What Creators Can Learn from Scream (1996) — 6 Lessons
This slasher film is more than just blood and guts
Over 25 years ago, the slasher horror genre lost its thrill. Too many people expected what was coming in a scary movie. That was until Scream was released in 1996.
Here are 6 lessons creators can learn from this epic slasher film franchise.
The top lessons to learn from this cult classic:
• Hook with suspense
• Pay homage
• Be self-aware
• Revel in the meta
• Explore character tropes
• Subvert expectations
But to truly appreciate these lessons from this cult classic, you need context.
So here’s the background
A few years prior to 1996, the subgenre of slasher flicks like Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th were playing the same tropes & same storylines. What used to be thrilling became a bore.
The plot?
An obvious psychopath hunts sinful and stupid teens. Then the virgin survives it all. Yawn. Audiences were just getting too smart and sharp for this.
So when Scream got created, the classic “whodunnit” thriller got a slasher spin.
Directed by Wes Craven & written by Kevin Williamson, there was a lot of thought behind the characters, the plot, and the thrill.
In this movie, everybody is a victim and everybody is a suspect.
The script was inspired by the murders committed by the serial killer Daniel Rolling most known as “The Gainesville Ripper.”
Rolling was inspired by celebrity serial killer Ted Bundy and aspired to have that level of infamy.
His motive became the sickening twist in the film.
Williamson planned a comeback in the slasher subgenre with a “perverse, satirical, and very real” scary movie that hadn’t been seen or done before.
And he nailed it. The rest was legendary.
Got 30 minutes? Watch the “Making of Scream” especially if you’re a movie buff because it’s totally worth it.
“Ghostface” is a masked killer who hunts teens in a town called Woodsboro. His method of terrorizing? Calling his victims and playing movie trivia with them before murdering them.
“Wanna play a game?” was also referenced later in the SAW movie franchise.
This movie is ICONIC.
“What’s your favorite scary movie?” This notorious line was presented in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Posed not only to the victim but the audience too.
We had a choice to choose what we liked again. And we had a new killer to be afraid of.
The infamous mask was also developed for the film.
The mask itself was adapted from a mask made by Fun World for Halloween costumes and also inspired by Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream.”
They went through many iterations before landing on the most iconic mask ever.
We won’t dive into the sequels, even though, they held true to the ethos of this film. But there’s too much involved in this article.
So let’s break down why Scream was so good and what you can take away as a creator.
1. Hook your audience
The first thing is to hook your audience with bold suspense.
Scream took a gamble by killing off Drew, their main headliner, 10 minutes in. But it was a horrifying 10 minutes that kept you glued to your seat.
Take note. Don’t you want to keep watching?
2. Pay homage
The second is to pay homage to those that came before you.
The number of horror references in this film is next level.
Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Basic Instinct, Frankenstein, and many others.
And there was horror genre commentary on everything.
Lesson? When creators are trying to fight to be original, it makes it easier to curate and comment on who came before you in a field.
It’s less about competition and more of a credited collaboration that entices your audience for cameos from all their favorite creators.
3. Be self-aware
Given all the references and commentary, the movie was highly self-aware.
It had no problem telling you what it thought about the horror genre that came before it. And it demanded you pay attention to how this movie was going to be different.
Even though it didn’t quite break the fourth wall, it was close.
Take one of the best scenes that listed out the rules of horror films for the audience:
#1 — You can never have sex.
#2 — You can never drink or do drugs.
#3 — Never, under any circumstances say, “I’ll be right back.” Because you won’t be back.
“There’s a formula” to survive.
Lesson? When so many creators are talking about their audience and what they should think on a topic, consider sharing what you think on the topic.
Give your audience an insight into the mind of you, the creator.
Just make sure you don’t have a silly thought. You might get annihilated.
You win when you’re aware.
4. Revel in the meta
With all the self-awareness in the film, you can go meta.
I’m talking really meta.
Like showing off your expertise of a whole field while referencing others.
Here’s what I mean👇 While it’s exaggerated, it’s on point.
Not to mention, Drew Barrymore (left) who was originally cast as the heroine, came up with the idea of playing the first victim in the movie.
It became an iconic film scene just like Janet Leigh’s murder scene in Psycho (right).
Both actresses were killed off headliners for each movie.
Skeet Ulrich (left) played Billy Loomis in Scream.
He was supposedly cast as a tribute to Wes Craven’s earlier film Nightmare on Elm Street, starring Johnny Depp (right).
Not only is he a lookalike, but they both climbed through their girlfriend’s windows in each film.
Scream’s brainiac Randy, played by Jamie Kennedy, makes a reference in this scene as he rewatched Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis.
As Ghostface closes in behind him, he calls out to Curtis, “Look behind you, Jamie. Look behind you!”
Yet he isn’t looking behind himself.
There are tons of little pieces of trivia in this movie so each time you watch there’s another thing you notice about the film.
Consider the meta homages Craven does as he hat tips the prior films he directed. Here’s a fun video full of trivia even Screams Fans may not know.
Lesson? Steal like an artist. If you’re putting work into your content, take note of all the great moments in creator history and consider your own take. Is there a way you can remix and pay homage?
There are a lot of ways to recreate & relate to previous works that went viral. And there are even more ways to make it unique to your work.
5. Explore character tropes
Scream is so smart that it plays off as dumb.
The type of satire in this film was so next level that it needed a great cast of many character tropes to explore the nuance of its self-aware commentary.
A smart one, an innocent one, a troubled one, a jokester one, etc…
Lesson? Explore different personality traits, tropes, and archetypes to communicate your message.
Even Craven stated that sometimes the best stories start off as clichés. But it’s their arc in the story where they move from being a cliché to being human.
The best creators have character. Design yours wisely.
This is a way to make your brand stick out and be dynamic.
6. Subvert expectations
The last lesson is to subvert expectations.
You think you know what the characters will do, but you don’t.
You think you know who the killer is, but you don’t.
Keep the audience on edge throughout the story by painting a basic picture and giving them a twist to remember.
But here’s the catch…You must be mindful.
Doing this over and over again can cause your audience to catch on and lose the thrill.
It’s something that Scream critics rolled their eyes over in the sequel reenactments. So use these lessons sparingly and time them well.
I wrote this when Scream 5 was releasing, but I’m updating this while patiently waiting to stream Scream 6. I had a lot of fun researching & writing this film breakdown.
I created this thread because I enjoy monsters, philosophy, psychology, creativity, brand strategy… and learning how to be a better creator from the world of cinema.
Thanks for reading 👹
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