Works in this franchise with their own YMMV pages:

* ''YMMV/{{Scream|1996}}''
* ''YMMV/Scream2''
* ''YMMV/Scream3''
* ''YMMV/Scream4''
* ''YMMV/ScreamTheTVSeries''
* ''YMMV/ScreamResurrection''
* ''YMMV/Scream2022''
* ''YMMV/ScreamVI''

!!YMMV Tropes with their own pages:

* [[Monster/{{Scream}} Complete Monster]]
* [[FranchiseOriginalSin/{{Scream}} Franchise Original Sin]]
* [[Woobie/{{Scream}} Woobie]]
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!!YMMV for the franchise as a whole:

* AlternateAesopInterpretation:
** Especially after TheReveal, all the films are deep down or eventually become fables about facing down and standing up to bullies, with whom the Ghostfaces share many similar traits.
** Alternatively, life is not your movie, and the people around you are not characters that you can decide roles for. Thinking such leads nowhere good.
* AngstWhatAngst: Not once in the franchise does Dewey show any sadness about [[spoiler: his own sister being brutally murdered]]. It gets a brief mention in the second one, and Stone makes a quip about it in the third - but it's still rather shocking. However, in the fifth, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Dewey has Tatum’s ashes on his mantle]].
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: ''Red Right Hand'' by Music/NickCaveAndTheBadSeeds appears in all films except the fourth, to memorable effect. Nick Cave even recorded a new version of the song specifically for the ''Scream 3'' soundtrack and it's seen as something of a BootstrappedTheme for the series.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Derek's singing scene in ''Scream 2'', though it's got nothing on the out-of-nowhere cameo by [[Film/TheViewAskewniverse Jay and Silent Bob]] in ''Scream 3''. So apparently the Scream movies take place in The View Askewniverse.
* BrokenBase:
** The death of [[spoiler:Randy]] in ''Scream 2''. Supporters view it as a bold move because it added tension to the movie by demonstrating that AnyoneCanDie, effectively making Ghostface's later attack on [[spoiler:Dewey]] look like a real death. On the other hand, detractors point out that the later sequels are hampered by his absence since every ''Scream'' movie has a "rules" scene and thus requires [[spoiler:Randy]] to be brought back in some form or another either through VideoWill or through [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute some character that is essentially just a copy of him]].
** The death of [[spoiler:Dewey]] in ''Scream (2022)''. Half the base sees it as a good tension builder [[spoiler:and a worthy send-off to a beloved character, and were happy to see one of the series' central PowerTrio finally lose his PlotArmor to once more establish that AnyoneCanDie]]. The other half, however, sees it as only there for shock value.
** The who-killed-who debate can get pretty heated, particularly with ''Film/Scream4'' and ''Film/Scream2022''.
** And on that note, fans of the fourth and fifth films can get pretty heated over which was better. Defenders of the fourth film argue that the fifth was redundant because the series had ''already'' done a nostalgic throwback with a "next generation" cast and a plot satirizing reboots and legacy sequels, while citing the ValuesResonance of the killer's motive. Defenders of the fifth, meanwhile, argue that it was [[BetterByADifferentName the better version of the fourth]] that was willing to take more risks and had all-around better production values.
* CatharsisFactor: Especially after the TheReveal, when the killers are not only AxCrazy, but also obnoxious {{Jerkass}} {{Hate Sink}}s, it is very satisfying to see them get theirs at the climax.
* CommonKnowledge:
** How Maureen Prescott died. Websites and wikis, such as the ''Scream'' one, state that she was stabbed in the groin, twice in the chest, and once in the head, which is accepted by the majority as fact, even though that's just a {{Fanon}} theory that originates from the condition of Maureen's body bag (which itself was just a prop for a FilmWithinAFilm titled ''Stab 3'') in ''Scream 3.'' In reality, the exact circumstances of her death have never been revealed. She is said to have been tortured, but this is only ever brought up once, in a newscast by self-admitted sensationalist Gale Weathers. She's also said to have been raped, but this is just a misconception that stems from her having been killed immediately after having sex with Cotton, as well as Sidney, who misidentified the real killer as Cotton, insisting to everyone that there was nothing consensual going on between Cotton and Maureen because "she wouldn't have touched him." In addition, the real killers never even hint that they raped Maureen.
** When deducing who killed whom, some fans theorize that each Ghostface has their own unique knife technique [[IdenticalTwinIDTag to differentiate themselves from their partner]]. In reality, kill confirmations made by the killers InUniverse, [[AllThereInTheScript the script]], or WordOfGod all disprove the kill style theory.[[labelnote:For example]]The kill style theory for the first movie proposes that Billy holds the knife with one hand when attacking whereas Stu holds the knife with both hands and thus concludes that Billy killed Casey since Casey's attacker gripped the knife with one hand when stabbing her. However, Kevin Williamson [[https://archive.is/AG7BC confirmed]] that Stu killed Casey, and the movie itself gives Stu a personal motive for killing Casey since Casey dumped him for Steve. Moreover, Stu grips the knife with one hand when killing Kenny, which further debunks the kill style theory.[[/labelnote]] In addition, while director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson explained in the DVDCommentary of the first ''Scream'' that they kept track of the two killers' locations so that at least one of the killers was available for every one of Ghostface's attacks, neither of them ever bring up kill style to distinguish the two Ghostfaces. Likewise, the later ''Scream'' movies made by Radio Silence don't follow the kill style theory either.[[labelnote:Explanation]]For ''Film/Scream2022'', some fans believe that Richie goes for a OneHitKill on his victims by aiming for [[ImpromptuTracheotomy a single knife attack to the throat]], while Amber stabs her victims multiple times for [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill an overkill]], which leads to the same fans concluding that Richie and Amber had an even 3-3 kill split since three of Ghostface's six fatalities died from throat injuries. However, Radio Silence confirmed in an [[https://www.fandom.com/articles/scream-5-spoilers-killers-victims interview]] that Amber has the majority of the kills, which means an equal 3-3 kill split is impossible. On top of that, the script clarifies that Amber killed the hospital guard, who died from a knife slash to the neck, and scriptwriter James Vanderbilt indirectly [[https://archive.is/uYej4 confirmed]] that Richie murdered Judy, who died from multiple stab wounds, all of which prove that neither Amber nor Richie has a consistent way of killing.[[/labelnote]]
* CompleteMonster: See [[Monster/{{Scream}} here]].
* ContestedSequel: Many fans rank the first film as a classic, the second film as a worthy sequel, and the third film as a mediocre cash-in. However, there are quite a few who feel that the third film is better than the second, and there's even a small camp (which includes, among others, Richard Roeper and WebVideo/{{Welshy}}) who feel that the second film is the best in the whole series. The fourth film, meanwhile, holds a "middle" position according to fans -- not as good as the first, but stronger than the second/third (whichever one the fan in question thinks is the weaker entry of the two). Both ''V'' and ''VI'' are generally seen as [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel quite good]], albeit each with their particular criticisms (such as how [[spoiler:they handle the death of Dewey in ''V'']]). Finally, you will find very few fans of the movies who will defend the TV series as anything more than SoOkayItsAverage.
* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Randy Meeks. His laser-focused knowledge on horror movies and lack of certain social graces (in the first movie, he discusses gory stuff while the others are eating, and multiple characters automatically assume that Ghostface is actually Randy pulling some kind of prank when he comes around) can lead to the conclusion that he might have a condition. Then again, he could also just be just a passionate horror geek who's a little socially awkward at times.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Test audiences for the first film liked Dewey so much that Creator/WesCraven put in a scene that [[spoiler:had him survive, and he survived for all films until the fifth]].
** Casey Becker (the blond girl murdered by Ghostface in the beginning of the first film) is very popular thanks to Creator/DrewBarrymore's acting and because the scene itself is a SignatureScene.
** Randy gained such a following that [[spoiler: a sizable portion of the fanbase was ''furious'' when he was killed off in ''Scream 2'', so much so that ''Scream 3'' explicitly lampshaded it.]]
** Ditto for Kirby in ''Scream 4'', [[spoiler:to the point that a ''massive'' chunk of the fanbase believes she's NotQuiteDead (which was confirmed in the following film via FreezeFrameBonus). In the sixth movie, she returns with a major supporting role]].
** Stu is often considered one of the best [[spoiler: Ghostfaces]], mainly due to Creator/MatthewLillard's LargeHam performance and memorable lines.
** Jennifer Jolie from the third movie tends to rank pretty high on lists ranking the characters from across the series, being one of the highest-rated characters to only be in a single film (which she is sometimes considered to have been more entertaining in than any of the returning leads). Fans appreciate her humorous characterization, chemistry with Gale and Dewey, and ([[CowardlyLion eventual]]) competence. [[spoiler:Like Kirby (until the fifth movie, see above), she has fans who think she's NotQuiteDead.]]
** Tatum Riley from ''Scream'' is often ranked as one of the franchise's top characters, and one of the greatest best friend characters in a horror movie, for her sense of style, attractiveness, talented actress, loyalty to Sidney, and the fight she puts up.
* EvilIsCool: Ghostface, for his skulking tactics to get his prey and unique plans to pull off his [[spoiler:or her]] schemes behind the killings. Special mention to [[spoiler:Stu]] for being so comedic and unhinged.
* FanNickname: Ghostface sometimes is referred to as “Ghosty”/“Ghostie” as an affectionate nickname.
* FanonDiscontinuity: Some fans prefer to see the original movie as a standalone story and ignore the killing sprees from the sequels.
* FanPreferredCouple:
** Despite it being revealed that Billy Loomis [[spoiler:never loved her and was plotting to kill her]], many fans to this day still ship Sidney Prescott with Billy, mainly due to their chemistry and Billy getting a healthy dose of DracoInLeatherPants. It is far more popular than her pairing with Mark Kincaid, [[spoiler:who the [[Film/Scream2022 fifth film]] reveals she married and had children with.]]
** Despite the [[Film/ScreamVI sixth film]] having Tara Carpenter get together with Chad Meeks-Martin, it is still far more popular to pair Tara with Amber Freeman, even with Amber being [[spoiler:dead after trying to kill Tara and her friends in the fifth film]]. This is mainly due to the chemistry between Tara and Amber and the fact that Tara and Amber were dating in the original script for ''Film/Scream2022''. It's also easily more popular than the canon Amber/Richie Kirsch.
* FirstInstallmentWins: The first movie is still the best regarded, for its {{Deconstruction}} and {{Reconstruction}} of the slasher genre and renewing the genre as a whole. While ''Scream'' has a good record in terms of sequels, they never reached the height of the reputation that the first one got.
* FranchiseOriginalSin: [[FranchiseOriginalSin/{{Scream}} Now has its own page.]]
* FriendlyFandoms:
** Fans of ''Scream'' may also be fans of its parody, ''Film/ScaryMovie''.
** Fans of ''Scream'' are often also fans of ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'', mainly due to [[Creator/WesCraven Wes Craven's]] involvement with both franchises.
* GenreTurningPoint: It single-handedly [[PopularityPolynomial revived]] the slasher genre after nearly a decade [[PopularityPolynomial outside the mainstream]], and kicked off the PostModernism craze in horror.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** ''Series/SantaClaritaDiet'' is especially hilarious for fans of this series, with Drew Barrymore, the first film's [[DeadStarWalking opening victim]], as a murderous monster, and Timothy Olyphant, [[spoiler:one of the second film's killers,]] as her character's husband, a regular guy dragged into her mess.
** Two separate Ghostface killers have mocked the idea that [[MurderSimulators violent horror movies drove them to kill]]. [[spoiler:Billy in the first film has the famous line that "movies don't create psychos, they make psychos more creative", while in the second, Mickey plans to exploit the public's disdain for horror movies by cynically using them as an excuse for his actions, guaranteeing himself a [[AttentionWhore sensational]] [[IfItBleedsItLeads trial]].]] In ''Series/ScreamResurrection'', on the other hand, [[spoiler:Beth claims unironically that she became a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] because she watched too many horror movies]].
* IAmNotShazam: Some people think Ghostface's name is "Scream" due to the series' title and the killer's iconic screaming ghost mask. Ironically though, the killers have only been called Ghostface a few times in the franchise, instead being more commonly dubbed as "the killer".
* ItWasHisSled: The identity/identities of Ghostface become this shortly after the release of every movie.
* LGBTFanbase: The franchise never had any explicitly queer characters (barring [[spoiler:Robbie's]] FacingTheBulletsOneLiner in the fourth film, which could easily be read as [[AintTooProudToBeg a desperate attempt to not get killed]]) until the TV show and the fifth film. However, it was created by an out gay screenwriter, its satirical MetaFiction was rich with {{camp}} (especially in the [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold catty]] [[LovableAlphaBitch heroine]] Gale Weathers), and the relationship between the first film's [[LoveToHate highly charismatic and attractive villains]] was filled with HomoeroticSubtext. As such, it's been [[https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3540235/horror-queers-gaying-biggest-horror-franchise-90s-scream/ known]] to have a considerable LGBTQ+ following.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Anytime after the second movie where it seems as if Sidney, Dewey, or Gale will die. [[spoiler: Until the fifth movie, where Dewey does die]].
* LoveToHate: [[spoiler:Billy Loomis, his mother, Roman Bridger and Jill Roberts are all definitely intended to be {{Hate Sink}}s, but Stu, Mickey, Charlie, Richie, and Amber all fall into this due to their LaughablyEvil and quirky portrayals by their actors.]]
* MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler:The imagined version of [[ImaginaryEnemy William "Billy" Loomis]] is [[Film/Scream2022 introduced as]] the darkly charismatic manifestation of his daughter [[Characters/ScreamSamCarpenter Samantha "Sam" Carpenter]]'s inner darkness. To protect Sam and her half-sister Tara, Billy sways Sam to tell Tara the truth and trust no one else, also demanding she hunt down and murder the [[Characters/ScreamGhostface Ghostface]] killers. Heeding Billy's advice, Sam frees a captive Tara to subdue the one half of the Ghostface duo and later Billy draws Sam's attention to a hidden blade to murder the other one. Proud of Sam for surviving, Billy stays by her side to watch over her [[Film/ScreamVI next outing]] with Ghostface]].
* MemeticLoser: Ghostface in general, as many fans have noticed that being a generally more human character means they're [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zembfSIPoiI far more subject to getting physically hurt]] compared to other movie slashers.
* NarmCharm: Of course ''Scream'' has this in spades. It comes with the territory of being a franchise of slasher media.
* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Many fans blame the problems with ''Scream 3'' on the absence of Kevin Williamson. Averted with the fifth movie, that while without both Williamson and Wes Craven was very well-received.
* OlderThanTheyThink:
** Creator/WesCraven made a [[Film/WesCravensNewNightmare meta-horror film]] two years before directing the first ''Scream'' film.
** The franchise's basic premise of horror savviness and applying "the rules" of the genre to reality was first used in an obscure little flick called ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103077/ There's Nothing Out There]]'', though that was admittedly more a creature feature than a slasher. Even earlier proto-examples include slasher spoofs like ''Film/StudentBodies'' (which is amusingly name-dropped in the sequel) and ''Pandemonium'', both released in TheEighties at the height of the slasher boom.
*** A psychotic person whose loves movies to the point where he kills people, occasionally spouting out film trivia and film quotes? There was one example of that prior to ''Scream'', and that is the 1980 psychological horror comedy ''Fade to Black''. The only difference is that in ''Fade to Black'', the killer also dressed up as characters from classic films (not just horror, but as Hopalong Cassidy and a film noir gangster for three of his kills, while dressing as Dracula and the Mummy for two other kills).
** The popular "Ghostface mask" was not invented by this movie, as is commonly believed. It first appeared in costume shops in 1991, around five years before the original ''Scream'' was released (the creators even had to alter its design slightly to avoid copyright issues). The success of the film contributed so much to the mask's iconic status, though, that it's often erroneously referred to as a "''Scream'' mask" by trick-or-treaters who commonly buy it as a costume accessory around Halloween.
* ParanoiaFuel:
** ''Nowhere'' is safe enough. The killers manage to butcher people in a crowded movie theater, in a crowded campus in broad daylight (getting their merry way out before anyone notices, in both cases), get past policemen watching the victim's house, or viciously attack them in a hospital.
** The biggest FridgeHorror factor is that in the movies, [[spoiler: Sidney is almost killed by her boyfriend and his horror movie-obsessed friend in the first movie, her dead insane ex-boyfriend's ''mother'' in the second one, her '''half-brother''' in the third, and then '''''her cousin''''' in the fourth. All while they go around killing her friends/loved ones ''just'' to get revenge on her]]. '''ANYBODY''' you care about could be the killer!
* PoorMansSubstitute: At the time of the first film to beyond, the films' composer Marco Beltrami can be considered the franchise's [[Franchise/{{Hellraiser}} Christopher]] [[Film/{{Copycat}} Young]] (further helped by the fact that Beltrami was part of Young's music scoring team and even orchestrated his score for ''Film/{{Virtuosity}}'' a year before the first film in the franchise, and that some of Young's score to ''Film/{{Copycat}}'', released a year before the original film, was featured in its theatrical trailer).
* PortmanteauCoupleName: The franchise has a bunch of these all the way back to the original. There's "Stuilly" for [[HoYay Stu/Billy]], "Sidly" for [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Sidney/Billy]], and "Gewey" for [[RelationshipRevolvingDoor Gale/Dewey]], which are the most popular ones overall. The 2022 film also introduces a new one in the form of "Tamber" for [[LesYay Tara/Amber]].
* {{Sequelitis}}: The third film for many, and the second and fourth for some.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/WesCravensNewNightmare'', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which was directed by Wes Craven]], the original director of the ''Scream'' films. ''New Nightmare'' was a self-aware meta-horror film that deconstructed the slasher genre, so one can consider the ''Scream'' films as Wes Craven's second run at the idea.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Despite drawing parallel sensibilities with fellow horror genre composer Christopher Young as noted above, Marco Beltrami's scores for the film series can also bring to mind Music/GraemeRevell's score for ''Film/ChildsPlay2''. Beltrami's work on this SlasherMovie franchise alongside other horror movie scores he was doing at the time can also be viewed as a new age SpiritualSuccessor to the underrated orchestral 80s SlasherMovie scores of fellow film composer Richard Einhorn for such works as ''Film/EyesOfAStranger'' and ''Film/TheProwler''.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** In the first film, Billy has a cell phone, which casts suspicion on him as being the Ghostface killer in the first act of the movie. Nowadays, [[TechnologyMarchesOn it would be more suspicious]] if he ''didn't'' have a cell phone. Oddly enough, he defends himself by saying everyone has one, which wasn't actually true at the time.
*** Relatedly, the killers' MO is dependent on people being more likely to use landlines than cell phones, meaning that if you answer your phone, the caller knows where you are.
** Likewise, a pivotal scene in the first film takes place in a video rental store. 'Nuff said.
** The image of horror films that the ''Scream'' series runs on is the slashers of TheEighties. While these movies were seen as dated and trite even in 1996 (the whole reason ''Scream'' was making fun of them), they were still reasonably modern at the time, the sort of films that teenagers watched at parties. With the rise of TorturePorn, FoundFootageFilms, and supernatural horror in the '00s and '10s, slashers are seen as retro nowadays, which ''Scream 4'' had to address when it came out in 2011. By the time of ''Scream 5'', this shift in modern horror is so complete that protagonist Tara maintains that she prefers "elevated horror" like Film/TheBabadook to the now-several-decades-old 80s slashers.
** A journalist explicitly states that she cannot take action on a story without being able to prove the sensational allegations she plans to report. If that doesn't tell you this takes place a quarter-century ago, nothing will.
* ValuesResonance: Kate Gardner has written [[https://www.themarysue.com/the-legacy-of-scream-part-one-how-billy-loomis-represents-a-real-fear-of-abusive-men/ a series]] [[https://www.themarysue.com/the-legacy-of-scream-part-two-true-crime-and-media-circuses/ of articles]] for ''The Mary Sue'' on the series, and how its portrayal of its villains anticipated a lot of the public debates held over various social issues in TheNewTens.
** In the first film, [[spoiler:Billy Loomis is a very handsome teenage boy who pressures Sidney into sex, disrespects her feelings and pain, and spends the entire film lying to her.]] It's also strongly implied that Casey and Steve, the opening victims, died because [[spoiler:Casey rejected Stu (the other killer), and he took it out on her and her boyfriend. And a year prior to the events of the film, Billy and Stu murdered Maureen Prescott because Billy blamed Maureen for destroying his parents' marriage, even though it takes two to tango, and his father was just as much to blame as Maureen was.]] Gardner describes the killers as "angry men who think the world owes them something and that they can kill who they want to get revenge for slights", foreshadowing numerous real-life {{spree killer}}s (quite a few of whom were driven by misogyny) who became notorious in the 2010s.
** Gale Weathers may have been an old-media tabloid journalist, but the arc of her career in the first two films, in particular her IfItBleedsItLeads nature, is more relevant than ever in a time when the TrueCrime genre has seen a resurgence of popularity in the form of podcasts and documentaries, especially with the films' exploration of how Sidney was affected by the media circus that Gale's books generated, and with how [[spoiler:Mickey's motive in the second film, and Jill's in the fourth, is to [[AttentionWhore chase the media attention]] that comes with it]].
** The third film got a ''major'' second look in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the [=#MeToo=] movement revealing the horrifying extent of sexual harassment and assault throughout Hollywood and many professional industries more broadly. Here, it's revealed that Maureen Prescott was an aspiring actress in TheSeventies, only to quit the industry in disgust after getting raped at a Hollywood party by a high-powered producer.
** The movies often go in-depth about how misguided it is to believe that movies cause people to become murderers, since people who are inspired by movies to kill already wanted to commit murders to begin with, or just want to find an excuse to look like the victim. Said message is still relevant 20 years later, especially after the hysteria caused by the mainstream media believing ''Film/Joker2019'' was going to cause a mass shooting, to the point they gave an inordinate amount of coverage to two guys being arrested for smoking in a theater that was showing that movie.
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