The Big 3: Halloween, Elm Street, and Scream – The Holy Trinity of Horror
When it comes to the greatest, most iconic horror movie franchises of all time, three series stand out for defining and advancing the slasher genre – Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream. These "big 3" captured the imaginations of audiences thanks to their terrifying yet charismatic villains and became part of mainstream pop culture. Decades later, their influence still reigns supreme in horror.
Halloween – The Blueprint for All Slashers
John Carpenter‘s Halloween in 1978 introduced the world to masked killer Michael Myers and launched the golden age of slashers. With its focus on atmosphere and suspense over gore, Halloween established many tropes that became hallmarks of the genre while paying homage to classic horror and thriller films like Psycho. Its enormous box office success on a shoestring budget sparked a wave of violent horror in the ‘80s and inspired countless imitators and sequels.
To this day, Michael Myers remains one of the most bone-chilling villains in cinema with his emotionless pale mask and coverall jumpsuit hiding something purely and simply evil underneath.
Some key facts about the Halloween franchise:
- 11 films released from 1978 to 2021
- Over $700 million total box office gross
- Michael Myers‘ kill count: Over 160 victims
Halloween pioneered the slasher template – a mysterious, unstoppable killer picking off victims one by one until a final girl emerges – that so many other franchises copied in the coming decades.
Freddy Krueger – The Supernatural Killer Who Won‘t Stay Dead
In 1984‘s A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven created a bold new boogeyman in Freddy Krueger – a supernatural dream demon with a hideously scarred face, dusty fedora hat, ragged red and olive sweater, and a custom glove outfitted with razors. Rather than stalking babysitters like Michael Myers, Freddy attacks his victims in their nightmares, blurring the lines between dreams and reality. His twisted sense of humor sets him apart from other silent slashers, with Freddy spouting chilling puns and one-liners as he slaughtered the children of Springwood.
The Nightmare on Elm Street films are dripping with Craven‘s exploration of the nature of dreams, reality, and how our darkest fears can consume us. Freddy quickly became a hugely popular modern boogieman representing primal childhood terrors.
Key Nightmare stats:
- 9 films from 1984-2010
- Over $457 million total box office revenue
- Freddy Krueger‘s body count: Over 70 dream victims
With his charisma, the supernatural aspect of his character, and the endless possibilities of the dream world setting, Krueger feels fully fleshed out in a way few horror baddies are on par with literature‘s most chilling monsters.
Scream – A Self-Aware Slasher Mocking the Genre‘s Tropes
In the ‘90s, the slasher genre had gone a bit stale, leaning too heavily on gratuitous sequels and the formula established by Halloween and other early slashers. Then Scream came along in 1996 to re-energize horror by playfully poking holes in the rules and conventions of the by-then cliché genre, all while delivering a compelling mystery and scares in its own right.
Kevin Williamson‘s script is filled with characters who are themselves horror fans, referencing their favorite movies and debating "the rules" for surviving a slasher movie. The twist is that Ghostface is fully aware of these rules too – and uses audience expectations against them. While clearly satirizing slasher tropes, the Scream films work solidly on their own merits as whodunnits with creative death scenes and compelling protagonists you root for rather than generic teen victims.
Scream by the numbers:
- 5 films from 1996-2022
- Over $744 million total box office
- Ghostface(s) body count: Over 30 victims
Scream breathed new life into the genre and influenced a wave of self-referential horror flicks in the late ‘90s and early 2000s while showing the slasher formula still had legs. The legacy of Ghostface lives on through the iconic mask and cloak costume that has become a modern Halloween staple.
| Franchise | Years Active | Lead Villain(s) | Total Box Office | Total Victim Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween | 1978-2021 | Michael Myers | $700+ million | 160+ |
| Elm Street | 1984-2010 | Freddy Krueger | $457+ million | 70+ |
| Scream | 1996-2022 | Ghostface(s) | $744+ million | 30+ |
So in looking at longevity, financial success, and impact on the genre itself, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream stand out as the big 3 slasher/horror franchises that all others are measured against. Their iconic villains especially capture fans‘ imaginations for their distinct looks, weapons, and motives.
While there have been other memorable horror baddies, none have had the same broad pop culture crossover appeal and ability to get deep under our skin like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and the ever-changing Ghostfaces behind the mask. These slashers also keep getting reinvented time and time again to thrill new generations. That is why they form the holy trinity of horror antagonists that leaves both casual moviegoers and hardcore horror fans sleeping with one eye open!
