A lot of folks, myself included, really enjoy the Scream franchise. I was only 7-years-old when the first film starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox moved from theaters to television syndication and it shocked the Hell out of me. For whatever reason, the scene when Sidney Prescott goes into the girl’s bathroom and is attacked by Ghostface was the scariest part of the movie to me as a child. And that’s just the thing, Scream has been able to touch a lot of cinema viewers for reasons that they don’t even understand. The nods to other films, the great acting, the “who done it” mystery all the way to the very end, the little bits of comedy mixed with gore and bloodbaths. Really, what’s not to love?
When Scream 4 was announced by The Weinstein Company in July 2008, it was originally planned as the first film to kick off a new trilogy. Needless to say, the majority of horror fans were thrilled to see Scream return, especially with creators Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson and the three leads all returning to kick it off. Unfortunately, Scream 4 wasn’t a success story. It failed to make a return on its budget costs, though it did fair better overseas, and only made a third of ticket sales in comparison to Scream 1 – 3. In June 2012, MTV announced it was in the beginning stages of adapting a Scream television series; which ended up featuring none of the original cast members, in a different location and with no Ghostface mask. I’ve called it “Scream Inception,” a quasi-Scream TV show that takes place inside the Scream universe. The show has been heavily panned by critics and horror fans alike and last week’s episode was watched by just over 600,000 people. Ouch.
Rumors that Scream 5 is still on the production calendar have swirled for years now, but in June 2015 Bob Weinstein struck them down. On Friday, August 7th Neve Campbell was interviewed by Red Carpet News TV and one of the questions was whether or not fans would ever see Scream 5. Her response was, “The intention with the fourth movie was for it to be a new trilogy, but I think they had hoped it would do better than it did. And they’ve gone and made the television series which has just come out now. So I’m not sure that it would make sense to go back to a film, but you never know with The Weinsteins. They could decide tomorrow that they want to do it. I don’t know where we’d go with it. We’d have to come up with something really good otherwise it would get a repetitive.”
So, the question remains. In the off chance that the Scream franchise ever re-adapts to a film or films again, where could they possibly go with the story? Unlike A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and Halloween, the killers in Scream are not supernatural with the ability to come back again and again and again. Scream‘s killers rely on motive and opportunity to be villainous and after so many years who would want to unleash Hell on Woodsboro again? All of the good ideas are hidden away in the mind of Kevin Williamson, but here’s my ideas of how Scream could continue as a movie series.
1. The Children of the Survivors
The original draft of Scream 4 was to feature the children of Dewey and Gale who were all living together in Woodsboro. The idea was eventually scrapped when it became too problematic trying to explain why Gale was showing up to bloody crime scenes with babies and children in toe. Still, this would be a good way to continue the original legacy by moving forward with the bloodline and their connection to the massacres in a Halloween: H20 kind of way. Make Gale and Dewey’s children High School seniors and there ya’ go! Although a silly idea, who’s to say Randy never went to a sperm bank during his short college education for some extra cash and in Scream 5 the child from that medical mystery is stalked by Ghostface without even knowing who their father is. My point being: using Dewey, Gale, Sidney, whoever’s children as a pawn to move the story forward would work. Add in small cameos – which would be way less expensive than supporting roles – from Arquette, Campbell and Cox and BOOM! Straight-to-DVD trilogy. If frickin’ Wrong Turn can do it, then so can Scream!
2. Kirby Was Still Alive
While watching the cast and director’s commentary for Scream 4, Hayden Panettiere and Wes Craven made it a point to mention that Kirby was still alive, squirming and gasping – though bleeding profusely – when her character was last seen on the ground. It’s possible that Scream 5 could continue through the character of Kirby, the tough, attractive, sarcastic bitch who knows all there is to know about horror films. I could imagine her being a detective who investigates homicides when it becomes apparent that it’s Ghostface leaving the bodies to get her attention; or she’s a Hollywood producer working on a horror movie when Ghostface comes calling again. Maybe she would even be producing Stab 9? It would still be a totally canonical continuation of Scream, though it would be void of the original location and core three. I would still watch it!
3. Prequel Time
Every good horror franchise needs a prequel and Scream is no different. Woodsboro was obviously a very shady place well before the death or Maureen Prescott. Hollywood sex scandals, marital affairs, and so much more ending in the brutal death of Sidney’s mom, I’m sure there’s more violence and gore that went on behind-the-scenes that we never got to see. How do we know Maureen never got revenge on the home-theater pervs who “fucked her three ways from Sunday and ruined her life.” It may be a little more soap opera-ish than any of us would want to see, but again, I’m sure Williamson would find a way to add the gore and the intensity that Scream is known for.
Unfortunately, I don’t think Scream 5 will be happening, at least anytime soon. I think the series could survive through straight-to-DVD sequels, but I think it boils down to the fact that none of the major players involved are invested in continuing the product at this point in time. Kind of one of those “don’t beat a dead horse with a stick” scenarios where it’s better to go out on top. The only thing we can do is continue to hold Scream 1 – 3 in our hearts and think of Scream 4 as a blessing. All while secretly hoping that The Weinsteins bring it back to what it was, Woodsboro… not Lakewood!
