Scream: The Best Horror Series That No One Takes Seriously

What's your favorite scary movie?

This is the question that my favorite scary movie begs. With huge stars like Drew Barrymore and Courtney Cox, Scream was bound to be a hit from the beginning. But its star-studded cast isn't the reason that I and so many others go straight for this classic when spooky season starts. Scream is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

This anti-horror-movie horror movie makes fun of itself and is self-aware of the horror genre in a way that traditional slashers aren't. The characters are cliche as it gets - ignorant-to-danger teenagers, a troubled virgin final-girl, and a dopey cop. So how does this hodgepodge of spoofs remain a contender as a horror classic?

In the very moments that make you scream (roll credits) at the TV 'don't go in there' and 'that's the killer', Scream is pulling the wool over your eyes and twisting its plot right under your nose. With (spoiler, but if you haven't seen this film, what are you doing?) the doting boyfriend with an airtight alibi as one of the movie's TWO - yes, count them, two -killers, this movie doesn't fail to cast fake blame, create a never-before-seen narrative, and follow all the rules while also breaking and rewriting them. It holds true to its self-awareness when Randy, resident horror movie connoisseur and survival-rule follower, survives the killing spree, while naive characters, such as Tatum or Principal Himbry, meet their untimely end. The film also takes the 'villainous' and rude reporter Gail Weathers and makes her into a pivotal protagonist by the chilling end. And we can't forget our silly, "soft-boi" cop, Deputy Dewey Riley, who, despite his best efforts, is not the one to ultimately catch the killer. However, he does manage not to get killed himself, which is a great feat for a policeman in a slasher flick. Scream reminds us to listen to the rules, expect the unexpected, and most of all, that the killer of the original Friday the 13th movie is in fact not Jason Voorhees but his overprotective mommy.

The film's opening is an even bigger testament to the films winding roads. The flick starts with movie star Drew Barrymore, painting the picture of her as a brave, smart lead protagonist. Then, it kills her off in the next few breaths, solidifying itself as a rulebreaker. And without us originally knowing that this murder has two killers involved, the scene almost paints Ghostface in a Michael-Myers-esque light, the killer seemingly having supernatural abilities used to pull off the crime. All another illusion.

The best part of the killings is the killers themselves, aforementioned boyfriend Billy and goofball-turned-psychopath Stu. Despite almost getting away with their evil plan, these crazy boys aren't actually that good at being murderers. Between the two of them, they only kill six people, one of whom is Sidney's mom, whose murder took place a year prior. Even the costume used for the killings is a silly Halloween mask that is sold in stores.

But there was no room for plot holes in this work! The writers created the killings in a way that model real-life murderers doing all in their power not to be caught. They plot the kills between the two of them so carefully, even plotting themselves in places that would give them solid alibis. Even the killers' motives (while admittedly wild) are realistic and well-thought-out.

All this said and we haven't even touched on the film's sequels! Naturally, the first movie is the best but the second movie is definitely worth the watch. And the third. And the fourth. And, hey! The fifth movie is coming soon, so you should get caught up on your kills.