Scream's legacy continues as fans stream its requel. Some quotes from Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott and Courteney Cox's Gale Weathers are iconic.

Renowned for its brilliant deconstruction of the slasher movie genre, Scream was a horror sensation when it was released back in 1996. Between Kevin Williamson’s sharp, playful script and Wes Craven’s confident direction, it is one of the few horror movies that delivers on both its comedy and horror, cementing itself into the pop culture landscape as a result.

Scream is one of the biggest cult horror movies from the '90s. Naturally, it is brimming with quotable moments.

Updated on October 14, 2021, by Matthew Wilkinson: With a fifth installment into the Scream franchise confirmed, there has been strong buzz about this classic slasher. The movie is full of great one-liners and teasing quotes with a mystery to make people question who could be the killer. The dialogue is one of the major reasons that the film is so easy to follow and has such engaging energy. But what are the greatest quotes from this '90s classic?

Updated on April 22, 2022, by Alex Gentile: David Arquette spoke to Empire about his character's harrowing sequence in 2022's Scream, as the latest installment of the franchise still lingers in horror fans' minds. Now that Scream's "requel" has been widely seen, some fans are looking back to the movie that started it all. The Scream films are unequivocally self-aware, and each title looks back at the ones before it. Echoes of the first movie sound off in Scream's sequels, and audiences can find new meaning in memorable lines from the original.

Gale Weathers Keeps Her Eyes On The Prize

“If I’m Right About This, I Could Save A Man’s Life. Do You Know What That Would Do For My Book Sales?”

Despite coming off as incredibly self-centered and egotistical in the first movie, Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers became a fan-favorite character in the Scream series. She appears in all five of the franchise’s entries.

One of the character’s definitive quotes, this exchange between Gale and her cameraman comes during their investigation into Woodsboro’s rising body count and perfectly encapsulates Gale’s ambitious and selfish – albeit ultimately good-natured – personality. As it turns out, Gale is right on both counts, with her intervention in the Woodsboro murders both saving lives and resulting in her success.

Principal Himbry Takes Off The Kid Gloves

"Fairness Would Be To Rip Your Insides Out And Hang You From A Tree!"

Principal Himbry can sometimes be overlooked in Scream, despite being the source of great moments before Ghostface attacks him. When several students decide to start running around wearing the killer's mask to scare people, Himbry showcases his wild method of punishing them.

Using scissors to cut around them, he threatens them in a way that makes him seem suspicious. It turns out that he isn't the killer, but this moment puts his character in question. What's so great about this line is that it is prophetic. During the party in the film's third act, Randy Meeks discovers that Himbry is gutted and hung from the goal post at the school's football field.

Billy Loomis Gets Carried Away

“I’m Feelin’ A Little Woozy Here!”

When Scream revealed that there’s not one, but two killers in the final act of Scream, both Sidney’s boyfriend Billy Loomis and his friend Stu Macher come forward as homicidal slashers. The two plan to make themselves look like the sole survivors of the Woodsboro murders, even going as far as stabbing themselves to make it look convincing.

After Billy stabs Stu however, he gets a little carried away. In response, Stu shouts at him to stop, proclaiming “I’m feelin’ a little woozy here!” Matthew Lillard’s brilliantly wild delivery of the line makes it so funny. It's no surprise Scream gives Matthew Lillard one of his best roles.

Sidney Prescott Lays On The Drama

"I'm Sorry If My Traumatized Life Is An Inconvenience To You And Your Perfect Existence!"

Part of Scream's fun comes from melodramatic moments. It may be a modern horror classic, but it's also a high school drama. When Sidney Prescott is unpacking her unhappy childhood on the anniversary of her mother's death, Billy pressures her to move on.

Their conflict results in one of the most memorable lines in the movie. The line is so dramatic that only a high school student could come up with it. In Scary Movie, one of the best horror parodies, the script lifts the line nearly word for word, using "I'm sorry if my complicated life is an inconvenience to your perfect existence."

Stu Macher Takes A Beating

“You Hit Me With The Phone, D*ck!”

One of the silliest quotes in the movie, this line gives Scream one of its funniest moments. When Sidney gets the upper hand during the final showdown, she begins to taunt Stu and Billy over the phone. An enraged Billy eventually throws down the receiver, which unintentionally hits Stu in the head.

The moment provides levity in the film's bloody finale. Scream's DVD commentary revealed it wasn’t in the original script, and Lillard’s improvised dissatisfaction with being hit is hilarious, adding more chaos to the movie’s eventful climax.

Tatum Riley Taunts Ghostface

“No, Please Don’t Kill Me, Mr. Ghostface, I Wanna Be In The Sequel!”

Even though Randy is the resident horror aficionado of Woodsboro High, it seems the entire town throws out self-aware lines now and again. Even the skeptical Tatum Riley manages to crack a meta-joke when she’s cornered by Ghostface in the garage, playfully crying out “No, please don’t kill me, Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel!”

While she initially assumes the killer is simply one of her friends messing with her, she soon finds out the hard way that he’s the real deal,  and she is promptly murdered. This line comes back for another appearance in 2022's Scream.

Sidney Prescott Takes Control

“Not In My Movie.”

When Billy and Stu are eventually subdued in Scream’s third and final act, it’s revealed that lovable film buff Randy manages to survive the injuries he sustains at the hands of Ghostface.

He soon warns Sidney that this is the point at which the supposedly dead killer comes back to life for one final scare. As is often the case, Randy is right, and Billy immediately attempts to lunge toward Sidney, who shoots him dead – capping off the scene by saying “Not in my movie.”

Stu Macher Reveals His True Fear

“My Mom And Dad Are Gonna Be So Mad At Me!”

Scream's villain Stu has quite the kill count. Ironically, he seems to innocently care about what his parents think about it. When Sidney informs him that she’s called the police in the movie’s final act, Stu begins to sob, lamenting the fact that his mom and dad will likely respond negatively to the news.

Once again, it’s actor Lillard’s pitch-perfect delivery that makes the line so great, brilliantly capturing the true extent of the character’s warped mind.

Stu Macher & Billy Loomis Challenge The Media

“Movies Don’t Create Psychos. Movies Make Psychos More Creative!”

Even though it’s spoken by an unhinged mass murderer, media skeptics find truth in this quote. While Scream is renowned for its clever observations of the horror genre, this line takes aim at the scapegoating of horror in the media at large.

Spoken by Billy when he’s unmasked as one of the movie’s two killers, this line is directed at Sidney after she suggests the duo have seen too many horror movies. There’s something satisfyingly meta about the quote, which is likely why it has been embraced so widely by fans of the movie.

Ghostface's Catchphrase

“Do You Like Scary Movies?”

Like the similarly iconic line “What’s your favorite scary movie?,” this classic quote perfectly encapsulates what works about Scream’s deconstructive script. It appears first during Scream's terrifying opening.

Later, Sidney responds to the rhetorical question in a conversation with Ghostface by voicing her dislike of horror movies, calling them insulting for their inclusion of silly female characters. Citing victims who run upstairs rather than out the front door as a prime example, it’s not long before Sidney does exactly this when she’s cornered by Ghostface, resulting in one of the movie’s smartest jokes.

NEXT: The 10 Best Slasher Movies Of All Time, According To IMDb