Scream 2 (1997)

I initially shared this on Letterboxd but decided instead to put it here:

That moment where Sidney lets Stu know she wasn't about to just go quietly (while the birdbrain bleeds and bleeds) across the phone then gives Billy the umbrella stab surprise while dressed herself in the Ghost face costume, that was when I think she definitely secured her place as a slasher icon. The film could have kept Gale as just a fame-chasing narcissist but instead, with the Billy/Stu gun in her hand, the safety now off, gets her shot off. It's a nice character touch. Instead of the two seemingly being total rivals, they stand together. And I couldn't have believed that when Sidney punches Gale in the face at the beginning of the film.