The commonplace monstrosity of Scream: The TV Series

The nightmare is unavoidable. You cannot escape it.

The second season of Scream premieres on May 31, 2016.
(Image credit: Courtesy of MTV)

Millions of Americans really like to be completely and utterly terrified to the point of nausea or speechlessness. In fact, they're constantly craving more of that unsettling feeling. And that's a big reason why the horror genre, inspired by the classic literature of legendary authors such as Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker, has been a permanent part of Western culture for at least a couple centuries.

In recent years, horror in popular culture has often taken the role of slasher films, which usually feature a mentally ill psychopath murdering multiple victims in a small, helpless town. Kevin Williamson's Scream franchise (directed by the late Wes Craven) was an overwhelmingly successful example, racking up more than $600 million in worldwide sales. Last year — four years after Scream 4 hit the big screen MTV came out with a TV sibling imaginatively named Scream: The TV Series. The first season is now available on Netflix, and season two premieres on Monday, May 30.

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Trilby Beresford is a freelance arts writer from Australia, who currently resides in Los Angeles. Her writing has appeared in Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, Bullett Media, Geek & Sundry, American Film, Nerdist, Flood Magazine, and numerous other publications. Trilby has an M.F.A. from the American Film Institute Conservatory and a B.A. from the University of Sydney.