In 1996, Wes Craven (1939–), director of such modern horror masterpieces as The Hills Have Eyes (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), shocked everybody who thought his career was over by releasing one of the most popular horror films (see entry under 1960s—Film and Theater in volume 4) of all time. Scream, starring a host of talented young actors, including Drew Barrymore (1975–), Neve Campbell (1973–), Skeet Ulrich (1969–), David Arquette (1971–), Rose McGowan (1974–), and Jamie Kennedy (1970–), took America by storm, bringing in over $103 million at the box office, and setting off a new wave of youth-targeted "stalker" films. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Urban Legend (1998), Valentine (2001), and of course Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), and the stalker spoof Scary Movie (2000) all owe much of their success to Craven's original.

Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker in the horror film Scream, directed by Wes Craven. The Kobal Collection/David M. Moir/Miramax. Reproduced by permission.

The...