AS Film - Postmodernism: slasher films referenced by 'Scream'

When asked about her favourite scary movies, Casey say's “The first Nightmare on Elm Street was good, but the rest sucked”…the director Wes Craven directed this film, but had nothing to do with the sequels.

Casey pull's off the killer's mask when being attacked, just as the character of Tina does to Freddy Kruger's face in A Nightmare On Elm Street.

When Casey's parents discover that something's wrong her father say's to her mother "Drive down to the Mackenzie's” just as Laurie Strode does in Halloween to Tommy and Lindsey.

Casey dies early in the film as Marion Crane did in Psycho, even though both Janet Leigh and Drew Barrymore were big stars.

The opening sequence where Casey is threatened on the phone by a psychotic killer is very similar to the 1979 slasher When a Stranger Calls.

When Casey is being tormented by the caller into answering the question of who was the killer in Halloween, the music heard is very similar to the familiar Halloween theme

Sidney’s boyfriend, Billy Loomis, who look's very similar like Johnny Depp, climbs into Sidney's bedroom window just like Johnny does with his girlfriend, Heather, in A Nightmare On Elm Street.

The song playing in the background when Billy is in Sidney’s bedroom is a cover of “Don't Fear the Reaper”. The original version of this song by Blue Oyster Cult was featured in Halloween as Laurie and Annie are driving through Haddonfield..

The surname Loomis was also used in both Halloween and Psycho – Sam Loomis is Marion’s boyfriend in Psycho and Dr Loomis is trying to capture Michael in Halloween.

Billy say's he was at home watching The Exorcist (the TV version with “all the good stuff cut out”) at the time of Casey’s murder. Linda Blair, who plays the possessed little girl in The Exorcist makes a cameo appearance as a news reporter.

Tatum wears a shirt with a #10 on it, very much like the one which Johnny Depp wears in A Nightmare on Elm Street

There is a false scare for Tatum in the garage where she is frightened by a cat. This is a familiar ‘scare device’ in many slasher/horror films

When Tatum confronts Ghost Face, she says “What is this? I Spit on Your Garage?” - a direct reference to the 1978 slasher I Spit on Your Grave

Tatum getting stuck in the cat flap is very similar to Annie getting stuck in the window of the wash room in Halloween

When Billy shows up at Stu’s party, Randy asks “What’s Leather Face doing here?” – a reference to the killer in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The attack on Sidney in the car is very similar to the attack on Annie in Halloween

Halloween is playing at the party as Randy is being stalked

Billy says “We all go a little mad sometimes” when it is revealed he is the co-killer - a direct line of dialogue from Psycho. He also refers to the fake blood as used in Carrie.

Stu is finally finished off by Sidney by pushing a TV on his head – a similar death occurs in A Nightmare on Elm Street where Freddie pushes a girl’s head through a TV set. It could also be a visual joke, as in being ‘killed by popular culture’.