Last week (12/20) SCREAM —also known as the film that made slasher movies scary again— turned the big 2-0. Twenty years later, three sequels and a awesome TV series (which will be getting a season 3 in case you forgot) and now talk of a fourth sequel by the star and famed writer, where do we begin?
So if you stood tuned to my articles, I’ve covered everything to do with SCREAM: The TV series, including reviews, recaps and season updates. MTV’s series acted as the final project based around the infamous SCREAM franchise that Horror Master and my idol Wes Craven, was attached to before his shocking and untimely death in 2015. Craven stood as director of the franchise since its 1996 launch with the writing hand of then fresh face Kevin Williamson. With three sequels on hand, Craven sadly couldn’t stay with us long enough to produce any others, but as previously stated he did manage to
have some sort of involvement in the MTV series: His role was that of an executive produce.
So back to talking about the original. So Scream’ starred Drew Barrymore, Skeet Ulrich, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Jamie Kennedy, Matthew Lilliard and David Arquette. The flick —and rest of the film franchise—followed the story of a string of murders in the sleepy town of Woodsboro, California, as a killer stalks and kills the teens within the town one by one with one goal: to destroy Sidney Prescott.
SCREAM, Drew Barrymore, 1996, © Dimension Films
During the casting of this self-aware slasher the infamous “Who is this” scene by the beautiful Drew Barrymore (which was in like the first scene), Barrymore could’ve been Alicia Silverstone (Clueless). “But that was all of five minutes because the very next day, Drew Barrymore said, ‘The thing I love about this movie is the opening scene. I want to play Casey. That’s who I want to be,’” Williamson reassured for a recent 20th piece by ET.
THE FOLLOWING: Creator and Executive Producer Kevin Williamson arrives on the gold carpet at THE FOLLOWING PREMIERE SCREENING AND VIP PARTY AT THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, Friday, Jan. 18 in New York City. Andrew Marks/ FOX © 2013 Fox Broadcasting Co.
Looking back all these years later Williamson recollects the moment Drew Barrymore answered his phone confirming her part in his first film bring the then struggling writer his big break “My favorite memory is the first night. Standing outside in the rain, all of us just huddled together, freezing to death while the phone rang and Drew Barrymore picked it up,” Williamson recalls. “It was my first film, the first night, I was in tears. You couldn’t talk to me. I was just walking around in tears.”
Photo Credit-Walmart.com
Photo Credit- Walmart.com
The slasher game changer also brought two things to the horror genre, two iconic costumes that made there way to Halloween stores globally: The film’s costume and the film inspired TV costume. Once again looking back, [film] series lead Neve Campbell recalls talk onset she had with her costars on if the Ghostface costume from the film’s would make it to Halloween stores
“We would close all the curtains and hang out and have a drink,” Campbell reminisces. “We were sitting in one of our bedrooms and we were like, ‘Could you imagine if this was good enough that there might be a Halloween costume?’ And we were like, ‘No, that couldn’t possibly happen!’ And now it’s 20 years later and I still see the Halloween costume every year in all the shops. It’s pretty amazing.”
Shot from Scream 3
Interesting enough the mask of Ghostface was found while Craven was location scouting and came across the future Ghostface mask in a child’s bedroom. The mask was dubbed then the Peanut-eyed Ghost and the rights were owned by Funworld. Craven, unable to duplicate a doable copy was forced to work out a deal with Funworld. The company [Funworld] never worked out a deal with MTV for SCREAM: The TV Series to use the infamous mask due to the Weinstein company wanting to bring a difference importance to the Killer’s use of his/her mask. Wes wasn’t too offended with the mask change though, during an interview with THR Wes is quoted saying “[production and I] just let Ghostface be Ghostface.”
“What’s your favorite scary movie?”
The infamous line in the opening sequence [and carried on through the rest of the film franchise] was voiced by the very talented Roger Jackson. The voice actor has been reported to never have been in contact with the film’s stars during filming of the SCREAM films. The point of isolation was mainly for more terror to be ignited in the actors when the phone rang. The cast did finally meet though for the first time during their times participating in horror convention panels, which may also be the nail in the coffin for Scream 5 & 6.
Scream-Trilogy.net
Speaking: The fifth installment and sixth installments to the franchise were sadly delayed while Wes was alive due to Scream 4′ not performing as well as expected. When the fourth film was planned out, the fifth and sixth films were among the agenda but that box office let down (as I just mentioned) is what put the kibosh on them. So now 5 years after the release of Scre4m, and 20 after the original, Scream 5 & 6 are now being talked about once again this time by Kevin Williamson (SCREAM writer) and Neve Campbell (SCREAM lead). “Wes and I, when we were starting Scream 4, we had plans for Scream 5 and 6,” Williamson says. “Now without Wes, I feel like you have to sort of answer the questions of how and why, and I don’t know how to do it without Wes and I don’t know why to do it.”
“It would be tough to do it without Wes,” Campbell says, agreeing with Williamson. “His vision was so clear and he was so good. I think it would be painful. It doesn’t mean it would never happen, but it would be challenging. Nobody is talking about it at the moment.”
“If some filmmaker could answer that question, then go for it and I will happily buy a ticket and go see it and cheer it on,” Williamson says.
Interesting enough Williamson was asked about making the film [while Craven was still with us] during a Twitter conversation with a fan, with Williamson’s answer being “No, Sadly, Scream 5 won’t be happening with me. And I had a script and everything. Sad.” Williamson’s answer also acted as a ways of confirming a Scream 5 script WAS completed.
After 20 years let’s take a look back at SCREAM’s cast then and now. Wallow about the absence of the fifth and sixth sequels. And pop on SCREAM as a 20th salute to the great Wes Craven.
So now in closing: Happy Anniversary to my favorite horror film. But as I click off this page in favor of popping on SCREAM’ let me drop a idea down for SCREAM 5′ for the Weinstein company —un-official copyright implied ;)—: Make SCREAM: The TV Series take a break between seasons and let the stars from MTV Scream and SCREAM join together for a Wes Craven’s New Nightmare-esque sequel. The ultimate tribute to the great.
DO YOU LIKE ME? Really??! Then check out my recaps and reviews of SCREAM: The TV Series
Scream Halloween Special – Review
Scream: The Vanishing Recap/Review
Follow @HMZHorror
Sources: Metro.co.uk, HollywoodReporter, ETOnline, MovieFone
