Over 25 years after the original launch of the franchise, Scream created by notorious director, Wes Craven is still releasing movies, only under new direction due to the passing of the original writer, with the latest being Scream 6 starring actors like Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera. Being a part of the self-referential category of horror, (meaning the movie is aware they are a part of the stereotypical genre and makes references to itself throughout the film). Every scream movie, since 1996, has followed the typical Character Archetypes that have been deemed iconic, within this style of the film. 

In the original movie, a masked serial killer starts terrorizing the town of Woodsboro, California, or specifically a teenage friend group that just so happens to adhere to classic roles in horror. Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as “The Final Girl,” Tatum Riley (Rose McGowen) as “The Best Friend”, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) as “the Athlete”, Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) as “the joker”, and finally Randy Meeks’ as the nerd.

Every movie in the franchise makes itself so iconic because of the way it’s not only just aware of its significance as a horror film, but it tells you exactly how the movie will play out. 

The films all follow a main girl, typically a teenager, and her friends as they are terrorized by “Ghostface”. Although the movies are humorous and self-aware, the films all remain suspenseful from beginning to end. The franchise does not feature most previous characters and does not take place in the same universe.