We have compiled for you here the list of 33 Movies Like Scream. The meta-horror subgenre frequently walks the edge between terror and comedy while subverting horror clichés and tropes and making comments on popular culture and themselves. The meta horror subgenre is another way to say self-aware and self-referential horror. With “Scream,” a 1996 film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the meta-horror subgenre was established. Years after the actors and crew created history with this intertextual masterpiece, the franchise has now received its fifth entry and a soft relaunch. Since the 2022 “Scream” is the first film in the series to be made without the late Wes Craven, certain former franchise members have expressed reservations about moving on with anything. However, the new team was able to win over celebrities David Arquette, Courteney Cox, and Neve Campbell through handwritten notes.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of the Radio Silence filmmaking collective admitted that the original “Scream” directly influenced their decision to pursue a career in filmmaking. Understandably, fans were eager to attend this movie in the theatre given that Williamson served as the executive producer. To honor “Scream’s” continuing influence, we’ve put up a list of further meta-horror works that you should also see. This is for all of you who just can’t get enough of this lighthearted horror subgenre!
33 Movies Like Scream To Watch In 2022
1. Friday the 13th Part VI (1986)
Up until the fan favorite “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives,” which is frequently cited as having been the inspiration for “Scream,” subsequent “Friday the 13th” films were generally straight-faced slashers. The first “Friday the 13th” introduced the famous “you have sex, you die” horror trope. This cheeky sixth episode was written and directed by Tom McLoughlin ten years before Ghostface first haunted Sidney Prescott and the village of Woodsboro. It embraces the comedic elements of its genre and has snappy language and likable characters. Even one of the characters says they’ve “seen enough horror movies to know any oddball wearing a mask is never friendly.” The self-referential “Jason Lives” earned its meta-horror status long before Wes Craven’s “Scream” honed that strategy with its sassy last girl and her allusions to horror films like “Alien,” “Frankenstein,” and “White Zombie,” among many others.
2. Evil Dead II (1987)
Ash Williams from Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” series is Bruce Campbell’s most well-known performance. Campbell’s purposefully hammy performance in “Evil Dead II,” which is supposed to indulge the audience in a winking way, adds some wonderful flavor to the plot, and the blending of humor and self-aware camp does a lot to expand on the movie’s meta-horror aspects. In actuality, “Evil Dead II” functions more like a soft reboot, making fun of both its narrative and the initial attempt to tell the story. Additionally, Raimi’s movie is more about how “a filmmaker [is] hurting his actors (and, as a result, the viewer themselves”)” than anything else, adding another meta layer in the process, as Collider’s Aubrey Page notes. This time, Ash goes on a romantic getaway with his love Linda (Denise Bixler) to a remote cabin. In keeping with the original film, “Evil Dead II” explores the deadly risks of listening to a recording of an archaeologist reading from the Book of the Dead.
3. Fright Night (1985)
“Fright Night,” a meta-horror film with a lighthearted musical accompaniment, shares some of the same intensity as “Scream.” High school student Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) just wants to advance his relationship with his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse), but his goals shift when a murderous neighbor comes in next door and starts killing others. Sadly, no one believes Charley when he claims the man killed someone; instead, they attribute his paranoia to his macabre fascination with horror. Roddy McDowall, who played a vampire killer in a well-known movie franchise, hosts a television program called “Fright Night,” where the main protagonists learn their vampire history and how to combat supernatural creatures.
4. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
As actor Heather Langenkamp portrays herself as Nancy Thompson from “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare,” reality and fiction become confounded. Heather, who played Nancy in the “Nightmare” movies years ago, resides in Los Angeles with her spouse Chase (David Newsom) and their newborn kid Dylan (Miko Hughes). Given her horrific Freddy Krueger-related nightmares, she’d prefer to leave the horror franchise that made her famous and concentrate on her television career, but everyone around her, from the film studio to her husband, wants her to reprise her role in a new movie.
5. Serial Mom (1994)
“Serial Mom” is no exception to John Waters’ signature wonderfully trashy style. However, like in all of Waters’ films, the trashiness is amusing and serves as satire. In this instance, the self-aware camp aids in highlighting the absurdity of genre clichés like “soundtrack dissonance,” “mistaken for hoax call,” and “kangaroo court.” The new “Scream” aims for meta-horror and audiences’ preoccupation with raised horror, and “Serial Mom” employs meta-horror to critique both censorship and moral panics while also attacking our infatuation with a genuine crime. Sam Waterston plays her dentist husband Eugene, and Kathleen Turner plays Beverly, a suburban housewife with a horrific secret life that she hides from her two teenage children Misty (Ricki Lake) and Chip (Matthew Lillard of “Scream” fame).
6. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Similar to “Scream,” “Shaun of the Dead” makes numerous parallels to other horror flicks, most notably the “Night of the Living Dead” series by George A. Romero. After all, when working together on the sitcom “Spaced,” Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg became friends over their shared love of zombies, especially Romero zombies. You could even consider one of their “Spaced” episodes, in which a character experiences zombie hallucinations as a result of playing too much “Resident Evil,” to be a sort of “Shaun of the Dead” dress rehearsal. Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his closest friend Ed (Nick Frost) struggle to survive a zombie apocalypse in this first-ever rom-com-com. Shaun’s girlfriend dumps him because he lacks direction in his life.
7. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
Director Scott Glosserman delves deeply into the meta-horror realm with “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon,” providing a documentary-style homage to slasher movies and a universe in which the killers in horror films are actual (and extremely renowned) supernatural entities. Even Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, plays Doc Halloran in it. The film follows a graduate school film crew as they record the meticulous preparation of self-described slasher villain Leslie Vernon. The crew consists of journalist Taylor, cameramen Doug, and Todd. The graduate students can’t resist the invitation when the man purports to be a local urban legend and promised the inside scoop on how serial killers operate.
8. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)
“Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” which is set in West Virginian woods, playfully depicts a series of tragic misunderstandings between two amicable friends, Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine), and a bunch of college students who are camping. To renovate their new holiday house, an ancient cabin in the woods that requires a tonne of work, Tucker and Dale are in the region. The campers are there to party and get wasted. However, things start to get a little nasty — and rather bloody — for everyone when college student Chad (Jesse Moss) tells a campfire story about a massacre committed by hillbillies 20 years prior.
9. Get Out (2017)
Black photojournalist Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) in “Get Out” is anxious to meet Rose’s (Allison Williams) white parents over the weekend. He is strongly discouraged from going by his best buddy, TSA Agent Rod, but Rose reassures him that her parents will accept their mixed-race relationship. Chris begins to feel quite uneasy after viewing the enormous family home, observing the odd feeling between the wealthy, white family and their Black housekeeper and gardener, and listening to remarks about how they would have voted Obama in for a third term if they could. When Rose’s mother promises to cure Chris’ smoking addiction through hypnosis, things take a peculiar turn, but Chris doesn’t start to stress out until the annual garden party the next day.
10. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
The movie “The Cabin in the Woods” has a high Rotten Tomatoes rating and is described by critics as “an astounding meta-feat, capable of being funny, strange, and scary – frequently all at the same time.” Similar acclaim is expressed by the A.V. Club with an A- rating, Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post calls it a “fiendishly sharp brand of meta-level genius,” and others think it’s humorous and visceral escapist (via The Guardian). The movie, which was created by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard as a tribute to the slasher subgenre, centers on a covert underground club that leads a bunch of college students to a spooky lodge for the weekend.
11. You Might Be the Killer (2018)
Alyson Hannigan, who played Chuck on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, receives a call from her friend Sam (Fran Kranz), whose summer job as a camp counselor has just turned into a horrifying carnage. To try to survive the night, a terrified Sam begs his friend who loves horror to help him identify the attacker. Chuck tries to use her extensive understanding of horror over the phone to help her friend remember the pain he just went through and help him navigate the challenges that lie ahead. “You Might Be the Killer,” which was directly derived from a popular Twitter thread, embraces its meta nature and enjoys making horror jokes.
12. The Dead Don’t Die (2019)
It’s difficult to disagree with Richard Brody of The New Yorker when he calls director Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die” a “fiercely political zombie comedy.” In this movie, the condemnation of climate change and human inactivity is fairly direct. It also parodies the conventional consumerism satire that “Dawn of the Dead” established in zombie horror as we listen to the recently deceased creatures complain about the things they were once drawn to in life. Even with a star-studded ensemble that includes Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Steve Buscemi, and Selena Gomez, some critics, like Sam C. Mac of Slant, found Jarmusch’s sardonic take on the genre and its overt, heavy-handed meta approach disconcerting.
13. Spontaneous (2020)
In the horror-comedy-romance “Spontaneous,” Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why”) plays Mara Carlyle, a high school student who discovers romance and tragedy amidst a gory backdrop of spontaneously igniting peers. Mara is a classic outsider. She spends time with her closest buddy at their preferred café, cracks witty remarks about the condition of the world, and, when she’s at a loss for words, rummages into her parents’ liquor cabinet. Maya finds herself forced into the joy of first love when classmate Dylan (Charlie Plummer), moved by all the recent deaths, approaches the booth she is sitting in one night and confesses his crush on her.
14. Werewolves Within (2021)
By opening with a remark from Mister Rogers, “Werewolves Within” demonstrates its charm and heart from the very beginning. The film, which was adapted from the same-named online virtual reality social deduction game, follows the residents of a remote Vermont village as they are frightened by a werewolf during a blizzard. This is a “meta-study of what makes terrifying stories so cinematically pleasurable,” according to Jon Negroni in his review of the movie. The main character Finn (Sam Richardson) arrives as Beaverfield’s new forest warden before the winter. Like any good neighbor, he starts by introducing himself to the locals and develops a friendship with mail carrier Cecily (Milana Vayntrub). The locals congregate inside the inn to wait out the night when the weather knocks out the electricity.
15. Ready or Not (2019)
With “Ready or Not,” the team behind the 2022 “Scream” film offers us a newlywed-style remake of “The Most Dangerous Game.” When Grace (Samara Weaving) is compelled to participate in a dangerous game of hide and seek on her wedding night, she finds herself in a life-threatening situation. She is saddened to discover that the family she had intended to reunite with through her marriage to bridegroom Alex (Mark O’Brien) now sees her as a target for harassment. As things progress, we witness Grace begin to question her marriage, look for a potential ally in Alex’s brother Daniel (Adam Brody), and go from being a scared bride to a subverted Final Girl (one whose battle cries are awesome).
16. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
We guarantee that anyone who believes that slasher films are stupid and poorly made will change their mind after watching the 1990s I Know What You Did Last Summer with you. Four teenagers become embroiled in a hit-and-run case one night. They decide to act like it never happened while also breaking apart to erase their marks and forget the terrible accident. They begin receiving ominous letters threatening to reveal their filthy little secret just as it nearly seemed like they got away with it. They recognize the threat as being all too genuine as a shadowy figure starts attacking the clique.
17. It Follows (2015)
Okay, so here is a case of a film that is likely to do well with critics but not so much with the general public. Does that imply that the film is not worthwhile to see? Not. If anything, it shows how far ahead of its time the movie is and how it will eventually win over its audience. Jay, a high school student, is head over heels in love with her new boyfriend and quickly follows him to bed. She had no idea that sleeping with him would cause a deadly, age-old curse to be passed through sexual activity and latch onto her. When Jay’s companions start to feel the presence of demonic spirits among them, they stop first dismissing her cries for assistance as nothing more than hysterical ravings.
18. Jennifer’s Body (2009)
The source of all those stunning Megan Fox images and videos that are constantly making their way around social media is Jennifer’s Body, in case you ever find yourself wondering. And while Megan Fox may be largely responsible for the film’s popularity, we promise you that she is not the only factor in its appeal. Jennifer (Megan Fox), a popular high school student, transforms into a succubus after being offered to Satan. Jennifer’s best friend Anita (Amanda Seyfried) needs to find a way to stop her before she kills her lover Chip as she makes her way through her high school, killing every other “trash” sexist dude. Jennifer’s Body is a suitable rival to Scream.
19. Disturbing Behaviour (1998)
Due to its blend of horror and science fiction, this differs greatly from the other titles mentioned in the list. Although the film has garnered positive reviews, like any low-budget horror film, it might have been so much more. Due to the influence of the studio, the film was also drastically shortened by 20 minutes. Disturbing Behaviour tells the story of Steve, a newcomer to the somber town of Cradle Bay, who was inspired by Ira Levin’s popular book The Stepford Wives. He soon develops a growing mistrust of his “Blue-ribbon” classmates, who are seen as role models and upstanding citizens, along with a few of his outcast buddies.
20. The Final Girls (2015)
The Final Girl is a true gem that somehow managed to escape the audience, and it deserves so much praise. This horror meta-movie is the closest thing there is to Scream, even though we have assembled quite the list for you. Max (Taissa Farmiga) and her oddball circle of friends find themselves teleported to one of her mother’s most well-known films while grieving the loss of her renowned 80s scream queen mother. The group is forced to fight its way out of the slasher film while a dangerous killer is still at large. This smart meta-movie is incredibly entertaining and features one of the best casts, all of them do an outstanding job of bringing out the best in their respective roles.
21. Cherry Falls (2000)
We often link the word “cherry” with emotions like “love,” “passion,” and “aesthetic,” yet anyone who has seen Cherry Falls may find it simple to refute such thoughts. The main character of Cherry Falls is Brent Marken, a small-town sheriff entrusted with finding a serial killer who kills male and female virgins mercilessly. He finds that his daughter Jody (Brittany Murphy), who has not yet been deflowered, is a prospective victim, making the issue much more personal to him. It is made even more challenging to catch the killer when Cherry Falls is plunged into chaos and the youth are caught up in a panic to save their V-card.
22. Happy Death Day (2017)
The 2017 instant smash Happy Death Day has a sequel and a third installment is now being written. And believe us when we tell that the film’s devoted fan following will ensure a strong performance at the box office. Jessica Rothe’s character, Gelbman, constantly dying there yet always comes back to life. For her, every day—or rather, just that one day—which was regrettably also her birthday—becomes a struggle between life and death and a race against the clock to catch the murderer before they strike again. The tense and campy Happy Death Day was influenced by Groundhog’s Day and Scream by Bill Murray.
23. Campfire Tales (1997)
You adore horror if you are reading this. So it would almost seem strange if you hadn’t told your buddies the most horrifying and spine-chilling frightening tales while sitting with them in a poorly lighted room. The same experience will be provided, according to Campfire Tales. A group of teenagers seek sanctuary and make themselves at home around an improvised fire on a deserted roadway after being stranded there with nowhere else to go. They start sharing horror tales to keep things interesting. The movie that was released on DVD in 1997 was Campfire Tales. Because it was the newest trend at the time, many people borrowed, traded, and lent the movie disc, which helped it amass a sizable fan base.
24. Urban Legend (1998)
I don’t know about you, but just hearing the term makes us a bit queasy. We have never had the good fortune to hear an urban legend that didn’t have a dark conclusion. Thus, the movie perfectly embodies its name. Michelle Mancini, a college student, is the first victim in a lengthy string of savage killings motivated by terrifying urban tales. The students at Pendleton College quickly realize that there is a murderer among them and that this person has a nasty manner of killing people. Anyone on campus could be the next victim. Despite being somewhat similar to Scream’s teen slasher whodunit, screenwriter Silvio Horta produced an original script.
25. Blood and Black Lace (1964)
We’re willing to wager that if you enjoy the Scream flicks, you also enjoy inventive murders, masters of terror, and complex puzzles. Welcoming to Giallo, then. Several Italian horror classics can pique your interest, but Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace deserves special mention. The main setting of the film is a Roman fashion house where murders are occurring and everyone has something to conceal. Blood and Black Lace is a bloody good time that may spook even seasoned horror aficionados. It is well known for its spectacular murder scenes. Additionally, with a focus on Italian fashion from the 1960s, the film’s artistic value pops. If you understand what we mean when we say “Courtney Cox bangs,”
26. Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
Amy Holden Jones’ Slumber Party Massacre, a more straightforward slasher that was first intended to be a satire, yet treats its subject matter with humor. When a killer with a drill decides to target the high school ladies in the neighborhood, there is a lot of blood, dark comedy is evident, and the pizza delivery boy is doomed. This film’s insightful analysis of horror clichés has won over the hearts of innumerable lovers of the genre and made it a genuine cult favorite. Oh, and it has two sequels if this slasher piece isn’t enough. Why not plan a day around it?
27. Night of the Creeps (1986)
In 1959, a wayward meteorite carrying a parasitic slug crashes on the outskirts of a tiny college town in the United States. The cosmic invertebrate ends up on ice for 30 years after stumbling down lovers’ lane. Fortunately for the resourceful alien, two nerds unfreeze the body to join a fraternity and let go of the brain-eating slug (now slugs). Do you realize? How do you enter a fraternity by stealing corpses? It’s up to the brave nerds and the drunken fuzz to put an end to the invasion as brain-slurping creatures explode out of college students’ brains. comparing gleefully B-movies from the 1950s and the 1980s.
28. New Nightmare (1994)
For anyone familiar with the series, summarising the plot of New Nightmare is an adventure right now. And to anyone who hasn’t managed to run into the wisecracking, knife-wielding Freddy Krueger, it’s complete nonsense. Without giving anything away, New Nightmare is set in the “real world,” where Heather Langenkamp, who is portraying herself, is tormented by the Nightmare on Elm Street movies in a very genuine way. Heather (and other members of the Nightmare cast) can’t help but feel that the new sequel Craven is working on is drawing Freddy into the real world, what with a prank caller who sounds similar to the frightening slasher villain and terrifying nightmares that seem to leak into real life.
29. Bride of Chucky (1998)
The Child’s Play franchise needed a new groove after three increasingly good installments. And few grooves will certainly give you more energy than 1990s sass. Bride of Chucky is the most nu-metal slasher ever produced, and we mean that in the best possible way. It is funnier, more snarky, and more self-aware than any of its forerunners. Bride of Chucky finds the tiny, possessed Good Guy doll (voiced by Brad Dourif) exactly where we left him: torn to ribbons by a giant fan, with his torn-up remains shoved unceremoniously into an evidence bag. This is a direct ripoff of the self-referential text established by Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
30. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, bless its heart, is a good movie from start to finish. Which is quite an accomplishment given that the entire focus of the film is on killing teenagers and highlighting how the slasher subgenre is prejudiced toward a whole socioeconomic group. The titular Tucker and Dale, played by Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, are two best friends traveling to their lakehouse for a weekend break. They encounter a group of city youths along the way who wrongly portray the (totally harmless) duo as rural psychopaths. The weekend begins for Tucker and Dale, but as they become comfortable, a string of…alarmingly terrible mishaps befall the teens. The miscommunications that came before the turn into a full-scale carnage.
31. Malignant (2021)
James Wan, Ingrid Bisu, and Akela Cooper collaborated on the story for Malignant, an American horror movie that was released in 2021. In the movie, Annabelle Wallis portrays a woman who begins having horrific visions before realizing that they are happening. Along with Jacqueline McKenzie, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, and others star.
Gabriel is a violent and troubled patient who is treated by Dr. Florence Weaver, Victor Fields, and John Gregory in 1993 at Simion Research Hospital. Gabriel has the power to direct the flow of energy and speak out. Gabriel then murders several employees. He is a lost cause, according to Dr. Weaver, and the “cancer” needs to be excised. Madison Lake-Mitchell, a Seattle resident who is expecting, comes home to her violent husband Derek 27 years later. Derek hits Madison’s head against a wall after an argument about her several prior miscarriages, causing her to bleed at the point of impact. She had a nightmare that someone had broken into their home and killed Derek after she had barricaded herself in her bed.
32. Thirteen Ghosts (2001)
A squad is sent to catch a spirit known as the Juggernaut under the direction of ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos and his psychic partner Dennis Rafkin. Cyrus is among the guys who are killed by the team as they manage to capture the ghost. Ben Moss, the estate attorney for Cyrus, informs Arthur, a widower, that he has inherited Cyrus’ mansion. Arthur plans to relocate there with his two kids, Kathy and Bobby, and their nanny, Maggie, due to his financial insecurities. While the family is touring the mansion, Dennis greets them. All of the glass sheets that make up the house are etched with Latin phrases that Dennis recognizes as barrier spells. He learns that the charms have trapped the twelve enraged ghosts that he and Cyrus managed to capture within the home.
33. Halloween (1978)
In the fictitious suburb of Haddonfield, Illinois, on Halloween night in 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers murders his older sister Judith with a chef’s knife. Michael has been held at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium for fifteen years, the entire time remaining silent. Dr. Samuel Loomis, Michael’s psychiatrist, arrives at the sanitarium on October 30, 1978, to escort Michael to court for a hearing; Loomis hopes that Michael will be imprisoned for life. While returning to Haddonfield from Smith’s Grove, Michael kills a mechanic for his coveralls. When he gets there, he robs a hardware store of knives, ropes, and a blank white mask.
