Scream

Nobody knows when exactly the film Scream came out, or who made it, but people realised as soon as they saw it that it was a special film. Many years on and I'm glad to say that the passing of time hasn't treated this film badly; if anything, it's just as relevant today given the non-stop barrage of sequels, remakes, re-imaginings and really bad films that Hollywood shits on us so regularly. If you don't know, Scream is a horror-comedy about a group of horror movie-savvy teens (and others) being chased by a "ghostface" killer. The teens critique, quote and reference the rules of horror movies while they are being targeted by the killer. Everyone will tell you that this ironic, self-aware approach revitalised the horror genre, although, to be fair, Wes Craven had already kind of done that before a couple of years earlier with Wes Craven's New Nightmare.
Scream fact: Skeet Ulrich's real name is Bryan Ray Trout.

"You've gotta have a sequel," someone probably said at some point in Scream 2, which is now set at university/college, where Neve Campbell's character Sidney (spoiler: she survived the first film) has gone to study. But guess what, killings start to happen again! No way! As with the first film, the characters discuss the rules of sequels as the action plays out, much to plan; higher body count, more elaborate deaths/murders etc. This time around, though, there's a longer running time, a slower pace, less humour and it starts getting a bit too improbable towards the end. It's a good horror film but doesn't have the magic of the first film.
Scream 2 fact: The opening of Titanic was moved so as not to coincide with this film's release.

How do you finish a horror trilogy? Make it a bit sillier than the previous films? Tone down the killings? Move the action to Hollywood? Add in some previously unknown family revelations? Well, that's what they did in Scream 3, with mixed results. It doesn't seem as bad now as it did at the time, but it's still much weaker than the first two films, and with no Jamie Kennedy to add the ironic horror film knowledge, the humour is more slapstick, mainly courtesy of Parker Posey. Meh.
Scream 3 fact: Courteney Cox looks older in Scream than she does in Scream 3.

Scream returns after a decade off! Tight, new, shiny faces all round then! Taking aim at "torture porn", the internet, fame and sequels (again), Scream 4 was the film they said they'd never make! And they probably shouldn't have. This is poor compared to the previous films, the "new" teenagers are nothing short of annoying, and it's no surprise when the killers reveal themselves. Why did they bother? Answer: money.
Scream 4 fact: This is still better than Nightmare on Elm Street 4.