Scream

One year after the tragic murder of her own mother, teenaged Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is terrorised by a masked killer intent on taking their love of scary movies one step too far. Scream is very much the first of its kind. A cine-literate, self-referential slasher that helped revitalise a genre thought to be long past its expiry date. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek) and director Wes Craven (The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street) combine their talents to forge a pitch-perfect genre takedown that is equal parts terrifying and knowingly reverent. Scream is arguably the single most influential horror film of the last 30 years.

Joseph Cox

If you thought A Nightmare on Elm Street was enough to scare you silly, prepare to book yourself a coffin and hearse as Wes Craven's wicked stab at the slasher genre he helped create returns to L3 in anticipation of his sequel, the imaginatively titled Scream 2.

The master of horror bases his devilishly witty story in the heart of a small American community which is been rocked by the brutal murder of two students. This is all too much to bear for one particular student, Sydney (Campbell), whose mother was murdered one year before. The hysteria doesn't stop here however, as Sydney and her friends become the next targets in a story full of twists and turns. And if you think that you'll be paying money to watch your hands, think again. Scream is packed with beautiful guys and gals like Courtney Cox, Skeet Ulrich and David Arquette, with the Fonz thrown in for extra effect.

To call this film a spoof is to insinuate that Leslie Nielson is playing the lead role and the film is full of slapstick comedy. This is no Naked Gun with knives. Wes Craven knows his genre so well that he has managed to turn it inside out, leaving you to wonder whether you should be laughing or screaming. You'll probably end up doing both. This is masterful horror for the '90s and to miss it would be an utter crime.

Samantha Houston