How The Original Scream Completely Rewrote Horror Movies

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:06]So, I wanted to make a video today talking about the Scream franchise. And I mainly just want to talk about the very first Scream movie because the very first Scream movie, I do consider that a classic slasher film because it did so much for the genre around that time. And granted, you know, I wasn't there when the very first movie dropped. I was born, you know, a couple years later.

[00:00:29]But that's besides the point. Basically, what I'm trying to say right here is that I just want to take some time and just focus on what the first Scream movie gave us that really changed the feel of the horror genre when it comes to a lot of those popular slasher movies around the time because it was a big hit. Wes Craraven did a tremendous job when it came to Scream and I basically just want to show how much I appreciate the very first Scream movie when it comes to how I feel about it and everything and what it brought to the table. So, if there's any other Scream fans out there that happen to stumble across this video, let me know how you feel about this. I am very curious to hear your own thoughts on this and everything. So, let's dive straight into this and talk about Scream. So, when I really sit there and think about what slasher movies were before Scream came out, it always felt like you kind of knew what you were getting yourself into because most of the time it followed a very similar structure where you've got a killer going around picking people off one by one. And the focus was mainly on the suspense and the kills themselves.

[00:01:39]And while that definitely worked and gave us a lot of classics, it also started to feel a little predictable after a while. And that's not even me trying to take anything away from those movies because they played a huge role in building up the horror genre. But at the same time, there were a lot of repeated ideas and tropes that kept showing up like characters making questionable decisions, splitting up when they shouldn't, or just walking right into danger. And as a viewer, you sometimes catch yourself thinking, why would you even do that in the first place? And it almost felt like those movies were less about avoiding danger, more about watching how everything was going to go wrong. And again, that had its own appeal, but once you've seen enough of those kinds of films, you start to recognize the patterns pretty quickly, and it becomes less surprising over time because you already have a general idea of how things are going to play out. So going into something like Scream for the first time, especially when you're used to that kind of formula, it really sets the stage for something different because now you're not just watching another slasher movie, you're stepping into something that understands exactly what came before it and is ready to do something new with it. So getting into what really makes Scream stand out, I think the biggest thing for me is just how self-aware the movie actually is. Because instead of pretending like all of those horror tropes don't exist, it fully embraces them and brings them right to the front.

[00:03:06]That alone already makes it feel different from everything that came before it. Like throughout the movie, you've got characters who actually understand the rules of horror movies and they talk about them in a way that feels natural. And that completely changes how you watch everything unfold because now it's not just about what's happening. It's about how the movie is playing with your expectations at the same time. And what I really like about that is how it puts you in this position where you're constantly thinking about those tropes while watching the movie because you already know what usually happens in these situations, but Scream is aware of that, too. And it uses that awareness to keep you guessing instead of just following the same path. So instead of feeling like you're watching something predictable, it feels like the movie is almost having a conversation with you where it's acknowledging everything you already know about horror and then finding ways to twist it just enough to keep things interesting. And that's something that really stood out to me. Another thing that really stood out to me when it comes to Scream is how it handles its characters. Because like I was saying before, a lot of older slasher movies had characters making decisions that just didn't make sense sometimes. and almost become a part of the formula. But this movie takes a completely different approach here. It actually feels like the characters more aware of the kind of situation that they're in. And because of that, their decisions feel more grounded, like they're actually trying to survive instead of just moving the story forward. And that makes everything feel more real when you're watching it. At the same time, it's not like the movie completely abandons those classic horror moments either because it so plays into them. But the difference is that now it feels intentional, like it knows exactly what it's doing and why it's doing it.

[00:04:50]And that balance is what makes it work so well. So instead of just watching characters fall into the same traps over and over again, you're watching a movie that understands those traps and uses them in a smarter way. And that alone makes the experience feel a lot more engaging from start to finish. So, when I look at everything that Scream brings to the table, it really does feel like a fresh start for slasher movies because it takes everything that people were already familiar with and then flips it into something that feels new without completely losing what made the genre fun in the first place. I think that's what makes it such an important movie because it didn't just come in and try to be different for the sake of being different. It actually understood the genre it was a part of and built on top of it in a way that made sense. And you could really feel that throughout the entire film. It's one of those situations where you can tell that a movie knows exactly what it wants to be and it sticks to that vision all the way through. And because of that, everything feels consistent from the tone to the way the story plays out and even how it interacts with the audience. So overall, what I think about the very first Scream movie, I just see it as one of those films that came in at the right time and changed how people looked at slash movies because it proved that you could take something familiar, be aware of it, and still make it feel fresh and exciting all over again. And that's something that I'm always going to appreciate when it comes to the Scream franchise because of what it did for the horror genre. Because I love horror. You guys obviously know that. I made several videos talking about horror on this channel. When it comes to A Nightmare on Elm Street, when it comes to the Megan franchise, at least when it comes to the very first Megan, I also made a video talking about Sleepaway Camp the other day. So, there's going to be a lot of content when it comes to horror, you know, talked about on this channel, but I definitely needed to talk about Scream because it really did a lot for the genre. It definitely caught a lot of people's attention around the time and that's why it's a very popular franchise till this day. Sure, you can be one of those people that don't really like a lot of the newer films, which is completely fine because not everybody's going to like the same thing nowadays, but you could at least acknowledge what the first movie did all those years ago that really put it on the map. That really helped it stand out and really helped Ghost Face be in the conversation with iconic killers like Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, Leatherface, Chucky, etc. so on. There's probably other characters I didn't mention. You get what I'm trying to say.

[00:07:23]It's a classic film. It deserves its praise and I just had to spend some time and talk about it in this video because Scream is awesome and it deserves that love and recognition. But now I want to hear from you guys when it comes to how you guys feel about the very first Scream movie. Like how do you guys feel about Scream? What was your initial thoughts after you first watched it?

[00:07:46]Just let me know everything surrounding Scream when it comes to the first film in the comments below. I am very curious to hear all you guys thoughts on it. And if you guys enjoy this video, as always, be be sure to show your support, like and subscribe. I'd really appreciate it.

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[00:08:22]And I'll see you guys in the next video.

[00:08:24]As always, out