Scream: A Franchise Retrospective

Upon release in 1996, the original Scream set off a cataclysm of events: reinventing the stale genre of slashers and shaping its form for the remaining decade. The subsequent three sequels varied wildly in quality but ultimately united into a fascinating lineage of self-aware horror. All four films were headed by horror mastermind Wes Craven, whose undying love for the genre allowed him to lampoon the very tropes and archetypes he helped create. Now, with the fifth entry into the Scream franchise seeing release, let’s take a look back at what made each previous entry stand out: as well as what hasn’t worked.