20 Serial Killer Movies You Must See Before You Die

16. Scream (1996)

Scream, Wes Craven's best film, is a movie about serial killer and slasher movies. Written by Kevin Williamson, the film takes aim at the very genre that Craven established his reputation on, deconstructing all its tropes and cliches in a way that manages to be both funny and actually kind of scary. There's no denying that "Ghostface" is a chilly creation, right? Scream is packed with memorable scenes, but the opening sequence is perhaps its best: Drew Barrymore, playing a high schooler, receives an anonymous phone call late one night and is asked by the stranger on the end of the phone: "What's your favorite scary movie?" This sets the stage for a grizzly murder mystery, in which self-aware characters attempt to survive the events of the film based on their knowledge of pre-existing horror films. It's clever - if slightly dated - stuff, and absolutely an essential film of the sub-genre.