I Rewatched “Scream” As An Adult And Had So Many Thoughts

Recently I’ve been revisiting the movies I was obsessed with as a tween/teen. Of the many horror movies I saw at the time, I’ve only rewatched I Know What You Did Last Summer so far. I knew I couldn’t continue on this journey down memory lane any further without making a stop at Scream. Here’s how the experience of rewatching it went down…

1. Drew Barrymore in this opening scene is so freaking iconic. The blonde wig! The landline! The popcorn! The surprise murder!

2. Seriously, I remember talking to my friends at school about how shook we all were that she was killed off so early.

3. “I want to know who I’m looking at.” Such a creepy moment.

4. Don’t answer the phone, Drew!

5. Leave the phone off the hook!

6. Call the cops!

7. I’m yelling at her like I haven’t seen this 167 times already and don’t know exactly what’s going to happen.

8. “He’s big and he plays football and he’ll kick the shit out of you!” My friends and I used to yell that all the time.

9. That Friday the 13th question is true movie nerd snobbery.

10. Poor, poor Steve.

11. LOOK BEHIND YOU.

12. It’s cruel how she gets so close to safety.

13. Her trying to scream “Mom” is very upsetting.

14. AND SHE SEES WHO THE KILLER IS.

15. AND HER MUM CAN HEAR HER ON THE PHONE.

16. This is messed up.

17. Oh my god, Sidney’s ancient computer is bringing back memories.

18. Another moment that shook my friends and I: when we realised Billy goes to see Sidney after every murder.

19. Billy is set-up as a scary movie nerd in this very scene, we should have seen he was the murderer all along.

20. Skeet Ulrich with the dirty, greasy, floppy ‘90s hair really is so dreamy.

21. I can’t believe he grew up to be Jughead Jones’ dad.

22. Gale Weathers! This is Courtney Cox’s greatest role.

23. I love Rose McGowan as Tatum, too.

24. I forgot the Fonz was the school principal.

25. Dewey!

26. So here for Tatum calling sexism on Stu’s assumption that the killer is a man.

27. Meanwhile Stu describing how to gut someone is a big flashing neon sign that he is the killer.

28. “It’s called tact, you fuckrag.” What a line.

29. I forgot Stu dated Casey.

30. This whole interaction takes on new meaning when you know Stu and Billy are the killers.

31. Sidney’s house is so isolated.

32. I didn’t realise only a year had passed since Sidney’s mother’s murder. I always thought it was longer.

33. Tom Cruise is mentioned as a dreamboat in a lot of Kevin Williamson’s scripts.

34. I love that Sidney thinks the creepy phone call is from Randy.

35. Her calling the killer’s bluff is both very brave and very stupid.

36. HE’S WALKING IN THE HOUSE RIGHT NOW. BEHIND YOU SIDNEY.

37. The nose picking thing was SO FUNNY to me when I was 11.

38. It’s really hard to take the Ghostface mask seriously now thanks to Scary Movie. But it was genuinely creepy at the time.

39. The fact Sidney talks about how ridiculous it is that scary movie victims always run up the stairs, right before she is forced to do so herself is *Italian chef kiss*.

40. I remember being so confused as to how she was using her computer to call 911.

41. Billy is such a bastard.

42. But I’m cackling at the idea that just because he has a mobile phone, he must be the killer.

43. Ah, the days before literally everyone had one/they took over our lives.

44. “What are you doing with a cellular telephone, son?” Looooooooool.

45. Sidney trust your gut! It’s Billy!

46. I gasped at Sidney punching Gale. What a moment.

47. Oh my god I had cloud pyjamas exactly like Tatum’s.

48. I can’t hear “Red Right Hand” anymore without thinking about Peaky Blinders.

49. Oh YEAH Liev Shreiber is Cotton Weary.

50. “So how does it feel to be almost brutally butchered?” Ooft this journalist is worse than Gale Weathers.

51. “Sorry I mangled your face.” Amazing line.

52. Billy you gaslighting butthole.

53. Gale and Dewey are meeting! My scary movie OTP.

54. I love how protective Tatum is of Sidney.

55. I hate Stu so much. Even without knowing he’s a murderer.

56. Omg I totally forgot they murdered the school principal.

57. Best use of “School’s Out” ever.

58. I totally forgot about the Richard Gere gerbil story! What a time.

59. The video store being so busy is perhaps the most ‘90s thing in this painfully ‘90s movie.

60. “You’re such a lap dog.” Randy was onto Stu without even knowing it.

61. “With my luck they’d cast Tori Spelling.” Hahahahahaha I see what you did there.

62. “Billy and his penis don’t deserve you, okay.” I love Tatum a lot.

63. I forgot about the existence of this “Drop Dead Gorgeous” song and I used to listen to it all the time!

64. Nooooo Tatum don’t go into the garage.

65. Side note: obsessed with the skirt she’s wearing.

66. I never realised Tatum was the first person to call the killer Ghostface. A legend.

67. I can’t watch this garage door bit, it’s so stressful and gross.
 TATUM DESERVED BETTER

68. “If Tatum sees you here, she’ll draw blood.” Goddammit, Williamson.

69. “As if!” “Oh really Alicia?” How did I never notice that Clueless reference before? Or maybe I just totally forgot about it.

70. “I’s all one great big movie…I know you can’t pick your genre.” I remember thinking that was a genius line haha.

71. “Why can’t I be a Meg Ryan movie?” For real though.

72. NO SIDNEY DON’T DO IT. DON’T SLEEP WITH HIM.

73. I do love that they subvert the final-girl-must-be-a-virgin trope.

74. This horror movie rules speech from Randy is truly iconic, especially when juxtaposed with the characters all breaking the rules at this very moment.

75. “What do I have to do to you to prove I’m not a killer?” Yeah, “dying” might do it, Billy.

76. I love that Randy is just lying there watching movies through all of this. Me in a horror movie.

77. Him screaming “LOOK BEHIND YOU” at Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, while the killer creeps up on HIM, is so gloriously meta.

78. That use of the 30 second delay in the livestream is perfectly executed.

79. Did people really use to call cell phones “the cellular”? They’ve said that word in this movie so many times.

80. Poor Dewey.

81. Sidney being like “fuck you both” to Randy and Stu is a real mood.

82. Billy creepily turning around and saying, “We all go a little mad sometimes”, is such an incredible moment. Brilliantly performed by Skeet.

83. And then sucking the “blood” off his finger! Why is it so wrong but so hot?

84. And then Stu waltzing in with the voicebox being all, “Surprise Sidney!” Such a good reveal.

85. Stu was definitely in love with Billy, hey.

86. That’s right, THEY killed Sidney’s mother and framed Cotton Weary. Because Billy has mommy issues.

87. They kidnapped her dad too! It’s all coming back to me now.

88. “I’m feeling woozy here.” Hahahahaha why is this so funny to me?

89. YAS GALE WEATHERS. GET THEM.

90. I love that Sidney turns the tables on Billy and Stu so completely and effectively.

91. “I think I’m dying here man….my mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me.” This is Matthew Lillard’s finest comedic performance tbh.

92. The fact Sidney hits Stu with the TV, in the middle of a climactic moment in the scary movie on screen, is so perfect.

93. YAS GALE SHOOT HIM.

94. YAS SIDNEY SHOOT HIM.

95. “Not in my movie.” BAM. So good.

96. I’m glad Randy and Dewey are okay too.

97. (Ignoring the sequel for now, it still hurts.)

98. What an incredible movie.