Wes Craven’s Scream is one of the all-time great slasher movies. The devilishly wicked, post-modern horror film, which tells the story of a group of teens terrorised by a masked killer, is easily one of the best movies of the 1990s, and one of the best entries in the horror genre, period.
Scream is so good that not only was it a huge hit with audiences when it was released back in 1996, it also became hugely influential. Many films that followed took inspiration from Scream, mirroring the movie’s clever dissection of the horror genre, its razor-sharp wit, and its reliance on a youthful cast of characters.
If you have recently revisited Scream, you loved it, and are now looking for something quite similar to continue your viewing party, you’ll be pleased to know you have quite a few options. A number of classic films inspired Scream, while plenty of horror flicks from the late ’90s and early ’00s followed in its footsteps and have a similar vibe.
In this post, I am serving up a selection of movies from before and after the release of Scream, which I believe are perfect to watch if you want to keep the scares going. So, if you are looking for a way to broaden your horror horizon, while not branching too far from something you already know you like, these are the movies to take a look at.
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Scream 2 (1997)
OK, so let’s kick things off with easily the most obvious movie to watch after Scream – 1997’s Scream 2! This is the most obvious suggestion on this list, because a.) it is a direct sequel to Scream, and b.) it is a ruddy good horror movie!
Following a similar template to its predecessor, Scream 2 offers up plenty of kills, lots of memorable dialogue, and a central mystery that keeps the audience guessing. It’s not just a great sequel, many fans will tell you it is really a great ‘equal’ to Scream, and it delivers time-and-time again.
The Scream franchise has produced multiple sequels over the years, but Scream 2 is the one you MUST watch.
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Urban Legend (1998)
Up next is Urban Legend – a film about a masked killer who bumps off teens according to urban legends. Every victim is killed in a different way, with each brutal demise relating to a seemingly tall-tale.
Urban Legend takes multiply ideas and themes from Scream, and repackages them to create a twist on the concept of horror myths and lore. It is pure ‘90s through-and-through, with a cast of famous faces that were pretty recognisable at the time.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Up next, and easily one of the scariest and most innovative horror movies of the 1980s is A Nightmare on Elm Street, a slasher which focuses its story on a group of teenagers who are stalked by Freddy Krueger – a disfigured man who appears in their dreams. Scream director Wes Craven helmed this horror delight, which is still just as brilliant all these decades on.
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Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
And speaking of Wes Craven and Freddy Krueger brings us neatly onto Wes Craven’s New Nightmare – a post-modern slasher flick which added a new twist to the story. Positioned as a ‘movie within a movie’, New Nightmare poses the question, what if Freddy was real? It also walked so Scream could run.
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Bride of Chucky (1998)
Murder, mayhem, and plenty of comedy is served up in this next suggestion – which is a superb slasher movie, centred around Chucky. The film sees Chucky team up with an ex-girlfriend, while setting out to cause further death and destruction.
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Halloween: H20 (1998)
In the wake of Scream’s success, and as noted above (and below), a number of horror icons were revived in the late ‘90s/early ‘00s, including Halloween stalwart, Michael Myers. In 1998’s Halloween: H20, Myers finds himself stalking teenagers once more, all while various nods and winks to the horror genre are flung at the screen.
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Jason X (2001)
Another horror icon gets revived, post-Scream, and this time it is Jason Voorhees, who is cryogenically frozen in the present, woken up in the future, and then taken into space. Yet despite this new and frankly odd set of circumstances, it’s practically business as usual, with Jason despatching teens with careless abandon.
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I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
After a group of teenagers accidentally hit and seemingly kill a fisherman while they are out driving late at night, they dump his body and agree never to speak of their crime. But a year later, the past comes back to haunt them in this frightfully good slasher-thriller starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
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Final Destination (2000)
In Final Destination, a group of high school students escape tragedy when they are kicked off a plane, minutes before it explodes. They believe themselves to be rather fortunate, having escaped certain death, only to realise they are still doomed to meet their maker… one way or another.
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Cherry Falls (2000)
Starring Brittany Murphy and Michael Biehn, Cherry Falls tells the story of a small town in Virginia, which a serial killer stalks virgins. Geoffrey Wright directs this oft-overlooked slasher movie.
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House of Wax (2005)
Paris Hilton and Chad Michael Murray lead a cast of teens in this remake of the 1953 horror of the same name. In the movie, various characters find themselves caught up in a deadly situation involving a mysterious wax museum.
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Valentine (2001)
In Valentine, a group of women find themselves being stalked by a killer who conceals his identity with a Cupid mask. David Boreanaz and Katherine Heigl star in this early ‘00s slasher.
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Soul Survivors (2001)
Eliza Dushku takes centre stage in this psychological thriller originally billed as being ‘from the producers of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Urban Legend’. The movie follows the story of a college student, who experiences disturbing hallucinations following the tragic death of her boyfriend.
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Scary Movie (2000)
Although Scream is mostly credited for inspiring a glut of copy-cat horror movies, it is also responsible for the birth of a couple of comedies too. The most notable, is Scary Movie – a film which directly spoofs Scream, along with a number of other horror flicks of the era.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
In the wake of Scream, Chucky, Jason, and Michael Myers all returned for new instalments in their respective horror franchises. Keen not to be left out, Leatherface also made a comeback, only this time via a remake of the 1974 film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
This offering from 2003 is rather enjoyable stuff, and clearly riding high on the Scream hype.
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Black Christmas (1974)
Set during the holiday season, Black Christmas focuses on a group of sorority sisters who are stalked by a mysterious killer, in the run-up to December 25th. Regarded as a classic of the mid-’70s, and an influence on Scream, Black Christmas stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon.
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Wishmaster (1997)
Directed by Robert Kurtzman and executive produced by Wes Craven, Wishmaster is a fantasy horror about an ancient and evil djinn. While the movie is a very different beast to Scream, the film is filled with self-referential material, which makes various nods to the horror genre.
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When a Stranger Calls (1979)
A babysitter receives a terrifying call from a mysterious stranger, in the appropriately titled movie, When a Stranger Calls. Released in 1979, this horror classic was a huge influence on Scream – especially the very tense opening sequence.
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Disturbing Behaviour (1998)
James Marsden, Katie Holmes, and Nick Stahl, lead this psychological teen horror movie, about a mind control experiment. David Nutter directs this sci-fi-tinged horror picture.
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The Faculty (1998)
Another teen horror, and another journey into the realm of sci-fi, as a group of high school students find themselves in a deadly situation, in this retooled play on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Scream writer, Kevin Williamson, also penned this movie.
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House on Haunted Hill (1999)
And finally, in the supernatural horror movie, House on Haunted Hill, a group of strangers are invited to a party at an abandoned asylum. If they can survive a night of terror, they will each receive a $1 million dollar reward.
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Recap
To save you having to scroll back up, here is a recap list of the 21 horror movies to watch after Scream.
- Scream 2 (1997)
- Urban Legend (1998)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
- Bride of Chucky (1998)
- Halloween: H20 (1998)
- Jason X (2001)
- I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
- Final Destination (2000)
- Cherry Falls (2000)
- House of Wax (2005)
- Valentine (2001)
- Soul Survivors (2001)
- Scary Movie (2000)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
- Black Christmas (1974)
- Wishmaster (1997)
- When a Stranger Calls (1979)
- Disturbing Behaviour (1998)
- The Faculty (1998)
- House on Haunted Hill (1999)
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about horror movies to watch after Scream. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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