Scream (1996)

I went into this 100% knowing how it ended. I had to be mindful of setups you may not have caught the first time. Honestly, it does a great job of keeping you on your toes. They do leave breadcrumbs of who the killers are based on behavior, but the most concerning part of the rewatch is how connected the killers are to the main characters. Obviously, the movie is known for being a meta-commentary on the rules of horror movies. At the time, being meta about your own movie was fresh and new. Nowadays, unless it is done with care, it is much more of a crutch than a schtick. This is a creative slasher helmed by the great Wes Craven who has directed horror greats like The Hills Have Eyes and A Nightmare on Elm Street. My only issue was the caller ID. Those phones have caller IDs and I know spam calls were less of an issue but would you answer an unknown number? Was that a 90s thing or what? It was just a small issue I had. This movie gets a lot right and started a franchise that gets to take itself seriously while also poking meta-holes at itself. This movie is a classic and a must-watch for slasher horror fans.

Story - 17%

Characters - 16%

Pacing - 15%

Spectacle - 18%

Entertainment - 17%

Total score: 83%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here