A closer look
Scream was originally titled Scary Movie during production until controversial studio executive Harvey Weinstein decided to change it at the last minute after hearing a Michael Jackson song of the same name. The meta-horror classic was specifically written as a sharp, cynical deconstruction of stupid slasher movie tropes, but the studio felt the original title sounded entirely too much like a cheap parody rather than a terrifying thriller. Hilariously, the discarded title was later scooped up by the Wayans brothers for their own spoof franchise, which spent several movies specifically making fun of the exact same slasher tropes that Scream had already deconstructed. It is a rare instance of a studio executive actually making a decent creative decision, saving the horror masterpiece from sounding like a cheap spoof comedy that you would find in the bargain bin of a dying video rental store
