Scream 4 was all about remakes, social media, and internet fame, and like the previous entries in the saga, it referenced other horror films – only this time they were titles that have been remade. Wes Craven’s Scream saga began in 1996 and came to an end in 2011 with Scream 4. All films followed a series of murders in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California (although the third also took place in Los Angeles), all connecting to Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell).

A big part of the success of the franchise was its awareness of horror clichés and other horror films, with the characters (mostly Randy in the first two films) constantly mentioning many horror classics and comparing the events in them to the ones happening in the story. Although Scream 4 arrived eleven years after the third film, it didn’t leave behind the essence of the saga, and one of its main topics were remakes.

Just like Randy did in Scream and Scream 2 with the rules to survive a horror film and a sequel, Charlie Walker and Robbie Mercer did their part in Scream 4, only with the rules of remakes. Following that line, Scream 4 remade some scenes from the first film, most notably when the killer tied Charlie to a chair outside Kirby’s house and asked her trivia questions in order to save him. The final question was “the remake of the groundbreaking horror movie in which the villain…” but Kirby interrupted the killer and named a bunch of remakes. Here’s the full list:

  • Halloween Texas Chainsaw Massacre Dawn of the Dead The Hills Have Eyes Amityville Horror Last House on the Left Friday the 13th A Nightmare On Elm Street My Bloody Valentine When A Stranger Calls Prom Night Black Christmas House of Wax The Fog Piranha

The list includes some well-known titles, like Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as nods to the director with A Nightmare on Elm Street, Last House on the Left, and The Hills Have Eyes. Some were box office successes, like My Bloody Valentine 3D, and most of them weren’t well-received by critics, with the notable exceptions of Alexandre Aja’s Piranha 3D (fun fact: Aja also directed the remake of The Hills Have Eyes) and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead. Others like Black Christmas and Prom Night ended up being forgettable, but not for a film buff like Kirby. Although it wasn’t mentioned in her list, Psycho was referenced earlier in Scream 4 – never forget that it was remade in 1998.

Horror remakes and reboots have come a long way since Scream 4, but all the titles mentioned by Kirby are part of the history of the genre and are worth watching, even if just for curiosity – as well as the original versions, just so you can compare and make your own decision on which one is the best.

Next: Scream: The True Story That Inspired The 1996 Slasher