User:UltraEgoMajinVegeta/Scream (1996 film)

Scream is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. Set in the small American town of Woodsboro, Scream's plot follows high school student Sidney Prescott (Campbell) and her friends who become the target of a costumed serial killer known as Ghostface on the anniversary of her mother's murder.

Williamson, a struggling writer at the time, was inspired by reports of a series of murders by the Gainesville Ripper as he wrote a screenplay that satirized the clichés of the slasher genre popularized in films such as Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Developed under the title “Scary Movie,” Williamson's script became the subject of an intense bidding war from multiple studios before Miramax Films purchased the rights. Despite turning down the film multiple times, Craven agreed to direct the film after reading the script and being disappointed by the failure of Vampire in Brooklyn (1995). The involvement of Barrymore and Cox helped secure support from the studio. Principal photography took place from April to June of 1996 in California on a budget of $15 million. Craven had to trimmed down the violence in the film after being subjected in a tense conflict with the Motion Picture Association of America over the desired R-rating he wanted.

Scream was not expected to perform well on December 20, 1996 due to concerns over releasing a slasher film in a time normally reserved for holiday entertainment, but it went on to earn approximately $173 million worldwide through the strength of word of mouth, becoming a surprise success and one of the highest grossing films of the year. Reviews praised the performances of its cast and its unique meta humor, but criticized the excessive violence and lacking suspense in favor of humor. Scream helped elevate Williamson’s career as a writer and raised the profiles for the rest of the cast.

Scream is now regarded as one of the greatest horror and slasher films ever made. It has been credited for rekindling interest in the horror genre during the 1990s following a decline in popularity. It has remained influential in the horror genre, as other films in the genre would cast established actors and be marketed towards younger demographics. The success of the film launched a multimedia franchise, which comprised the sequels Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), Scream (2022), and Scream VI (2023), as well as a anthological television series.

Plot
In the small town of Woodsboro, California, high school student Casey Becker is home alone when she receives a phone call from an unknown person. They discuss horror films until the caller turns sadistic, threatening her life and revealing that her boyfriend, Steve, is restrained on her patio. The caller demands she answer questions about horror films to save his life, but she gives an incorrect answer about Friday the 13th and Steve is killed. Casey attempts to escape the house, but is killed by someone wearing a "Ghostface" costume and her disembowelled corpse is hanged from a tree.

The news media descend on the town as a police investigation begins. Teenager Sidney Prescott struggles with the impending first anniversary of the rape and murder of her mother Maureen by Cotton Weary. The trauma has made her unable to consummate her relationship with her boyfriend, Billy Loomis. As her father Neil is travelling for work, Sidney waits home alone for her best friend, Tatum Riley. She receives a call taunting her about Maureen's death and is attacked by Ghostface, who disappears just before Billy comes through her window. However, she becomes suspicious when he drops a cell phone, and he is arrested by Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley, Tatum's brother. At the police station, Sidney is confronted by investigative journalist Gale Weathers, who claims that Maureen had several affairs, including one with Cotton, and that he was wrongly accused of her murder. Sidney stays at Tatum's home but receives another taunting call from the killer. The calls are traced to Neil's phone but the police are unable to locate him.

After his release, Billy encounters Sidney at school and further upsets her by comparing his absent mother to Maureen's death. After suspending school in the wake of the murders, Principal Himbry is murdered by Ghostface. To celebrate the closure, Stu Macher, Tatum's boyfriend, hosts a party at his secluded home. Dewey and Gale keep watch on the party in case the killer strikes again. As fellow high schooler Randy Meeks details the rules of surviving a horror film, Tatum is isolated in the garage by Ghostface, who crushes her neck in the garage door. After discovering Himbry's murder, most of the partygoers leave to see his hanging body, nearly running over Dewey and Gale and inadvertently leading them to Neil's hidden car. Billy arrives at the house to reconcile with Sidney, and they finally have sex. Afterward, they are suddenly attacked by Ghostface, and Billy is stabbed. Sidney evades Ghostface, who kills Gale's cameraman Kenny and stabs Dewey when he returns. Gale, attempting to flee in her van, crashes and is knocked unconscious. Sidney seeks refuge inside the house, locking Stu and Randy outside as they accuse each other of being the killer.

A seemingly wounded Billy returns and allows Randy inside before shooting him in the shoulder, revealing himself as the killer and Stu as his accomplice. Billy confesses that they killed Maureen because he discovered her affair with his father was responsible for his mother leaving. The pair abducted Neil to frame him for their crimes and proceed to stab each other to portray themselves as the only survivors. They are interrupted by Gale's return, which gives Sidney the chance to incapacitate Billy and kill Stu by dropping a television set on his head. Billy attempts to stab Sidney, but he is shot by Gale. After Randy jokingly remarks that horror film killers revive for a final scare, Billy sits back up and Sidney shoots him in the head, killing him. As dawn breaks, Neil is rescued, Dewey is taken away by ambulance, and Gale provides an impromptu news report about the night's events.

Cast

 * David Arquette as Dwight "Dewey" Riley: The goofy and hapless deputy sheriff
 * Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott: A strong and resilient high-schooler traumatized by the murder of her mother
 * Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers: A snarky and ruthless investigative journalist
 * Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher: The eccentric and clumsy boyfriend of Tatum, and Billy's best friend
 * Rose McGowan as Tatum Riley: Sidney's spunky best friend and Dewey's sister
 * Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis: Sidney's boyfriend, who possesses a passion for horror films
 * Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks: A horror film fanatic
 * W. Earl Brown as Kenny Jones: Gale's cameraman
 * Joseph Whipp as Burke: The town sheriff
 * Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary: The man convicted of killing Sidney's mother
 * Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker: A high-schooler

Scream also features Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface, and Kevin Patrick Walls as Steve Orth, Casey's boyfriend. Lawrence Hecht and Lynn McRee portray Sidney's parents, Neil and Maureen. C.W. Morgan appears as Hank Loomis, Frances Lee McCain portrays Mrs Riley, and David Booth and Carla Hatley appear as Casey's father and mother. Leonara Scelfo portrays a "bitchy" cheerleader in the school bathroom. Scream features several cameo appearances, including Henry Winkler as principal Arthur Himbry, Linda Blair as Obnoxious Reporter, casting director Lisa Beach as a reporter, and director Wes Craven appears as Freddy the janitor, an homage to iconic horror character Freddy Krueger.

Development
By 1995, several studios were competing to secure the rights to "Scary Movie", including Morgan Creek Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and filmaker Oliver Stone. The script came to the attenion of producer Cathy Konrad of Woods Entertainment, which had a development deal with production studio Miramax. She brought it to Richard Potter, the director of development for Miramax's genre-film-focused subsidiary Dimension Films. Potter expected a "stupid spoof" but was drawn in by the opening scene and recommended Miramax chairman, Bob Weinstein, pursue the rights. He agreed, considering it an opportunity to produce films instead of distributing those of others. Although other suitors offered larger figures, Williamson's lawyer advised him take Bob's offer ($400,000–$500,000) because Dimension was willing to make the film immediately.

Williamson revised the script based on studio input, removing some gorier content such as exposed internal organs and severed limbs and adding the murder of principal Himbry because Bob said there was too long a period following the opening without any deaths. This solved a separate difficulty Williamson was having explaining why all but the core group of characters leave Stu's party in the finale, as they go to see Himbry's corpse. The "Scary Movie" title was also changed to Scream late in production because Bob was concerned "Scary Movie" would lead audiences to believe it was a comedy instead of a horror.

The search for a director took over two months, with Danny Boyle, Tom McLoughlin, Sam Raimi, Robert Rodriguez, George A. Romero, Quentin Tarantino, and Anthony Waller being considered. No agreements were secured because they interpreted the script as a comedy instead of a horror satire. Wes Craven was discounted by the studio due to his lack of experience directing satires. Craven liked the script but he wanted to work on less gory and more mainstream content (including a film adaptation of the novel, The Haunting of Hill House (1959)) because of the negative public perception of him based on his previous films. Craven's assistant Julie Plec and producer Marianne Maddalena continued to champion Scream to Craven. His interest was renewed after the The Haunting of Hill House adaptation was cancelled and he experienced the personal disappointment of his failed horror comedy, Vampire in Brooklyn (1995). After reading the script, Plec said Craven suggested the studio " 'make him an offer he can't refuse.' And so Dimension did. And he took it." The deal also offered Craven his choice of other projects to direct after Scream.

Williamson met Craven to discuss the script and believed he would request substantial rewrites, but Craven's notes related mainly to typos and some minor additions including restoring some of the gorier content and refining the ending which was not yet fully realized. Williamson said "The story stayed pretty much intact, but we added some scares, and shortened it. Wes reworked some of the action sequences, and we would argue and go back and forth, but there’s a point where I had to realize that Wes is more experienced than I am." Describing the script Craven said, "what it forces you to do is sort of look at the reality of things we typically look at as amusing, like the Friday the 13th type of deaths where people have arrows through their heads and kids scream and laugh. But that suddenly starts happening in their actual lives."

Casting
Atypical for the genre at the time, Scream featured a cast of established stars, such as Drew Barrymore and Courteney Cox, and relatively unknown actors. Executive producer Cary Woods used his friendship with Barrymore's agent to approach her for the lead role of Sidney Prescott, but she requested the smaller role of Casey Becker bcause "That's the part I love the most." Maddalena suggested that Barrymore had wanted to leave the project entirely, but took the smaller role to avoid disappointing Bob and his brother Harvey Weinstein. The filmmakers agreed to the change, believing it would be impactful to kill off their most well-known actor during Scream's opening and convince audiences that no character was safe. Vinessa Shaw and Reese Witherspoon were considered to portray Sidney Prescott. Witherspoon was discounted because she looked too young compared to the other cast, and Craven's choice, Molly Ringwald, believed she was too old for the part. The final choices came down to Alicia Witt, Brittany Murphy, and Campbell. According to Williamson, Campbell swiftly emerged as the favored choice among the principal crew and, to improve her chances, they filmed her screen-test first, forcing the other contenders to try and surpass her performance. Beach and Maddalena said Campbell brought athleticism from her dancing background with a combination of strength and vulnerability. Describing what attracted her to the role, Campbell said Sidney was "a fantastic character for any kind of movie" who transitions from "tormented, traumatized, insecure youg woman to overwhelmingly empowered and strong."

Woods suggeested Courteney Cox for the cold and calculating Gale Weathers, believing it would be interesting to play against her typical personable characters in shows such as Family Ties (1982) and Friends (1994). Craven did not believe Cox could play the part and so she wrote a letter assuring him that "being 'a bitch' wouldn't be a stretch at all." Brooke Shields and Janeane Garofalo were considered but a more established actress was preferred. David Arquette auditioned for unspecified younger characters, but he was attracted to the role of Dewey and acting against Cox. The character was written as a "dumb jock" but Arquette interpreted it as a "position of authority getting no respect... He wants to be John Wayne... He wants to be this tough guy, but he's just got a heart of gold." McGowan's agent jeopardized her chance to play Tatum by insisting on a payment of $250,000 instead of the offered $50,000, which was lower than the $100,000 received by some other principal actors. As a result, McGowan had to reaudition for the role twice. McGowan influenced Tatum's design, dying her hair blonde to avoid having two dark-haired main female characters, removing an Indigo Girls poster from Tatum's bedroom (because she would not listen to the relatively older band), and rejecting costuming suggestions in favor of her self-bought outfits. Thora Birch auditioned for the role and Natasha Lyonne was the preferred choice but she was under 18 and could not consent to joining without parental permission.

Believing he was rising in popularity, Vince Vaughn was the studio's preferred choice for Billy Loomis, but he was too ill to audition. Ulrich did not attend auditions because of scheduling conflicts but his girlfriend did and mentioned Ulrich brought her; Beach went out to meet him personally. Ulrich liked playing a serial killer after more innocent and naive previous roles. To develop his character, Ulrich researched serial murders, psychological profiles, and outfitted one of his hotel rooms to the Billy persona to help him get into character, outfitting it with punk rock posters and blacklights. He said, "I was into punk music in my teens and really just trying to recapture that angst... I would sit in there and read about serial killers and watch Faces of Death (1978)... anything to get into that gory mindset. Ulrich and Campbell starred together in The Craft (1995), which they believed fostered a natural relationship between their characters. Lillard auditioned for Billy, but the casting directors did not consider him the right actor to "make out with [Campbell]" and had him audition as Stu for Craven, who immediately offered him the part.

Seth Green, Jason Lee, and Breckin Meyer were preferred for Randy, the "lanky, gangly, opinionated fifth wheel, who really has a love and passion for movies," but Craven and Williamson appreciated the innocence and comedy Kennedy brought to his portrayal. Kennedy credited Craven for supporting his casting despite having few notable credits. W. Earl Brown and Craven were friends and he was not required to audition but did have to gain about 20 lbs; he originally wanted to portray Dewey. Roger L. Jackson was hired based on his voice work for Mars Attacks! (1996). He recounted overhearing his competitors discussing the Ghostface as the "new Freddy Krueger," but Jackson interpreted it as a more subtle role which required charisma and sexiness to keep his target on the phone even though they want to hang up. Barrymore wanted someone to act against in her scene instead of the character's lines being read to her, and the filmmakers intended to dub over Jackson's voice with Tom Kane, but Craven liked his performance. Henry Winkler shared an agent with Craven and made his cameo appearance as a favor. Lynn McCree, Sidney's mother, was a Sonoma local; she spent two hours taking pictures with Campbell for the role but had no knowledge of the character's backstory. Liev Schreiber took the part of Cotton Weary for $20,000 during an unrelated meeting with Bob. Extras were drawn from locals including the owners of a restaurant frequented by the cast and crew.

Context
The theatrical year of 1996 recorded a $5.8 billion domestic box office record with twelve films grossing over $100million, including Independence Day and Twister. However, individual successes were hindered by the high number of releases competing for audiences, resulting in several box office flops and studio bankruptcies, in part because of rising production costs and high salaries for stars such as Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Julia Roberts. Although many studios had cut their film slate by fifty percent, over forty films were scheduled for release in late 1996, including Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, Jerry Maguire, Mars Attacks!, Ransom, Space Jam, and Star Trek: First Contact.

Bob opted to release Scream in December as counterprogramming, offering teenagers an alternative to more traditional holiday fare. The decision was unpopular with the cast and crew, with Williamson expecting the film to fail. Bob explained, "people said we were crazy to put out Scream over Christmas... It was a thriller; it didn't have big stars; it couldn't compete. Well, after Beavis and Butt-head, where is that audience going to go?"

Box office
The premiere of Scream took place on December 18, 1996, at the AVCO theater in Westwood, Los Angeles. It was released in the United States and Canada on December 20. During its opening weekend, the film earned $6.4million across 1,413 theaters—an average of $4,497 per theater—making it the fourth-highest grossing film of the weekend, behind 101 Dalmatians ($7million), Jerry Maguire ($13.1million), and the debut of Beavis and Butt-Head Do America ($20.1million). The performance was considered a failure by industry professionals, resulting in Variety labeling Scream "dead on arrival". Maddalena recounted herself and Craven observing a raucous audience for Beavis and Butt-Head Do America while Scream had "maybe seven people in there. No one was laughing or screaming. We went away so dejected." However, Scream received positive audience word-of-mouth and exit-polling responses, leading the studio to increase the marketing and distribution budget. This contributed to Scream's performance improving in the following weeks. Although it fell to fifth place in its second weekend, it increased its weekend earnings to $9.1million,  and again in its third weekend, rising to third place with $10million.

Scream remained in the top-ten-highest grossing films for nine weeks in total, becoming a surprise success and earning a total of $103million. This figure made it the number13 highest-grossing film of 1996, and highest-grossing slasher film of its time, until Halloween (2018). The film was most successful with teenagers and young people in their 20s. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, Scream is estimated to have earned a further $70million, making it the number21 highest-grossing film. This gives Scream a cumulative worldwide total of $173million, making it the number15 highest-grossing film of the year.

Industry analysis showed that most of the films released toward the end of the year were box office failures, including big-budget fare and a surge of films targeted toward women. Only a few were seen as successes, including 101 Dalmatians, Beavis and Butt-head Do America,Jerry Maguire, Ransom, Scream, and Star Trek: First Contact. The success of Scream resulted in additional financial compensation for the principal crew and cast, triggered by the box office surpassing $40 million and subsequent increments of $10 million up to $100 million. Kennedy noted that his first residual check was double his salary.

Critical response
Scream received generally positive reviews. Critics, such as Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli, and Owen Gleiberman, praised Screams meta commentary about Screams horror predecessors and its self-referential humor while also writing that the self parody diluted any suspense, and criticizing the excessive violence. Some critics said that the film's intelligence and wit beneath the gore would be appreciated by "sophisticated viewers", but Ebert was unsure if the degree of violence was "defused by the ironic way the film uses it and comments on it".

Janet Maslin wrote that while Scream offered original ideas for the genre, it quickly exhausted them. John Hartl offered a similar sentiment, believing Scream was so focused on referencing other films that it did not know when to "settle down to tell a coherent story". Bill Stamets considered these references insightful, particularly the killers' motives, saying "Killers without motives are far more scary."

Reviews by critics such as Berardinelli, Thomas, and Leonard Klady wrote positively of the ensemble cast and their instrumentality in the film's success. Peter Stack and Dave Kehr praised Campbell for her standout performance that successfully carried the central focus on her character, portraying a tough, capable heroine who avoids the "damsel in distress" archetype. While some reviewers appreciated Cox for delivering a strong performance in an against-type role, others criticized her for being unconvincing as a tough and career-obsessed reporter. Thomas and John Hartl wrote that Arquette delivered a "goofily charming" performance. Lisa Alspector described Ulrich as the only cast member capable of balancing genuine characterization with self-parody.

The film's opening sequence received praise for its execution in building tension and suspense. Gleiberman and Richard Harrington appreciated the absence of gratuitous nudity in the scene which was atypical for the genre. Kevin Thomas credited Irwin's "resourcefulness" and Lussier's "razor-sharp" editing as key to Scream's success.

Accolades
At the 23rd Saturn Awards in 1997, Scream won awards for Best Actress (Campbell), Best Writing (Williamson), and Best Horror Film. The film was named Best Movie at the MTV Movie Awards, and Campbell was nominated for Best Female Performance. Scream was named Best Film by the International Horror Guild. Craven also received the Grand Prize at the Gérardmer Film Festival.

Home media
The soundtrack was released in December 1996, by TVT records as Scream: Music From The Dimension Motion Picture; it sold poorly. Scream was released on VHS and Laserdisc in June 1997, becoming one of the best performing rentals of August, and the top-selling releases of the year. In 2000, Scream was released as part of "The Ultimate Scream Collection", alongside its then-two sequels, Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The release introduced special features including cast screen tests, outtakes, and a documentary about the making of the three films featuring interviews with Craven, Williamson, Campbell, Cox, and Arquette. A Director's Cut release of Scream restored uncut sequences removed for the theatrical release.

The film was released on Blu-ray in 2011, including previously released special features. For the film's 25th anniversary in 2021, Scream was remastered and released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in a steelbook case. Alongside the previously released special features, the remastered version included "A Bloody Legacy: Scream 25 Years Later", a documentary featuring new interviews with the cast and crew. In 2022, Varèse Sarabande released the score in a limited-edition six-disc box CD set and digitally, alongside Beltrami's work on other installments, as well as unreleased music, demos, and alterate versions. A four-LP record set was released separately in a jacket that turns into a Ghostface mask.

Other media
A 2011 documentary, Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective, documents the production of the original trilogy of Scream films, and includes interviews with cast and crew from throughout the series. A book, It All Began with a Scream by Padraic Maroney, was also released that year, offering a similar look at the production of Scream and its three immediate sequels.

The popularity of the Ghostface character generated a variety of merchandise, and the killer's outfit remained a popular Halloween costume.

Themes
Scream is influenced by and pays many homages to the history of the horror genre, including a school janitor referencing Freddy Krueger, a cameo appearance by Linda Blair, famed for her appearance in The Exorcist, and the killers admonishing the police for not watching Prom Night for advice. In a meta reference, Randy recounts the rules of the genre: to survive a horror film, characters cannot sin by drinking, taking drugs, or having sex, and they cannot say "'I'll be right back.' Because you won't be back". This self reference is extended when Randy (Jamie Kennedy), watches Halloween and yells at the lead character Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) to look behind her, oblivious to the killer approaching himself from behind. Further, Kenny futilely yells at Randy to look behind him while observing via a remote camera. When Sidney confronts Billy and Stu, she says "You've seen one too many movies", to which Billy replies "Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative." Writer Kate Gardener believed this dialogue rejects the blame on horror films for inspiring real-world violence. Lussier said the MPAA had objected to this dialogue because "you can't speak that kind of truth."

Writers Adam White and Michelle Delgado wrote that Scream is an exploration of the "exploitative" nature of individual fame generated by the news media using traumatic events as entertainment. The debut of "Scream" coincided with growing discourse in the United States on the impact of on-screen violence and its potential consequences for society. During this time, the Clinton administration introduced the V-chip, a device designed to enable parents to block mature television content. However, news programs remained exempt from the ratings system, which Delgado said continued to "exploit" violent incidents to captivate audiences. Gale portrays a relentless television reporter who used Maureen's murder to further her own career and seeks to do the same with the Woodsboro murders. Although Gale advocates for the innocence of Cotton Weary in Maureen's death, she does so both because she believes he is innocent and to secure a lucrative book deal. While Gale's actions revolve around profiting from the suffering of others, she is depicted not as a villain but a careerist and an antagonist to Sidney who evolves into a heroic figure, aiding in the deaths of Billy and Stu. Gardener wrote that making a living from murder is not morally equal to committing murder, but that it represents the commodification of crime and female trauma. Scream acknowledges the audience's voyeuristic interest in murder and horror, underscoring the monetary value placed on sensationalized crimes.

White described Williamson's script as emblematic of its time, featuring a "picture-perfect" mother raped and murdered in the American suburbia and the stalking of her daughter one year later. He compared it to contemporary sensationalized cases such as the Murder trial of O. J. Simpson, Lorena Bobbit's assault of her husband, the Long Island Lolita case, and the Gainesville Ripper. The Ripper's defence included his assertion of being influenced by films such as The Exorcist III (1990). Despite public concerns about the influence of violent media, instances of violent crime were decreasing when Scream was released and there remained no direct link between violent media content and real-life crimes. Even so, public fascination with these media portrayals created a form of celebrity for the victims or perpetrators, with dramatic events being turned into documentaries and films. In Scream, Sidney jokes that a film will be made about the traumatic events of her life and, in the sequels, the film-within-a-film Stab horror series is created, based partly on the events of each preceding Scream entry.

Analysis
Author Padraic Maroney wrote that Scream was pro-feminism, depicting several female final girls who fight the killer instead of submitting. The success of Scream demonstrated to studios that although typically seen as fare for young males, horror films had an untapped female market. Writer Aime Simon said Sidney, like Craven's Nancy Thompson, is allowed to develop as a character by surviving successive films. The Scream films often explore female trauma through characters such as Sidney and Gale, including the dangers posed by angry males who feel rejected. Gardener said that although this may not be Craven's intention, the film's narrative effectively conveys this theme. She continued that the male killers in Scream enact violence and intimidation primarily on women, including Casey who romantically rejects Stu before the events of the film, and apparently, in turn, becomes a target, and Sidney's mother Maureen, whom Billy blames for the end of his parents marriage. Maureen is not at fault for the end of Billy's family, the responsibility lies with his father, but Billy blames Maureen and takes his anger out on her directly before abusing Sidney's emotional vulnerability caused by her mother's death. In this way, the portrayal of Billy and Stu as angry entitled men seeking revenge is more relatable and realistic of individuals someone could encounter in their daily lives, unlike supernatural horror villains.

Scream has been analyzed for homosexual or queer undertones, influenced by Williamson's own experiences as a gay man. He has expressed how his personal struggles informed Sidney's character because he identified parallels between her survival tactics and those of young gay individuals. In a 2021 interview, he said "as a gay kid, I related to the final girl and to her struggle because it's what one has to do to survive as a young gay kid, too. Subconsciously, I think the Scream movies are coded in gay survival." Several publications have highlighted the positive response from gay fans of the franchise to these underlying themes.

Some writers, such as Maroney, Brant Lewis, and Joe Lipsett, have discussed the theory that Billy and Stu are in a homosexual relationship or that Stu held unrequited feelings for Billy. Professor David Greven wrote that Billy and Stu are representative of the changing notions of masculinity and the underlying currents of queer desire in 90s films. The interactions between them throughout the movie contain themes of homoeroticism, such as when Stu playfully touches Randy's earlobe or leans on Billy during the climax before they stab each other with phallic weapons. Greven believed that although it is easy to assign homosexuality to Stu because of his lack of motive to kill and apparent willingness to please his friend, Billy also features homoerotic characteristics such as the gay trope of fixating on his maternal relationship, simlar to Norman Bates in Psycho and Billy's visual styling resembling actor James Dean, considered a queer icon. Williamson loosely based the characters on Leopold and Loeb, queer individuals who committed murder to prove their intellectual superiority. In a 2022 interview he said he was "very hesitant to present the gay side of me in [Scream]" and that any queerness in Billy's and Stu's characters was "a little coded and maybe accidental."

Cultural influence
In the decades following its release, Scream has remained an enduringly popular horror film and launched a successful film franchise. It is credited with revitalizing the horror genre which had significantly declined in popularity by the early 1990s. Far Out and MTV described Scream as a "ground-breaking" slasher film that "successfully crossed over into the mainstream" because of its deft blend of traditional horror with self-aware commentary and satire. Vox wrote that Scream "mainstreamed metatextual storytelling and made that analytical understanding of the genre mainstream in a lot of ways." Studios rushed to capitalize on Scream's success with teen-centric horror films and television series leading into the 2000s, such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Urban Legend (1998) and Cherry Falls (2000), as well as sequels to popular, but diminished, franchises such as Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and Bride of Chucky (both 1998). Scream also serves as the subject of the parody film Scary Movie (2000), which in turn launched its own franchise of horror spoofs. Director Jordan Peele also credited Scream as a direct inspiration for his own influential horror, Get Out (2017), manipulating the audience's expectations of the modern horror genre.

Scream helped launch or bolster the careers of its principal stars, including Campbell, Ulrich, Lillard, McGowan, Kennedy, and Arquette. Williamson became an in-demand screenwriter, contributing to horror films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and television series Dawson's Creek (both 1998). Lussier credited his work on Scream's opening with his transition to director, beginning with Dracula 2000 (2000). In a 2021 interview, Kennedy said he was still approached by fans about the his horror rules monologue. Barrymore's involvement also helped raised the profile of the horror genre, making it a more attractive prospect for prominent actors instead of relative unknowns. Lillard described Scream as a "seminal" moment of his career and credited Craven with giving him his mainstream introduction. Lillard and Campbell also began a two-year relationship during filming, while Cox and Arquette married and eventually divorced.

The Ghostface killer is considered to be among the most iconic cinematic horror villains. As of 2021, Lillard's improvized dialogue, "My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me", was still quoted to him by fans. The film has often been referenced in popular culture in and outside the horror genre. Following Scream's release, the use of Caller ID to identify incoming callers increased by 300%.

In the years since its release, Scream was cited as an influence in several violent crimes and murders, including the 2006 murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart, with perpetrators sometimes dressing as Ghostface. Following the Columbine High School massacre in 2000, an increasing media and public scrutiny on the influence of violent films, games, and other media on society the United States Senate Commerce committee reviewed the marketing of films to youths, specifically the horror genre. Scream's opening was shown as an example of negative media which may be viewed by children.

Retrospective assessments
Scream is regarded as a classic of the horror genre, and among the greatest horror and slasher films ever made. Several publications have also listed it among the best films of the 1990s. Williamson believed Scream's success was, in part, due to fitting the contemporary zeitgeist when "everyone wanted to have scary and fun in their life... If the movie had been released at any other time, I'm not sure that would've been the case". Campbell believed it connected with audiences because of a deft combination of humor, horror, and intelligence.

In 2008, Empire ranked the film number482 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time", and Entertainment Weekly listed Scream as one of the Best High School movies and among the best films of the preceding 13 years. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a approval rating from the aggregated reviews of  critics, with an average score of. The consensus reads; "Horror icon Wes Craven's subversive deconstruction of the genre is sly, witty, and surprisingly effective as a slasher film itself, even if it's a little too cheeky for some". The film has a score of 65 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The British Film Institute called the opening scene "one of the all-time great pre-credit scenes—an unforgettable masterclass of building tension, heart-stopping terror, and shocking images." The scene appeared at number13 on Bravo's 2004 list of the 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

, Scream remains the highest-grossing film in the Scream film series, and is generally considered to be the best film in the series. The 'franchise is also among the highest-grossing horror franchises, alongside Halloween, Saw, and The Conjuring Universe.

Sequels
Following the success of Scream, development of a sequel began while the original was still in theaters. Scream 2 (1997) achieved similar financial and critical success as Scream. Williamson was unavailable to write Scream 3 (2000), the trilogy's concluding chapter, and was replaced with Ehren Kruger. The film fared less well than its predecessors, commercially and critically, and is regarded as the franchises most divisive entry. Williamson returned to the series with the reboot film Scream 4 (2011). While Scream 4 has grown in esteem since its release, its modest box office and critical reception, as well as Craven's death, placed the franchise on hold.

A television adaptation, Scream (2015–2019), ran for three series. The Weinstein's refused to license the Fun World costume for the show or allow references to the films which was controversial with fans and contributed to the series' low ratings, poor reception, and eventual cancellation.

The film series was relaunched with Scream (2022), and its success led to immediate development of a sixth installment, Scream VI (2023). Both films are directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. These films focus on a younger cast, including Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, with Campbell, Cox, and Arquette appearing in supporting legacy roles. Scream VI is the first film in the series to not feature Arquette or Campbell (she declined to return following a dispute over pay).