The Endless SCREAM: The Story of a Bloody Phenomenon

The story of Scream, one of the best, most popular, most profitable and most consistent (overall the most!) slasher series began in 1994. That was when Kevin Williamson, a newcomer to the film industry, watched a program about the crimes of Danny Rolling in the comfort of his home. The murderous activity of this anti-hero became the spark that led him to write a screenplay titled Scary Movie.

The text, of which the author was extremely proud, landed on the desks of Miramax executives. Delighted with its originality and above all seeing its potential, the Weinstein brothers, after agreeing on the purchase terms, sent it into production at Dimension Films, their subsidiary specializing in scaring audiences. From a close group of talented, acclaimed, and respected candidates for director, Wes Craven was chosen. The father of Freddy Krueger, more than a decade after bringing the horror superstar into the world, decided to take on the genre closest to him once again—this time in a subversive way, by deconstructing it.

Admittedly, he had already attempted this in his earlier Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, a successful though underappreciated variation on his most famous cinematic child, but the meta-game was only just about to begin. Filmed for a modest several million dollars, Scream (the original title was changed after the shoot) entered theaters just before Christmas in 1996 and became the event of the season. Although it did not reach the box-office podium, by spreading its earnings over several months it reached the threshold of 100 million dollars on the American market, writing a beautiful new chapter in the history of slashers.

And along with its financial success, it gained a considerable fanbase that, as it soon turned out, was very devoted. There were several factors that determined its popularity and quality. Above all, the story. On the one hand schematic, and on the other entering into a dialogue with itself, exposing genre repetition and predictability. Postmodern self-flagellation, subversion, and grappling with the genre’s rules were like a breath of fresh air for a slasher gasping in convulsions. All of this was achieved thanks to the excellent hand of Wes Craven, the creator who had helped shape those rules himself.

His masterful craftsmanship allowed him to introduce elements of humor, macabre touches, and self-irony without depriving the film of tension and dread, while also smuggling in a voice on the subject of violence in cinema. The director himself winked at fans by appearing in a cameo as the janitor Fred in a familiar outfit consisting of a hat and an old red-and-green striped sweater. What is noteworthy is that despite the revitalization and the polemic, Scream, full of references and quotations from the classics, did so with respect and love, itself becoming a classic—almost instantly.

Meanwhile Ghostface, in a mask bought for the equivalent of a few bucks (inspired by Edvard Munch’s The Scream), immediately advanced to the elite group of iconic horror figures, standing shoulder to shoulder with Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, Leatherface, and Chucky. The recognition did not stop with him. Sidney became the role of a lifetime for Neve Campbell, and the popularity meters spiked for Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and the rest of the young supporting cast. A small appearance by Drew Barrymore allowed her to inscribe herself in the annals thanks to the already canonical scene in the phenomenal prologue.

Scream 2

A fairly unexpected, though entirely deserved success needed to be capitalized on. The Weinstein brothers were not the kind to waste such an opportunity, and without waiting for the blood on Ghostface’s knife to fully dry, they gave the green light to a sequel. With a previously drafted outline of the script at hand, Kevin Williamson, the new star of Hollywood screenwriting, happily embraced the news and once again joined forces with Wes Craven. Viewers hungry for intense thrills seasoned with a touch of self-reflection didn’t have to wait long. Scream 2 hit theaters a year after the premiere of the first film.

In it, Sidney Prescott is once again tormented by a stalker hiding behind the characteristic mask, and she is once again aided by Gale and Dewey. The use of a brilliantly simple device consisting of introducing different antagonists in each installment of the series—yet all hiding under the same Ghostface uniform (and the voice of Roger L. Jackson)—eliminated the need for supernatural elements, as had been the case in Halloween, Friday the 13th, or A Nightmare on Elm Street. Thus, viewers of the sequels (plural) each time, in addition to strictly aesthetic values, received a bonus in the form of the mystery who is killing? 

The second part developed the concept from the first film very cleverly. It did not lose the element of surprise, still offering entertainment at first freshness, and the implementation of the film-within-a-film format (Stab—directed by Robert Rodriguez) elevated the production to a higher level of self-referential play. Laying out the rules governing sequels, the characters’ articulated belief in the superiority of sequels over originals, the multiplication of attractions and their intensification in the form of quantities of flowing gore, plot twists, tension, and playful teasing of the audience define this film. Once again, critics and viewers expressed their enthusiasm in unison at such entertainment.

The success of the two Screams, though unexpected, was well-deserved and so spectacular and significant that it brought a new wave to Hollywood, reanimating the popularity of slashers. Imitative productions capitalizing on the popularity of Craven’s films began springing up like mushrooms after rain. Just before the premiere of Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer hit theaters, followed a year later by its sequel and the launch of another series, Urban Legend. Kevin Williamson kept Hollywood happy, producing new scripts like an assembly line.

He worked on reviving the Halloweens eries, the TV show Dawson’s Creek, the films The Faculty and Teaching Mrs. T.. The overload of duties did not allow him to do one thing—finish his trilogy. So Ehren Kruger stepped in for him, initially using his notes but giving the story a new direction. Unfortunately, his work was far from solid, and such an approach generated delays that in turn caused headaches during production. Script turmoil and dissatisfaction from the Weinstein brothers and Wes Craven, who again sat in the director’s chair, caused further delays in production.

Scream 3

Rewrites, cast availability, and reshoots resulted in Scream 3 debuting two years after its predecessor—in February 2000. The action moved from Woodsboro to Hollywood, to the filming set of Stab 3. Thus, the genre’s meta-play was enriched with industry self-mockery. This produced a charming lineup of cameos in the form of Jay and Silent Bob and Princess Leia, as well as a larger dose of humor, which, although present in previous installments, this time seemed to disrupt the balance by standing almost equal with the horror elements. The plot, woven around Sidney’s increasingly convoluted family ties, evoked soap-opera patterns.

However, Prescott’s adventures, as she tries to solve the mystery of murders on the set with help from Gale and Dewey, still brought much enjoyment, and the twists fulfilled their purpose. As the production closing a trilogy, the film could not avoid outlining its rules, which were enthusiastically explained by the dearly missed Randy returning from beyond the grave. Despite still impressive financial results but weaker reception, the film closed the cycle for many years. Not insignificantly, Wes Craven did not want to fall into routine, believing the topic exhausted for the moment.

Of course, this allowed the series to catch its breath, grow in cult status, and inspire many imitators. Scream also became the object of jokes in the form of the parody Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th, but above all the Scary Movie series. Meanwhile, in 2023, after many years, fans could enjoy an unofficial, rough (black-and-white) assembly-cut version of the third film, lasting 141 minutes.

As history shows, horror is a grateful genre for never-ending series, and a counter stopping at three installments is—let’s be honest—an insult to a franchise. It seems obvious, but the resurrection of Ghostface did not come quickly. The prestige of Scream required an appropriate story, and audiences needed to miss the characters. In other words, the right moment had to be awaited. The signal for attack was the mass comeback of many hibernated cinematic (anti)heroes. Michael Myers, Freddy, Jason returned, but so did John Rambo, Henry Jones, and John McClane. It seemed that this was the moment.

Scre4m

Preparations for the comeback began in 2008, so that in 2011 the film world could be enriched with Scream 4 (original title: Scre4m). Wes Craven returned, for whom—as it turned out—it was the last film, but the father of the series, Kevin Williamson, and composer Marco Beltrami also returned. And of course Sidney, Gale, and Dewey returned. And all of them found themselves in the place where everything began—Woodsboro. New faces were inevitable, and they formed a solid group in the form of Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts, and Patrick Dempsey.

Poor Sidney still could not catch a break, because even after writing a self-therapeutic book about the murders from 15 years earlier, she is tormented by yet another Ghostface (still speaking with the voice of Roger L. Jackson), while she herself becomes a suspect in the new killings. Such is the everyday life of a slasher heroine. The fourth part was a partially successful return. Because above all it is a better film than the third one. Consistent, successfully expanding its universe, with an appropriate portion of humor but also a solid dose of tension. And still meta-thematic, this time playing with the idea of returns after many years.

Interestingly, the timeline between the third and fourth films was filled with a considerable number of sequels to the Stab series, which in Scream 4 had reached its seventh installment. And why was the return only partially successful? Because the film did not succeed in terms of popularity. Apparently, viewers raised on the trilogy had partly forgotten about their heroes, and young viewers were still too young, or simply did not identify with the too adult protagonists. Or perhaps they were simply offended by the absence of the traditional inclusion of Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand? Thus collapsed the plan to create a new trilogy, which Craven and Williamson had mentioned here and there. Meanwhile…

TV Series

Since young viewers needed their own, new heroes, MTV stepped in to meet those expectations by coming up with the harebrained idea of implementing Scream into a series format. Cutting itself off completely from the legacy (mainly due to copyright issues), keeping only the title and the basic concept with similar plot elements, it offered a new deal. In 2015 the series debuted on the small screen with the chaos-spreading Lakewood Slasher (this rather unremarkable name was given to the antagonist, with a new mask and the voice of Mike Vaughn), whose potential victims were newcomers to the franchise, more or less resembling their film counterparts.

The lead role was played by Willa Fitzgerald, accompanied by Bex Taylor-Klaus, Amadeus Serafini, and John Karna. As it later turned out — only Willa gained recognition. The production failed to win viewers’ sympathy. The beginning was still promising, the murder scenes clever and juicy, but to fill ten forty-minute episodes, the creators had to resort to fillers in the form of teen drama. Although the characters were likeable, the padding stuffed into the whole effectively lowered the tension. In every respect, the twin Scream Queens, debuting at the same time with Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis, surpassed the series Scream in verve and nonchalance.

Still, its recognizability was at an acceptable level, leading to a second season the following year — a season repeating the same mistakes. The whole thing ended with two Halloween special episodes — fairly neat nods to Agatha Christie. Those predicting the end of the show might have been a bit surprised when a third season was announced. It was, however, decided that it would be a reboot situating the series as an anthology. The work, overseen by Queen Latifah, took a while, but ultimately the six-episode Scream: Resurrection, with Keke Palmer (a casting transfer from Scream Queens), Giorgia Whigham, RJ Cyler, Paris Jackson (yes, the daughter of the King of Pop), and a guest appearance by Mary J. Blige, appeared in 2019.

The VH1 production had what the previous seasons could only envy. The classic Ghostface mask and Roger L. Jackson’s voice returned. Meanwhile, the sluggishness, the characters nobody cared about, and the utterly lukewarm atmosphere could discourage viewing, or at least induce sleepiness. No one came up with the idea for a fourth season. Fortunately. Because Scream belongs on the big screen — and the series format clearly does not serve this brand.

Despite a string of failures and disappointments, the question was never “if?” but rather “how?” to return. There was still potential to push the series onto new tracks. All the more so because it changed homes — forcibly. In the wake of accusations against Harvey Weinstein and his conviction, The Weinstein Company announced bankruptcy and liquidation in 2018. The rights to Scream were acquired by Spyglass Media Group. And since they invested, it was for one purpose — to reap measurable benefits. And that was the impetus for a new, spectacular opening. The plan was simple: we make something new without abandoning the old.

New Scream

The legacy of Wes Craven was taken over by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, a duo of young, ambitious directors who flashed a golden tooth with the energetic and inventive Ready or Not. Kevin Williamson stepped into the background, giving way to screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, and the score was handled by Brian Tyler. There were also casting shifts. It was decided to refresh the lineup and make two Carpenter sisters the protagonists (I imagine John Carpenter must have been quite pleased), played by Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, relegating the old guard to secondary roles.

The new Scream — debuting on screens in 2022 — is a requel, a production that is both a fresh start and a continuation of the series (something already signaled by the title identical to the 1996 original). The story strongly references its predecessor, recalling the events in Woodsboro from a quarter-century earlier. This time, the new heroine Tara becomes an almost-victim (breaking the traditional prologue rule) of Ghostface and, with the help of her older sister, tries to solve the mystery of who is behind the mask this time. Faithful support comes from Sidney, as well as the divorced Gale and Dewey.

It is traditionally family-driven, energetic, subversive, dark, surprising, bloody, and merciless. There is one unexpected return — actually two. I won’t reveal the first one, though rumors about it circulated even before the premiere. The second is Randy’s sister Martha from Scream 3, whose daughter appropriately explains the intricacies of film tropes and rules, this time concerning requels — a relatively new cinematic trend. Without a doubt, it is a production that treats Craven’s legacy with respect and dignity, while boldly confronting its own fans/fanatics, bluntly commenting on the behavior of some fiery (toxic) troublemakers.

The dot over the i is the telling and symbolic finale taking place in the house from the ending of the first film. The refreshed Scream had everything to win viewers’ sympathy — and it did, as reflected in its box-office performance and the influx of new fans. The financial spreadsheets at the studio lined up nicely, which allowed part six to be put into production just two weeks after the premiere. However, the producers served fans a massive twist. They failed to reach a financial agreement with the biggest star of the franchise, Neve Campbell, who stated that the proposed terms did not reflect the real value of her contribution to the series.

Scream VI

The studio went va banque, leaving the Carpenter sisters and the only remaining “constant,” Courteney Cox, on the battlefield. The invisible, off-screen winning team remained unchanged. Scream VI, with Roman numerals in the title symbolizing a new “thread” in the cycle, premiered a year after the previous installment and became a box office hit. It must be admitted that this time the foundations of success were laid by Jenna Ortega, who was emerging as the new “scream queen” thanks to the series Wednesday (in which she played the titular role), which catapulted her to the top of popularity while gaining a substantial teenage fandom.

The sixth Scream took beautiful advantage of this situation, becoming a March sensation and evoking the franchise’s early triumphs. It proved, surprisingly — a thought once unimaginable — that Sidney Prescott is not indispensable in this equation. The characters began to suffocate in Woodsboro. They needed space, so the writers relocated the action to New York City. Tara began her studies at Blackmore University, while her older sister attended therapy, trying to cope with recent events. At the same time, she faced online theories accusing her of the murders in Woodsboro.

The urban jungle did not prove to be a friendly environment for the Carpenter sisters and the Meeks-Martin twins, as they still couldn’t escape their fate, once again confronting the legendary knifeman who had no intention of hanging up the mask. As we can see, nothing changed for the protagonists — the carousel keeps spinning. This time, the creators focused more on slasher aesthetics: it is stronger, bloodier, and more brutal. Of course, they didn’t abandon the franchise’s signature, weaving in meta-commentary, tracking tropes, and exposing the rules defining the genre.

The icing on the cake was an exceptional, even moving moment when the characters arrived at a place that served as a kind of sanctuary (museum?) illustrating how large this universe had become (this phenomenon itself might be ripe for deconstruction). I perceived the scene as a summary of the series and — to reach even higher — a kind of Ghostface tribute gala. The absence of Sidney was compensated by the return of Kirby Reed, known from the fourth film, transformed and more mature (subtly teased in the previous installment), played by Hayden Panettiere — and it must be said that it was quite a successful attempt. Kirby was the brightest point in the cast.

The duology centered on the Carpenter sisters provided solid ground for continuing Scream. A bright future loomed before the creators and the studio. By mid-2023 the next sequel was already confirmed, and nothing suggested a collapse. A series of unfortunate events brought dark clouds over the franchise. It began innocently, with scheduling conflicts. In place of the busy Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, Christopher Landon was set to take over. But the catalyst for disaster was Spyglass’s rather hysterical reaction to Melissa Barrera’s comments about the war in the Gaza Strip. The actress was fired.

The next day Jenna Ortega announced her departure, citing her tight schedule (and months later confirmed what everyone knew — she was simply loyal to her film sister). Shortly after, the director resigned. The studio was in… trouble, but the decision on the next direction was obvious: yet another “new beginning” with the old guard. After years away, Kevin Williamson returned to the series, taking the director’s chair, attempting to bring to the screen a newly rewritten story by Guy Busick, accompanied by composer Marco Beltrami.

Along with Williamson came Neve Campbell (I suspect that was the basic condition), as well as Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere. Scream 7 (note the return to Arabic numerals — there are no accidents here), premiering in February 2026, will generally be a festival of comebacks, which — out of respect for those who crave surprises — I won’t mention. I will note, however, that from the cast of parts five and six we will see twins Chad and Mindy, and the story will revolve around a representative of the new generation — Sidney’s daughter.

The Scream series is undeniably one of the most distinctive and influential slasher franchises, which, through its approach and self-awareness, rises above mediocrity. A remarkable cycle with long-standing history and yet another iconic killer, writing himself into the annals of horror cinema with blood. Will the seventh film be the last? I doubt it. I am convinced Ghostface won’t say his last word here.

Oh, I almost forgot. A few months after the premiere of Scream 7, we can expect Scary Movie 6.