Summary
The Scream franchise has featured many iconic moments, butthe use of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' classic 90s anthem, ‘‘Red Right Hand’’, has become a major part of the series, and it needs to return inScream 7. The upcoming sequel will see the return of two Scream legends, Neve Campbell, who returns as Sidney Prescott, and original creator, Kevin WIlliamson, who has signed on to direct, making it likely that ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ will also return inScream 7.
‘‘Red Right Hand’’ has featured in every Scream movie, with the exception ofScream 4,and it has become synonymous with the horror franchise, with its lyrics and title perfectly referencing the nature of the classic horror series. The song was originally released in 1994 by the iconic Australian rock band, and they even recorded a new version of the song forScream 3.
When does Red Right Hand appear in the Scream movies?
Scream
The first time ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ featured inScreamwas after aSidney Prescott plot pointinvolving a call from Ghostface, telling her she pointed the finger at the wrong guy again, and there is an establishing shot of the sleepy town of Woodsboro, California as the song plays.
You’ll see him in your nightmares, you’ll see him in your dreams. He’ll appear out of nowhere, but he ain’t what he seems.
It appeared for a second and final time in the 1996 classic, when the curfew in Woodsboro takes full effect, with the locals shutting up their shops early and leaving the area to adhere to the lockdown.
Scream 2
‘‘Red Right Hand’’ returns inScream 2’s best ideawhen the opening sequence features the premiere ofStab, which tells the story of the events in the first Scream. The opening credits ofStabfeatures the classic song, as Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens arrive in the theater.
The song makes its second and final appearance inScream 2, in the aftermath of Cici Cooper’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) death, as it plays in the background as guests at the sorority/fraternity party leave in a panic after they hear about the murder at the Omega Beta Zeta house.
Scream 3
Due to the success of ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ in the Scream franchise,Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds actually wrote and recorded a new version of their classic song forScream 3.This jazzed up version is featured in the establishing shot of Sunrise Studios, whereStab 3: Return To Woodsborois in production. The version also featured on the Australian rock band’s album ‘‘B-Sides & Rarities’’.
Scream once, scream twice, now scream again, cover that face with your red right hand.
The song re-appears as the credits roll onScream 3, after Sidney, Gale, Dewey and Mark Kincaid gather at Sidney’s remote cabin to watch a movie, after successfully defeatingGhostface killer, Roman Bridger.
Scream (2022)
Scream 4is the only Scream movie not to feature ‘‘Red Right Hand’’, which was a disappointment to fans of the franchise, despite the movie still being well received.After 22 years since it last appeared, the song returned in Radio Silence’sScream (2022).
Stu Macher’s nephew, Vince Schneider, leaves a local bar in Woodsboro after a run in with Chad Meeks-Martin, and as he approaches his car, he hears ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ playing on his stereo. He turns the song off, and he is subsequently jabbed in the neck by Ghostface’s knife, as the song returns briefly as the brutal scene ends.
Scream 6
After only one use of the song inScream (2022),‘‘Red Right Hand’’ features twice inScream 6.The first time the song appears is on the campus of Blackmore university, as Mindy Meeks-Martin runs the group through the new rules in order to survive a horror franchise.
After Sam and Tara successfully kill all three Ghostface killers in the shrine, ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ plays in the background, as it features in the footage of Richie’s fan film. It’s a very meta way to include the song, as Richie uses it because it features inthe Stab franchise, which was based on the events of the Scream movies, which originally featured the song. There is actually afan-made movie calledRed Right Hand, which was made by YouTube content creator and Scream superfan,KillJoy Jake.
Scream 7 needs to bring Red Right Hand back in a unique and original way
Kevin WIlliamsonwill finally get the chance to direct a Scream movie after creating the franchise back in the 90s.Scream 7will likely pay tribute to the legacy of the franchise, and that could mean the return of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' ‘‘Red Right Hand’'.To keep in tradition with the different ways the song has appeared in previous Scream sequels, ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ must be used in a unique and original way inScream 7.
The ultimate way to include the song would be to approach Nick Cave about re-recording and maybe writing a new version of ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ forScream 7, just like he did previously withScream 3. The song has arguably become Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ most well-known song in their eclectic back catalog, and it’s not a stretch to suggest they would revisit the song to feature in the franchise that largely put ‘‘Red Right Hand’’ on the map.
