Horror Fans Only Have Days Left To Stream One of the Best Trilogies Of All Time

The ‘80s were a defining decade for the slasher genre. Films like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Child’s Play littered multiplexes and kicked off franchises that are still part of the pop culture consciousness to this very day. It’s no great surprise that fans hold that time period in high regard after all these years. Despite a great run with so many memorable efforts released during the ‘80s, we gradually began to see a collective fatigue set in that signaled a shift away from the slasher films that dominated the horror space. By the early ‘90s, fans witnessed a noticeable pivot to more psychological horror fare, with serial killer thrillers rising to prominence.

That move away from slasher fare remained in effect until 1996, when Scream,reignited mainstream interest in slasher cinema. Not only did Scream pave the way for renewed interest in the slasher sub-genre, it also popularized meta horror, a trend that we still see in a lot of genre output to this day. Moreover, the film is considered by many to be the greatest slasher picture of the ‘90s and kicked off one of the best horror trilogies ever made (before even more sequels followed with different results). Sadly, the entire original Scream trilogy is about to leave streaming at the end of the month, with HBO Max – its exclusive streaming home for some time – about to drop it out of the catalog.

Why Scream Is the Best Slasher Film of the ‘90s

Scream delighted fans and critics in equal measure upon release. The film is equal parts scary and funny. This celebrated picture won over its audience by lovingly poking fun at slasher tropes while simultaneously adhering to many of them. The film features a smart, well-written script from Kevin Williamson, coupled with masterful direction by the great Wes Craven.

Scream serves up a strong ensemble cast, with many of the core characters coming across as both relatable and endearing. Not to mention, the key players are surprisingly well developed for a slasher movie. Heading up the proceedings is Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, a plucky teenager grieving the recent loss of her mother. Sid and her pals are no different from your average teenagers, that is, until they begin receiving crank calls from a menacing presence obsessed with horror movies. The voice on the other end of the line is more than just talk. Sid’s friends begin to drop like flies, leaving her peer group with the realization that they are trapped in their own horror film.

Williamson’s script playfully references the horror movies of years past, calculating the rules for survival, what to do, and what not to do. Because this is a horror movie, many of the core cast members break the rules and pay the price. Yet, what makes Scream stand out from countless other efforts past and present is that the rules are constantly changing, and the identity of the killer isn’t easy to establish upon an inaugural viewing. Suspicion shifts, with characters coming under scrutiny only to seemingly later be exonerated.

There are plenty of clues regarding the true identity of the killer (or killers) buried throughout the picture that make repeat visits great fun. You can go back for a rewatch and pick up something new each time you take in the flick.

In the years since it first bowed, Scream has become one of the most influential horror films of the modern era. You can see a similar brand of self-referential humor in slasher pictures that followed, like Cherry Falls, Halloween H20, Urban Legends: Final Cut, and many more. Even more recent efforts like Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Cabin in the Woods, Detention, and The Final Girls share a similarly meta approach to their commentary on the horror genre.

Not to mention, Scream paved the way for a series of successful sequels that bear a similar tone, wit, and charm to the iconic film that started it all. Though the quality varies slightly, each successive effort is plenty enjoyable. In fact, some of the sequels even come close to the brilliance established by the original.

All in all, Scream is the best slasher film of the ‘90s, hands down. It’s smart, funny, and sets the stage for what the slasher genre would look like in the decades that followed. If you’re keen to pay the film a visit, you can find it streaming on HBO Max.

Do you agree that Scream is the best slasher picture of the ‘90s? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Let us know in the comments section below!

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