compass is not quite as straightforward in this film. As a very privileged man, he feels loyalty towards his family and their rituals, but struggles with some of the more gory details.Ready or Nottackles issues of class and privilege in a sharp and witty way, and has a very inventive premise that would appeal to anyone who enjoys board games.It scored 89% on Rotten Tomatoesand made nearly $60 million against a relatively modest budget of about $6 million.
3I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar
Released in the same year asScream 2which also featured Sarah Michelle Gellar,I Know What You Did Last Summerwas another slasher film under the actor’s belt.Both the characters she played met a very similar end, which was a big departure from Gellar’s TV role asBuffy the Vampire Slayer, who undoubtedly would have handled herself very differently in those situations.
Instead, both Cici and Helen Shivers were tragic victims who went up the stairs and slowed down to take one final look, trying to do the best they could in the most horrifying situation. The four teens have excellent chemistry, with all of them leaning into their respective character tropes really well.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Loosely based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel I Know What You Did Last Summer, this 1997 slasher follows a group of friends who, after covering up a car accident, are stalked by a killer wielding a hook. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr., Johnny Galecki, and Bridgette Wilson star with a script from Scream writer Kevin Williamson.
Ryan Phillippe is convincing as the arrogant yet charming Barry, Jennifer Love Hewitt does a good job as the innocent yet brave Julie, and Freddie Prinze Jr. rounds off the cast as the suspicious but ultimately heroic Ray.They were some of the most exciting teen stars of the time, so having them together contributed to the success of the film. It made over $125 million and remains one of the most beloved films in the slasher genre.
2X (2022)
Starring Jenna Ortega
As one of the reigning scream queens of the 2020s,Jenna Ortega has already starred in some highly-rated and very successful horror projects. These includeWednesday,Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, and the two most recentScreaminstallments. While her future with the franchise is uncertain, she has shown her range within the genre, which is sure to guarantee her a permanent place in the horror cinematic universe.
Jenna Ortega’s Death Prosthetic Looks Amazingly Gruesome In X BTS Images
Rising star Jenna Ortega reflects on Ti West’s throwback exploitation slasher X, revealing the gruesome prosthetic she wore during death scene.
Xsees her character go from a shy “Church Mouse” to someone who eventually participates in an adult film, and finally stands up to her friends. Another prolific horror star, Mia Goth, leads this film, which launched the trilogy that would eventually includePearlandMaXXXine.The film is understated in its suspense, as it lets it build naturally while a very layered and gripping story develops around it.
X
Director Ti West presents X, a horror slasher film set in 1979 in rural Texas that follows a group of amateur filmmakers attempting to shoot a pornographic film.
The cast is very committed and many of the characters have fully formed arcs, so the audience has time to connect with them before they face their fate. The threat is fittingly chilling, and it’s one of the most exciting horror films of the last decade, holdingan impressive 94% onRotten Tomatoes.
1The Craft (1996)
Starring Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich
The Craftcame out the same year asScream, and features not one buttwo of its stars in significant roles. Neve Campbell plays the shy and reserved Bonnie, who is ashamed of the scars that cover her body. She also practices witchcraft with her coven,which includes Nancy (Fairuza Bulk), Rochelle (Rachel True), and, new addition Sarah (Robin Tunney).
With one of the best slow motion crowd sequences of any teen film, and some genuinely terrifying moments,The Craftholds up on many fronts.
Over the course of the film, her character develops into a much more confident, even cocky character, with an antagonistic edge. Skeet Ulrich’s character is very similar and an example of the typecasting he must have experienced at the time. The movie resonated with a generation of magic enthusiasts andhas maintained its cult status ever since.
The Craft
The Craft is a 1996 teen horror movie starring Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, and Rachel True. The Andrew Fleming-directed film focuses on a group of outcasts at an LA high school who practice witchcraft and create their own coven. The film received mixed reviews but was a surprise hit at the box office for Columbia.
Fromits impact on fashion, beauty, and Halloween, there are few places in the realm of pop culture that it hasn’t touched since its release. With one of the best slow motion crowd sequences of any teen film, and some genuinely terrifying moments,The Craftholds up on many fronts. Fairuza Bulk’s performance is the standout of the film, and will send shivers down the spine of any viewer who presses play on this witchy horror classic.
