[simonleezombie]

I never thought about comparing these two as when Scream came out Halloween was already a classic. But I just watched Scream for the first time in close to fifteen years, and I have to say the first one has held up surprisingly well (the sequels were much harder to get through).

I never hear much talk about whether or not it is comparable to Halloween, but since most of the final act of Scream is cleverly scored by John Carpenter, I wonder if it is worth debating. Which is the more effective horror movie? Is Scream even a horror movie (I have friends who say no, but I disagree, it is extremely intense and scary at times)?

If you want my opinion, I have to say Halloween. I would say Scream's biggest fault is its reliance on Halloween at the end--it made me yearn for the superior film in Scream's final act. Though Scream had better developed characters overall, you will never find slasher film that matches the on screen persona of Donald Pleasance. Let alone Michael Myers. His creeping around the background is phenomenally scary throughout the film.

Halloween does suffer a bit at times from its low budget, but I still find it more effective. Thoughts? Am I way off on my comparison here?