Scream

Scream is the kind of horror that knows the rules of horror very well and turns that knowledge into the point of the movie. By our assessment, its strength is the way it mixes slasher panic with a sly, self-aware attitude, so the scares arrive with a layer of genre commentary on top. In practice that makes it fast, tense, and constantly alert; it wants the audience to keep up with the jokes and the knife-edge rhythm at the same time. The limit is that its wit and its formula are tied together, so if the game of references does not appeal, the whole machine feels less sharp. Against straight monster horror, it is more talkative and more playful, but still fully committed to the threats and shocks that define the form. Astrina records Scream in 1996 and files it under Horror, which fits its place as a modern, highly recognizable slasher. It is a good pick for people who like horror with a knowing grin, and less so for anyone wanting solemn dread only.