Scream (1996)

As the start of both the infamous Scream franchise and my personal journey into horror, the original Scream film will always hold a special place in my heart. The film might have come out before I was born, but it became the foundation for how I have viewed horror throughout my entire life. At its core, Scream is a horror movie about horror movies. It’s also a monster movie that builds its foundation on asking and answering questions. Does a monster need a motive? Does monstrosity run in the family? How is a person impacted by their proximity to monstrosity? What are the rules one must follow in order to survive a horror film? What’s your favorite scary movie? It even supplies us with one of the greatest final girls in horror history: Sidney Prescott. While all of this is notable, I think the reason why this movie has become a central part of horror culture is because it isn’t really a monster movie, but it helps us think about monstrosity. Rather than a supernatural being or undead creature, the true evil of Scream is humanity. The film makes us consider the darkest aspects of humanity and the monstrosities that could lie within each of us. That’s what makes it scary. While the depiction of monsters can say a lot about culture and society, the real monsters are actually living among us. They are our neighbors, our friends, our lovers, ourselves.  4.5 out of 5 sacs of blood.

—Mikayla Cassidy