10 Horror Movie Nightmares WITHIN Nightmares

Wes Craven movies were never likely to win any Oscars but then again, he really understood the genre, inventing some of the most popular franchises we have today. Aside from the Nightmare On Elm Street series, Craven gave us the meta-horror delights of Scream, a slasher flick that was practically interactive.

By the time we got to the third movie, the whodunnit shtick was getting a bit tired (there's soon to be a soft reboot, let's hope that brings some fresh meat) so Craven strayed back to his playpen of old - nightmares.

Sydney Prescott, the series protagonist, has retreated, unsurprisingly, to a life of seclusion. But all the locks in the world can't prevent Ghostface from making a comeback. Syd receives a warning early on in the film in the form of a dream. Whilst asleep on the sofa, she dreams of her mother Maureen, the perceived catalyst of the Woodsboro murders. She wakes up with a jolt and before she has a chance to recover, Maureen appears at her window, issuing a warning; "Everything you touch DIES! You're just like me Syd... "

Is this an actual ghost in the Scream series? 'Fraid not - Sydney is still in a nightmare. Seconds later, as she creeps closer to the apparition, Maureen suddenly morphs into Ghostface, who lunges with a knife, waking Syd once and for all.

Craven had a knack for a jump-scare - let's see how director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin fairs with the fifth entry in 2022.