10 Great Horror Movie Characters Who Die At The Beginning

1996's Scream is a genre-defining film, and for good reason. While satirizing genre tropes and self-aware storytelling did exist but were not as prevalent as they are now, Wes Craven's cinematic effort used these narrative tools to great effect and spawned a franchise that is still going strong to this day.

Its opening scene announces the subversive nature of the story and still manages to evoke fear in audiences. Kicking things off with a sadistic game involved Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore), the film sees the frightened Becker engage in a deadly game of horror movie trivia with the antagonistic Ghostface (Kevin Williamson), which turns fatal for her and her footballer boyfriend.

The set piece is notable due to its involvement of a high profile actress in Drew Barrymore and its referential tone (even calling back to Craven's own Elm Street saga). Barrymore was heavily featured in the film's promotion, and her early exit from the story was so contentious that it almost got Craven fired from production.