Summary
Scream 7has big shoes to fill after the resounding success of the previous two movies in particular. The pressure has intensified sinceMelissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega’s exits, but Neve Campbell is returning as Sidney Prescott and Kevin WIlliamson is on board to direct, and that has the fans of the franchise very excited aboutScream 7’s prospects. However, every sequel in the franchise has always lived in the shadow of the 1996 original, andifScream 7is going to be a success, it needs to move past the hype that surrounds the firstScream.
Campbell and Williamson’s return to the horror franchise is bound to get fans thinking about Wes Craven’s classic from 1996, but they need to be realistic about their expectations. Also,the creative team behindScream 7need to stop paying tribute to the originalScream, and create something new and fresh for modern day audiences.Scream (2022)was very respectful to the original, with several nods to Craven, with the return to the small town of Woodsboro and, in particular, Stu’s house, which featured in the finale, just like it did way back in 1996 inScene 118.
Scream
Starring
Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, Henry Winkler, W. Earl Brown and Drew Barrymore
Directed By
Wes Craven
Back in 1996, Wes Craven was in desperate need of a hit movie after a series of box office flops, which included his Freddy Krueger slasher sequel, titledWes Craven’sNew Nightmare, which was a pre-cursor toScreamin many ways, with its meta commentary and tongue in cheek humor. Craven was initially reticent about making ‘another scary movie’ when he was offered the directing gig forScream. However, he eventually relented, and the rest is history.
Screamwas unlike any slasher movie that came before it because it knew it was a scary movie.The characters were self-aware and smart, in contrast to the 80s slasher victims who made some rather questionable decisions in the face of terror.The Scream franchise is now six movies deep into the series, so it’s impossible to recapture the vibe of the original.The audience knows what a Scream movie is all about, making it harder to emulate the 1996 classic.
Kevin Williamson
Screamis the holy grail of slasher movies, and is considered to be near perfect in every way, which is why the sequels have tried to recapture that lightning in a bottle feeling of the original, but they have failed to achieve it.Scream 7should avoid paying tribute to the original, and carve out its own legacy.
Don’t f*** with the original
As much as the Scream franchise is all about commenting on horror, maybe it is time to move past that particular angle.Scream 7could be something completely different to the originalScream, and it would be a lot better for it.Of course, fans want to see little nods to the original 1996 movie, but the vast majority don’t want a carbon copy of it.
Kevin Williamsonwill likely want to move in a new direction withScream 7. Many fans believe the upcoming sequel is in safe hands under his leadership, as nobody knows more about what direction the franchise should go in, than him. Of course, Wes Craven was largely responsible for the success ofScream, but it all came from the mind of Kevin Williamson.
The screenplay forScream 7has been written by Guy Busick, who co-wroteScream (2022)andScream 6with James Vanderbilt. However,Williamson should make changes to the script to make sure it doesn’t feel too much like a re-hash ofScream. As for the visual style ofScream 7, that will be Williamson’s unique vision, which is likely to be different to that of Wes Craven’s originalScream. Having said that, Williamson clearly respected the visionary director from his time working with him, and it’s highly likely he would’ve picked up a few tips from his mentor.
IfScream 7wants to avoid comparisons to the originalScream, atrue-crime documentarycould be used to replace thehorror commentary.This could introduce a brand-new subject for the core characters to discuss, rather than horror movies, which was very much a feature ofScream. Of course, it wouldn’t be Scream without some horror movie analysis, but it could definitely be toned down somewhat. Also,a good way to move away from the originalScream, would be to revisit some of theSidney plot pointsfrom the sequels, which often get overlooked in favor of paying tribute to the original.
Sidney Prescott was the focus of the originalScream, so obvious comparisons will be made toScream 7, but the iconic final girl has appeared in four sequels since then, all of which explored the character in more depth, and they are deserving of some attention inScream 7’s Sidney story, rather than harping back to the 1996 classic.
