From vampires and zombies to possession movies and found footage, the horror genre is marked by the rising and falling popularity of its various sub-genres. In the early '80s, the huge success of Halloween and Friday the 13th inspired a wave of slasher movies, which usually revolved around a masked killer picking off a group of unfortunate teenage victims. While none hit the commercial heights of those original films, films such as The Burning, Sleepaway Camp, and My Bloody Valentine--not to mention the many Friday the 13th and Halloween sequels--are among the defining scary movies of the era.
But it didn't last long of course, and the slasher cycle had burnt itself out by the end of the decade. By the time the early '90s rolled round, American horror itself was in a slump--the big movies of that era were mainstream studio films such as Silence of the Lambs and Misery, with very little emerging to take the genre in an interesting new direction.
So it's ironic that it was a slasher movie, titled Scream, that revived the genre in 1996 and gave it one of its biggest ever successes. But Scream wasn't just any slasher movie. Creator Kevin Williamson wrote a funny, clever, self-referential film, and veteran horror director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Eyes Have Eyes) ensured that it was as tense and scary as it was funny and knowing. Scream made more than $173 million at the worldwide box office, and inspired its own wave of imitators over the next few years.
Three Scream sequels followed, all written by Williamson and directed by Craven. But the comparatively mediocre box office results for 2012's Scream 4, plus Craven's sad death in 2015, seemed to end the possibility of further movies. The franchise moved to the small screen, with three seasons of the Scream TV show airing between 2015 and 2019.
But this is the horror genre, and nothing stays dead long. Confirmation that a new Scream movie was definitely happening arrived in early 2020, and since then, directors, writers, and cast members--both old and new--have been announced. Scream 5 now has a confirmed 2022 release date, meaning that the return of Ghostface is less than two years away. So here's everything we know so far about Scream 5.
What's the title?
The movie is yet to be given an official title. All the previous movies were simply numerical sequels, so Scream 5 is a definite possibility. But it will have been 10 years since Scream 4 by the time the fifth movie arrives, so a newer, fresher title seems possible too. Or perhaps it will go the Halloween and Candyman reboot/sequel route, and simply call itself Scream.
What's the release date?
Scream 5 is currently scheduled to hit theaters on January 14, 2022. Of course, no movie release date--even one over a year away--is guaranteed right now, but with any luck we'll see it in early 2022.
Who's directing?
Scream 5 will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The pair are part of the LA-based filmmaking trio Radio Silence (with Chad Villella), and previously helmed a story in the horror anthology V/H/S, the 2014 supernatural horror Devil's Due, 2015's anthology Southbound, and last year's acclaimed horror comedy Ready or Not. And as with these previous movies, Villella will act as producer on Scream 5.
Who's coming back?
Several members of the original Scream cast have been added over the past few months. David Arquette, who plays Woodsboro's Deputy Sheriff Dewey Riley, was first to be announced, followed by Courteney Cox, who will reprise her role as journalist Gale Weathers, and Marley Shelton, who appeared as Deputy Judy Hicks in Scream 4. In September, the series' main star Neve Campbell confirmed that she will return as Sidney Prescott.
Who's new?
A host of new names have been added to Scream 5's cast list. It's currently unknown what roles they will be playing, but so far, the roll call includes Jack Quaid (The Boys), Melissa Barrera (In The Heights), Jenna Ortega (The Babysitter: Killer Queen), Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why), Mason Gooding (Booksmart), Kyle Gallner (American Sniper), Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers), and Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood).
Who's the writer?
Scream 5 will be the first movie in the series not to be written by Kevin Williamson, with Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt handling screenplay duties this time round. Busick previously wrote Ready or Not as well as episodes of Castle Rock, while Vanderbilt's credits include David Fincher's Zodiac and The Amazing Spider-Man. Williamson is still on board as a producer however, so it's unlikely that movie will deviate too far from the tone of the previous movies.
Is there anything to watch?
The movie has not started production, so there are no images, clips, or behind-the-scenes footage yet. However, a short teaser was released to announce the release date, showing the iconic Ghostface mask emerging from darkness.
What's the story?
There are currently no details about the story of Scream 5, so all we can do is speculate about what the plot will involve. Following the tendency of the other movies to satirise what they are--Scream comments on slasher movie conventions, and Scream 2 does the same for slasher sequels--it's possible that Scream 5 will take a similar approach for horror reboots. Scream 4 ended with Sidney’s niece unveiled as the latest masked killer, so the new movie might deal with how this has affected her. And with four members of the original cast returning, it's a good bet the movie will be set in Woodsboro once more. But all of this is guesswork--we'll know for sure in 2022.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.