The original Scream is a spot on perfect movie. Notice how I didn’t say it was a perfect horror movie? I feel like that would minimize how much I love Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s game changing ode to slasher movies. Word broke this week that Spyglass Media Group, who picked up the Dimension library after the Weinstein scandal, was developing a project to bring Scream back to the big screen after the franchise had a lackluster 3 seasons on TV (the first 2 seasons on MTV, the final on VH1). It is unknown if the new movie with be a direct sequel, a remake, prequel, or reboot as it appears we are super early in the process. But that should not stop us from speculating!
I’m not too proud to admit that I wrote a spec Scream 4 script nearly a decade before we got Craven’s final Scream movie. After Scream 3 I was itching to get the gang back to Woodsboro, so I thought a good way to do that would be to shift the story to Martha Meeks and a new cast of young faces as more familiar character took a back seat with supporting roles. The real Scream 4 took us back to Woodsboro, which was awesome (sadly we did not get the return of Randy’s sister), but the movie was still heavily focused on the returning cast members. As much as I love Sid, Dewey, and Gail, it felt like it was time to move past them- None of the new cast got to shine as bright as they could have.
So, here are my hopes for Scream 5 (or 5cream which seems to be the Twitter favorite for the new title):
Location
Take us away from Woodsboro, but place us in a similar small town/community. Nothing jarring like Hollywood and no big cities like New York City, Chicago, etc. I want a location that calls back to the original. A sleepy small town with some dark secrets and urban legends (hey, we need potential red herrings!).
Characters
I would love to see all new characters, could be High School or College depending on what the overall story calls for. Would love to see a supporting character connect us to the past movies, could be something as simple as the return of Patrick Dempsey’s Mark Kincaid, who is brought in by the local Sheriff to consult on their Ghostface problem or maybe the above mentioned Martha Meeks as a High School teacher (or guidance counselor). I mean who wouldn’t love to see Heather Matarazzo take on a larger role in a Scream movie? Connect us to the earlier movies, but don’t overshadow all of the potential new characters.
Poke Fun at Horror Without Being a Full on Parody
Scream 3 was the kind of movie that the OG and sequel would have made fun of, and Scream 4 turned into a full on parody with its opening and hospital climax. We need the balance of a good old fashioned slasher movie that both loves and pokes fun at horror without going completely over the top. With the movie being the 5th film in the series, I’d expect jokes about how horror series get worse the longer they go on, how they replace cast members with younger “clone” actors, and how many horror movies get TV spinoffs that have nothing to do with the movies.
And finally, yes, I’d love to see Sid, Gail, and Dewey in some form- many some well placed cameos. Hell, if the kids in this movie throw a party, I’d expect them to watch the original Stab and… I’d expect this version to feature more scenes with Tori Spelling as Sid (they may have to use the Marvel de-aging trick here).
There are so many directions they can go with for Scream 5. I’m just excited that it is in the works. (…and I hope it is not a remake!)
What are your hopes for Scream 5? Post ideas in our comments!
