The Best Horror Movie I Have Ever Seen. (Some spoilers possible.)

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2020)

I have seen many horror movies, and it seems to take a special type of craft to make a great one. Scream has the craft to be the best horror movie I have ever seen, and that may be against Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom. It also parodies the genre, bringing smiles along with the shocks.
To quickly summarize, Scream is mainly about a teen named Sidney, who is being stalked by a masked killer a year after her mother's murder. The movie is directed by Wes Craven, who made A Nightmare On Elm Street. This resume shows how creative he can be.
The film starts with a 13 minute prologue, which is the best written and crafted opening I have yet to witness. Drew Barrymore is home alone, and she gets a call from an anonymous person. This could have only worked in the 90s, as all phones have caller ID now. He famously asks her: "Do you like scary movies?" This leads to a bloody murder, and the scares are all justified.
As I mentioned already, Scream is the scariest movie I have ever seen, and it had a real effect on me. For instance, I used the bathroom right before it started and as the opening unfolded, I had to go again. I was seriously about to wet myself with fear! I managed to wait another 27 minutes, and even then I had to go a while later.
I also took a shower afterwards, and I was shaking so much that I almost lost balance getting into the tub!
Aside from the opening, there are many other gory moments that will terrify you. This is not a bloodbath for the sake of bloodbath though. People get shot and people get sliced trying to stop the monster. The violence is realistic and tense as a result.
As I mentioned earlier, Scream is not just a horror movie, it's a PARODY of horror movies. You can see many references and nods to other classic horror movies-Frankenstein is played in a video store. Halloween is mentioned and clips are seen at a party.
Try to spot references to movies like A Nightmare On Elm Street, Psycho, Carrie, or The Shining-whether by name or by their iconic scenes. Even the opening is clearly an homage to When A Stranger Calls. This is part of the viewing pleasure.
Scream is also cleverly self aware about horror movies since this is a parody. For instance, one person begs the villain to not kill them, because "they want to be in the sequel." Ha ha. What "sequel" if this is actually happening?
When the killer is loose, one character discusses 3 rules to survive a horror movie- never have sex, no drugs or alcohol, and if you are going to leave a room, don't say "I'll be right back."
So 2 people have sex, they were already doing drugs and alcohol, and a person says that they will be right back. There are many other clever jokes like this that are sneaked in if you pay attention. If this wasn't part comedy, things like this would be flaws. Since it is part comedy, it works with the rest of the structure flow.
As both a parody and a horror movie, Scream is an unqualified success. Those who don't want to get scared should avoid this one. But for those who love horror movies, Scream is not to be missed. This movie is a real scream.