This came out in a period of time where many slasher films had a very "TV" vibe to them, through the writing and the actors they hired. It makes films such as H20 seem like a direct to TV style spinoff with relevant "teen sensations".

Film producers did not realize at the time that horror as a genre benefits from grungy and upolished looking films. These days, they try to fake that with filters and special effects. But in the 70s and 80s, that effect was achieved organically.

Scream trilogy, I Know What You Did Last Summer, H20 and every other late 90s, early 2000s slasher, tended to have this westcoast, Hollywood esque teen aura to it.

Scream used it to its benefit, as it was meta commentary on the genre. But imagine if Scream was made in 1982 with the same concept and story. It probably would have been an even better film.