History Film / Scream

* Menacingmask: The masked killer wears a white ghost-like Halloween mask with hollowed-out eyes, a pained expression, and a perpetually open mouth hole. The killer's name is given as Ghostface, probably due to the mask they wear.

* NotQuiteDead: In each and every damn one. The characters end up fully expecting it.
** In ''Scream'', [[spoiler: Randy lampshades this with Billy, who promptly reveals himself to be not quite dead. Sidney ''very'' calmly shoots him in the head]].
** Subverted in ''Scream 2''. [[spoiler: Gale and Sidney expect Mrs. Loomis to be this, and then ''Mickey'' jumps up behind them screaming. They shoot and kill him, and then Sidney shoots the (probably already dead) Mrs. Loomis in the head, just to be sure]].
** ''Scream 3'' has [[spoiler: Roman play this straight, until Dewey shoots him in the head]].

** ''Scream 5'' has [[spoiler: Amber surviving several gunshot wounds, head injuries, and ''being burned alive'' before finally getting a bullet to the dome by Tara as she tries to kill Gale, Sidney, and Sam.]]
** ''Scream 6'' has [[spoiler:Ethan getting stabbed multiple times in the chest by Sam, then impaled through the mouth and jaw with the same knife by Tara, before finally getting his head crushed with a TV (the same TV that killed Stu Macher, even) by Kirby.]]

* AssholeVictim: Mostly averted, as most of the cast in any given film are generally likable and even the ones who are jerks either have a good side or otherwise don’t deserve the deaths they receive. However, being a horror film franchise, there are some straight examples: [[spoiler: Steven Stone and John Milton]] in Scream 3, [[spoiler: Rebecca Walters and Charlie Walker]] in Scream 4, [[spoiler: Vince Schneider]] in Scream 5, and [[spoiler:Jason Carvey and Greg]] in Scream VI.

* 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.

** Randy, a horror movie fan who [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvLpbHKV1_8 lists three rules]] for surviving a horror movie -- [[DeathBySex don't have sex]], [[DrugsAreBad don't drink or use drugs]], and never say "[[TemptingFate I'll be right back]]." Naturally, [[TooDumbToLive the characters break all three in record time]]. Randy expands his rules to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWeaYCoh1qk sequels]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofxfYinuKKc trilogies]] [[labelnote:Warning]]Warning -- both clips contains spoilers for, respectively, the first and second films[[/labelnote]] in the later films. Then in the fifth film, his niece Mindy takes up the mantle.

** As for the TV series, the season 1 pilot passes the torch to Creator/BellaThorne, who specifically sought out the part of the opening victim due to its iconic nature in the films. The season 2 premiere, meanwhile, had WebVideo/LelePons getting killed off in a [[StylisticSuck cheesy]] [[ShowWithinAShow fake slasher movie]] being shown at the theater Audrey works at, before subverting it in the 'real' world by having the Ghostface attacking Audrey turn out to be a harmless prankster. The HalloweenSpecial had [[spoiler:season 2's killer Kieran (Amadeus Serafini) killed off in prison, in a case of SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome]]. Finally, the first episode of ''Resurrection'' did a fake-out, with Paris Jackson's character looking like she'd be the opening victim, only to be left unharmed -- and for the kid in the Ghostface mask, who is [[DeathByOriginStory the protagonist's twin brother]], to get killed instead.

In the mid-[[TheNineties 1990s]], director Creator/WesCraven (of ''[[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' fame) and writer Kevin Williamson (who would go on to make ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' and ''Literature/TheVampireDiaries'') decided to make the ultimate [[SlasherMovie slasher movie]], ''Film/{{Scream|1996}}''. Upon its release in 1996, the film was a massive (and [[SleeperHit unexpected]]) hit, becoming the single highest-grossing slasher of all time until ''Film/Halloween2018''[[note]]and still ranking as #1 in adjusted dollars[[/note]], and its success also turned the film into the first of a successful franchise currently consisting of six films and two TV series.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Stu]] laments not that the police are coming, but that his parents are going to find out he's a serial killer, anticipating their anger and disappointment. It's as if what he's done is finally sinking in.

** ''Film/Scream2022'': [[spoiler:Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman]] are ''Stab'' fanatics who were so incensed at the latest ''Stab'' film for deviating a lot from the series formula that they met up online and decided to make a “film” of their own. In the process, they kill several of their friends and lovers, injure many others, and [[spoiler:attempt to frame Sam Carpenter because she is the daughter of Billy Loomis in order to “reboot” the franchise]]. [[spoiler:Richie and Amber’s]] motive takes EvilIsPetty trope UpToEleven, even in comparison to other Ghostfaces’ motivations.

The ''Scream'' series comprises five films, with a sixth to be released:

* '''''Film/{{Scream 4}}''''' (or ''[[Letters2Numbers Scre4m]]''), released in 2011, brings the action back to Woodsboro, as the surviving characters of the original trilogy deal with the legacy of the events of those films. It parodies the [[TorturePorn various]] [[FoundFootageFilms trends]] in horror that cropped up in the decade between ''Scream 3'' and ''Scream 4'' -- including, most specifically, the surge of {{remake}}s and [[ContinuityReboot reboots]] of classic horror franchises. This is the first of the ''Scream'' films to not be distributed by [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company]], since copyright holder Creator/{{Miramax}} broke up with them in the 2000s. The film's supporting cast includes Creator/EmmaRoberts, Creator/HaydenPanettiere, Creator/NicoTortorella, Rory Culkin, Erik Knudsen, Creator/MarleyShelton, Creator/AdamBrody, and Creator/AnthonyAnderson.

* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:Randy]] in ''2'', [[spoiler:Cotton]] in ''3'', and [[spoiler:Dewey and Judy]] in ''5''. Notably, [[spoiler:despite the possibility being teased, this is completely averted in ''6'', though Kirby, Gale, Chad, and Mindy all come close to dying.]]

A notable trait of ''Scream'' is that it is not a VillainBasedFranchise; the villain, Ghostface, is an anonymous identity that is [[LegacyCharacter taken by various people throughout the series]], although they use the same brand of voice changer, providing the illusion of a single person (voice-acted by Creator/RogerLJackson). By contrast, it has a consistent trinity of heroes who appear in all films released so far: Sidney Prescott (Creator/NeveCampbell), Gale Weathers (Creator/CourteneyCox), and Dwight "Dewey" Riley (Creator/DavidArquette).

* '''''Film/ScreamVI''''', released in 2023, sees the survivors of the last film attempt to start a new life in [[BigApplesauce New York City]]. The film satirizes sequels to "requels", and film franchises as a whole. Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Hayden Panettiere all reprise their roles, and new to the cast are Creator/DermotMulroney, Creator/LianaLiberato, Creator/JoshSegarra, Creator/HenryCzerny, Creator/TonyRevolori, and Creator/SamaraWeaving. Notably, this is the first film in the series not to star Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott.

** For example, take a look at the body count for each film, which progressively rises as the series progresses. Ghostface claims five victims in the first film (six if you count [[DeathByOriginStory Maureen Prescott]]), eight in the second, nine in the third, and fifteen in the fourth. [[spoiler:Roman Bridger]] holds the record with nine, with [[spoiler:Jill and Mickey]] tied for second at seven. The fifth film has a smaller body count than the third and fourth films at eight deaths overall, but the blood and gore are heavily cranked up, and several characters are badly injured as well. The sixth film — now with a [[NoNonsenseNemesis no-bullshit Ghostface]] — is even bloodier, having eleven deaths and ending with most of the surviving cast injured [[spoiler:with several series regulars nearly dying.]]

** ''Film/Scream2022'': [[spoiler:Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman]] are ''Stab'' fanatics who were so incensed at the latest ''Stab'' film for deviating a lot from the series formula that they met up online and decided to make a “film” of their own. In the process, they kill several of their friends and lovers, injure many others, and [[spoiler:attempt to frame Sam Carpenter because she is the daughter of Billy Loomis in order to “reboot” the franchise]]. [[spoiler:Richie and Amber’s]] motive takes EvilIsPetty UpToEleven, even in comparison to other Ghostfaces’ motivations.

** ''Film/{{Scream VI}}'': [[spoiler: Jason Carvey and his friend Greg Brockner were friends of Richie Kirsch, as well as equal-minded psychos that wanted to finish the ”requel” plan that Richie and Amber started in the last film, intending to start by going after the Carpenter sisters. Unable to wait for his comrade, Jason gives into his psychopathic urges and ends up murdering his film teacher, Laura Crane, [[EvilIsPetty as revenge for giving him a C minus on a horror film essay]]. After doing the deed, he ends up receiving a phone call from who he believes is Greg playing around with the voice changer; as he talks with "Greg", he’s asked how he felt about killing Laura, to which Jason replies that it felt “like killing an animal” and that at the end, “all that was left was just meat”. "Greg" turns out to be another Ghostface (the true antagonist of this film), who is revealed to have murdered the real Greg and then proceeds to to brutally finish off Jason, while mocking latter’s disregard for human life and his and his partner’s motive of killing because of horror movies]]. Though Jason and Greg’s deaths were mostly because the "requel" plan interfered with their own motives, its telling that the real killer/s [[EvenEvilHasStandards thought that Jason’s motives and attitude towards murdering innocent people was disgusting]], despite being insane murderers themselves]].

* TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: An unusual example, as only [[spoiler: the sixth film]] contains an explicit example of family members working together as Ghostface, but to date every movie contains at least one Ghostface who's related by blood to another Ghostface. [[spoiler: Billy and Mrs. Loomis are parent and child, Roman and Jill are technically first cousins despite never meeting, and Wayne Bailey and all of his children have donned the mask.]] In addition to that, [[spoiler: both Sidney and Sam, relatives of Roman and Jill and Billy and his mother, respectively]] have both worn the mask heroically. In fact, unrelated Ghostfaces are a minority in the series, with only four people not confirmed to be related to another Ghostface [[spoiler: Stu, Mickey, Charlie, and Amber.]]

* TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: An unusual example, as only [[spoiler: the sixth film]] contains an explicit example of family members working together as Ghostface, but to date every movie contains at least one Ghostface who's related by blood to another Ghostface. [[spoiler: Billy and Mrs. Loomis are parent and child, Roman and Jill are technically first cousins despite never meeting, and Wayne Bailey and all of his children have donned the mask.]] In addition to that, [[Spoiler: both Sidney and Sam, relatives of Roman and Jill and Billy and his mother, respectively]] have both worn the mask heroically. In fact, unrelated Ghostfaces are a minority in the series, with only four people not confirmed to be related to another Ghostface [[spoiler: Stu, Mickey, Charlie, and Amber.]]

* TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: An unusual example, as only [[spoiler: the sixth film]] contains an explicit example of family members working together as Ghostface, but to date every movie contains at least one Ghostface who's related by blood to another Ghostface. [[Spoiler: Billy and Mrs. Loomis are parent and child, Roman and Jill are technically first cousins despite never meeting, and Wayne Bailey and all of his children have donned the mask.]] In addition to that, [[Spoiler: both Sidney and Sam, relatives of Roman and Jill and Billy and his mother, respectively]] have both worn the mask heroically. In fact, unrelated Ghostfaces are a minority in the series, with only four people not confirmed to be related to another Ghostface [[spoiler: Stu, Mickey, Charlie, and Amber.]]

** ''Film/{{Scream VI}}'': [[spoiler: Jason Carvey and his friend Greg Brockner were friends of Richie Kirsch, as well as equal-minded psychos that wanted to finish the ”requel” plan that Richie and Amber started in the last film, intending to start by going after the Carpenter sisters. Unable to wait for his comrade, Jason gives into his psychopathic urges and ends up murdering his film teacher, Laura Crane, [[EvilIsPetty as revenge for giving him a C minus on a horror film essay]]. After doing the deed, he ends up receiving a phone call from who he believes is Greg playing around with the voice changer; as he talks with Greg, he’s asked how he felt about killing Laura, to which Jason replies that it felt “like killing an animal” and that at the end, “all that was left was just meat”. Though part of it was because Jason and Greg’s plan interfered with their own motives, the Ghostface/s who turn out to be the true antagonist/s of this film (despite being insane murderers themselves)[[EvenEvilHasStandards thought that Jason’s motives and attitude towards murdering innocent people was disgusting]] to the point that they end up murdering Greg and Jason, while mocking latter’s disregard for human life and his and Greg’s motive with killing because of horror movies]].

** ''Film/Scream2022'': [[spoiler: Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman, are revealed to be a pair of disgruntled fanatical ''Stab'' fans, bitter about the direction of the latest movie. Hoping to make a “true” ''Stab'' film, they plot another killing spree targeting past survivors and living relatives of previous victims, seeing [[HeroKiller the murder of Dewey Riley]]. On Richie's part, he acts like a loving boyfriend toward Sam, Billy Loomis' illegitimate daughter, planning to frame her for the killing spree, mocking her trauma as he reveals their relationship is a farce. On Amber's part, she floats about killing Dewey to Sidney and Gale's faces. When beaten, Richie can only whine about not getting the ending he wanted, while Gale declares she won’t give them the satisfaction of infamy when she covers the story.]]
** ''Film/ScreamVI'': [[spoiler: [[TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether Detective Wayne Bailey and his children Quinn and Ethan]] are revealed to be the vengeful family of the previous Ghostface, Richie Kirsch. They go on a killing spree and intend to frame Sam for the new murders because she killed Richie. The same Richie who tried to kill Sam, her sister, and her friends a year prior after committing a murder spree that left six innocent people dead. All of them believe that Sam is an unrepentant murderer despite the fact that she only killed Richie because she had to, while ignoring the fact that they committed a revenge plan that left plenty of innocent people dead and wounded others who weren’t even involved with Richie’s death.]]

* '''''Film/ScreamVI''''', released in 2023, sees the survivors of the last film attempt to start a new life in [[BigApplesauce New York City]]. The film satirizes sequels to the "requel", and film franchises as a whole. Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Hayden Panettiere all reprise their roles, and new to the cast are Creator/DermotMulroney, Creator/LianaLiberato, Creator/JoshSegarra, Creator/HenryCzerny, Creator/TonyRevolori, and Creator/SamaraWeaving. Notably, this is the first film in the series not to star Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott.

* '''''Film/ScreamVI''''', released in 2023, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett returning to direct, based on a script by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. This is the first film in the series not to star Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, and instead appears to be a parody of the “[[BigApplesauce killer goes to New York]]” premise used by movies like ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan''. Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Hayden Panettiere all reprise their roles, and new to the cast are Creator/DermotMulroney, Creator/LianaLiberato, Creator/JoshSegarra, Creator/HenryCzerny, Creator/TonyRevolori, and Creator/SamaraWeaving.

** For example, take a look at the body count for each film, which progressively rises as the series progresses. Ghostface claims five victims in the first film (six if you count [[DeathByOriginStory Maureen Prescott]]), eight in the second, nine in the third, and fifteen in the fourth. [[spoiler:Roman Bridger]] holds the record with nine, with [[spoiler:Jill and Mickey]] tied for second at seven. The fifth film has a smaller body count than the third and fourth films at eight deaths overall, but the blood and gore are heavily cranked up, and several characters are badly injured as well. The sixth film has eleven deaths, and many people injured including most of the surviving cast.

** A pair is killed in the opening of each film. The fifth is a subversion, as only one person is attacked in the opening, [[spoiler: and survives.]]

** For example, take a look at the body count for each film, which progressively rises as the series progresses. Ghostface claims five victims in the first film (six if you count [[DeathByOriginStory Maureen Prescott]]), eight in the second, nine in the third, and fifteen in the fourth. [[spoiler:Roman Bridger]] holds the record with nine, with [[spoiler:Jill and Mickey]] tied for second at seven. The fifth film has a smaller body count than the third and fourth films at eight deaths overall, but the blood and gore are heavily cranked up, and several characters are badly injured as well.

* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:Randy]] in ''2'', [[spoiler:Cotton]] in ''3'', and [[spoiler:Dewey and Judy]] in ''5''.

* TwoDunIt: [[spoiler:The first film was the modern TropeCodifier for this in slasher movies, with Billy and Stu as the BigBadDuumvirate.]] Almost every film [[spoiler:except ''Film/Scream3'']] followed suit.

* HorrorComedy: The first two films were roughly equal mixes of horror and comedy. The third film, which had a different writer and was dealing with the aftermath of UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}}, downplayed the violence in favor of comedy, with more of the humor coming from the characters rather than from [[DeconstructiveParody jabs at the genre]]. The fourth film, which brought back original writer Kevin Williamson, takes the middle position, as it features more brutal kills, but has a few of the deaths, such as [[spoiler:Deputy Perkins]], {{played for laughs}}. The fifth film returns to the first two films' sense of humor, but is also BloodierAndGorier.