Every generation has a defining horror movie, and for millions of teenagers growing up in the early 90s, Scream was that movie. Wes Craven’s second commercial eureka in as many decades wasn’t your average innovator, partly because of the state of the horror genre as a whole. Unlike previous decades, each boasting several horror movies that might be considered defining, the 90s was suffering from serious oversaturation following the 80s home video boom. The sheer abundance of sub-par productions cashing-in on the emergence of VHS as a widely accessible format led to a huge drop in standards based on output alone. The 80s is still one of the most memorable decades for horror, boasting huge innovations in the field of practical effects while delivering such classics as The Shining, The Thing, The Evil Dead, The Fly and Wes Craven’s own A Nightmare on Elm Street to name but a few. With films such as The Lost Boys, Fright Night and Near Dark, the decade would also reinvent the age-old vampire genre for post-modern sensibilities, but you were much more likely to stumble upon something naff in an industry that was much more accessible to filmmakers of all abilities and intentions. That was a positive in some cases, creating an open canvas for truly inspired indie filmmakers such as Craven, but audiences weaned on horror of previous decades couldn’t help but note a certain degree of genre degradation.