STACK #209 Mar 2022

MOVIE FEATURE

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this beautiful tribute to Wes Craven.” Scream sees the iconic killer known as Ghostface return to Woodsboro for a new wave of terror, along with franchise “legacy characters” Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette). It also upholds the primary rule of the franchise established by Williamson – that a new film comment on the current state of the horror genre, leading to the idea of “requels.” “Requels are part reboot and part sequel, and that’s something you see happening more and more right now. Not just in horror, but across filmmaking in general,” explains Vanderbilt. “Elevated horror” – moody, artistic and allegorical horror films like Hereditary and The Witch – is another subset of the genre that’s fair game in Scream , along with the online rise of “toxic fandom.” “I’m a huge fan of quote-unquote elevated horror,” says Busick. “There are auteurs working in the genre today that make these wonderful movies. So in Scream , we lovingly poke fun at the line between traditional horror and what some people consider the elevated form.” Along with paying tribute to the original Scream , Vanderbilt wanted to honour the three sequels as well. “There’s a tendency, especially now, to pick and choose which sequels count and which don’t,” he says. “So in this movie we acknowledge that all of the previous sequels happened, and you’ll see a few characters who were introduced in the sequels return in this movie.” Together with the aforementioned

• Scream is out on Mar 30

Although it shares the same title as the original 1996 horror hit, Scream is the fifth installment in the franchise. Part reboot, part sequel, it’s a “requel” that captures the spirit ofWes Craven’s legacy. W hen horror master Wes Craven tragically passed away in 2015, the possibility of a fifth Scream film seemed to die with him. Indeed, even screenwriter Kevin Williamson – who

legacy characters, Scream 2022 is brimming with Easter eggs and clever visual nods to the previous films that will delight longtime fans. “There’s a freshness to this movie that’s going to catch the longtime fans off guard, and that’s the beautiful thing about this genre,” says Williamson. “It has a loyal fan base, and I couldn’t be happier that Scream has endured and will keep going on in the future.”

scripted all four films and serves as an executive producer on the fifth – didn’t expect a new Scream to come along some six years later. “When Wes passed away, I figured that was the end of the Scream series, and if someone did make another one, I’d probably just watch it from afar on cable TV or something,” he says. “I had kind of put it

Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox

filmmakers felt it important that Williamson be involved in some capacity. “Getting Kevin’s blessing on this meant everything to us,” says Gillett. “It’s impossible to overstate how significant his involvement was and how much his work impacted us growing up. Matt and I are fans of Kevin on a level that’s hard to express, so having him help us shape this movie was invaluable.” Williamson was impressed by their story pitch, adding, “So I woke up one morning and thought, what am I doing? Do I really want them to make another Scream and not be part of it? After that, I called Jamie and said I wanted to do it as long as we can dedicate the film to Wes. And he said absolutely. He even had the studio put it in writing, and now we have

DON'T MISS

all to rest and said goodbye by that point. So when Jamie [Vanderbilt, co-producer and co-writer] first approached me about doing this movie, I didn’t want to hear about it. I told him to go ahead and make a great film without me.” Taking over the reins from the late Craven are directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – who

SCREAM 6 It’s official! Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment confirmed early last month that a sixth Scream film has been given the greenlight, with Scream ’s creative team onboard. “Is this real life? Getting to collaborate once again with our friends on the next installment of the Scream story is more than we could have hoped for,” said screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick in a statement. “We are overwhelmed that we get to continue to play in the sandbox that Kevin and Wes created. It is, as Ghostface would say, an honour."

had displayed a flair for combining horror and humour in 2019’s Ready or Not – with Vanderbilt and Guy Busick scripting the new Scream . However, the

12 MARCH 2022

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