Scream (film) - Legacy

Legacy

Prior to Scream's release the popularity of the horror genre had been considered to be in decline with many films released straight to video while those released in cinemas were sequels to popular and established franchises, such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, capable of drawing audiences despite decreasing budgets and diminishing critical reception. The glut of sequels contributed to audience familiarity with the icons of the late 1970s and early 1980s such as Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees that they were considered to have lost their ability to instill scares or interest in their audience. Scream, utilizing a popular and attractive cast and an innovative script that mocked and embraced the conventions of horror which had become considered cliche, was credited with changing the status of the genre, becoming both a financial and critical success, and launching the careers of many of its actors. Such was the film's impact that some commentators considered its legacy as the creation of a distinct era of "post-Scream" horror films. Following its release many studios, including Scream's own Dimension Films, rushed to capitalize on its unexpected success with the release of films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Urban Legend (1998) as well as sequels to popular, but diminishing, franchises such as Halloween H20 and Bride of Chucky.

In June 2001, as part of the American Film Institute''s (AFI) AFI 100 Years... series, Scream became one of the 400 nominees in the 100 Years... 100 Thrills category. In 2003, the character Ghostface was nominated in the category 100 Heroes and Villains. In 2005, "Do you like scary movies", as spoken by Roger Jackson, was nominated for AFI's 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes, a list of the greatest cinematic quotes.

Scream ranks #32 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "50 Best High School Movies", and the opening scene featuring the death of Barrymore's character ranked #13 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly dubbed the film a "New Classic" by ranking it #60 in their list of the "100 Best Films of the Last 13 years". In 2008 Empire ranked the film #482 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".