| Scream | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Kevin Williamson |
| Original work | Scream (1996) |
| Owners |
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| Years | 1996–present |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | |
| Television series | Scream: The TV Series (2015–2019) |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | |
Scream is an Americanslasherfranchise that includes six films (and a seventh in active development), a television series, merchandise, and games.[1][2] The first four films were directed byWes Craven. The series was created byKevin Williamson, who wrote the first two films and the fourth, and will return to write and direct the seventh film.Ehren Kruger wrote the third. The fifth and sixth installments were directed byMatt Bettinelli-Olpin andTyler Gillett, withGuy Busick andJames Vanderbilt serving as writers and Williamson returning as executive producer.Dimension Films produced the first four films.Spyglass Media Group took over the rights from the fifth film on withParamount Pictures distributing. The film series has grossed overUS$910 million at the global box office.
Neve Campbell,Courteney Cox,David Arquette, andRoger L. Jackson (who voices the variousGhostface killers) starred in the first five films, and will return for the seventh. Cox and Jackson reprised their roles for the sixth and are the only cast members to feature in all films to date, with Cox also being the only actress to appear in six consecutive films of a horror franchise.[3]Hayden Panettiere stars in the fourth and sixth films, whileMelissa Barrera,Jenna Ortega,Mason Gooding, andJasmin Savoy Brown star in the fifth and sixth, with Gooding and Brown also reprising their roles in the seventh.Jamie Kennedy andLiev Schreiber feature in the first three films,Skeet Ulrich stars in the first and cameos in the fifth and sixth installments,Marley Shelton appears in the fourth and fifth, andJack Quaid stars in the fifth and cameos in the sixth. Additionally,Heather Matarazzo makes cameo appearances in the third and fifth films, as doesNancy O'Dell in the second, third and fourth. Having appeared in the iconic opening scene of the first film and on its poster,Drew Barrymore is strongly associated with the franchise.[4] The series has also featured many notable actors making single-film appearances in supporting cast roles or as cameos.
Scream (1996),Scream 2 (1997),Scream (2022), andScream VI (2023) received high praise from critics.Scream 3 (2000) received a more mixed response, as didScream 4 (2011), Craven's final film; both were later reappraised and the fourth film was generally seen as a return to form for the series. Commercially, the first three films and the fifth and sixth were high performers at the box office, whileScream 4 had a disappointing domestic run.[5] The film series has also been the recipient of severalawards and nominations, including winningBest Movie twice at theMTV Awards (forScream in 1996 andScream VI in 2023).
The first four films followSidney Prescott and her struggle against a succession of murderers who adopt the guise ofGhostface to stalk and kill their victims, the killers often motivated by revenge, jealousy, and seeking notoriety. Sidney receives support from town policemanDewey Riley, tabloid reporterGale Weathers, and film-geeksRandy Meeks andKirby Reed, along with various other friends, romantic partners, and acquaintances that change as the series progresses. The fifth and sixth films followSamantha Carpenter and her sister,Tara, who are targeted due to their connection to the original killers. Together with their friendsMindy andChad Meeks-Martin (niece and nephew of Randy Meeks) and some of the original survivors (including Sidney, Gale, Dewey, and Kirby), they must contend with new Ghostface killers.
The first film,Scream, was released on December 20, 1996, and became the highest-grossing slasher film in the world until the release ofHalloween (2018).[6] The second entry,Scream 2, was released less than a year later on December 12, 1997. The third installment,Scream 3, was released on February 4, 2000, and was originally the concluding chapter of the series. Eleven years later, the franchise was revived with a fourth installment,Scream 4, which was released on April 15, 2011. Ananthology television seriesScream, which followed new characters and settings and is notcanon to the films, aired for three seasons from 2015 to 2016 onMTV and onVH1 in 2019. Afifth installment in the film series was released on January 14, 2022,[7] directed by Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett. Busick and Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay, and original creator Williamson returned as an executive producer. It is the first installment in the film series to not be directed by Wes Craven, who died in 2015. A sixth installment,Scream VI, was released on March 10, 2023, developed by the same directors and screenwriters as the fifth film.
Williamson's original script for the first film was bought byMiramax and developed under theDimension Films label. Craven recruited composerMarco Beltrami to score the film. Williamson was unable to writeScream 3 due to his commitment to other projects.Ehren Kruger replaced him as screenwriter. Kruger also provided uncredited rewrites forScream 4. Craven ran into conflicts with theMotion Picture Association of America over the series and was forced to reduce the violence inScream 3 due to theColumbine High School massacre resulting in increased focus on violence in the media.Scream became notable for its use of established and recognizable actors, which was uncommon for slasher films at the time.
The first film has been credited with revitalizing the horror genre in the late 1990s by combining a traditional slasher film with humor, characters aware of horror filmcliches and a clever plot. It was one of the highest-grossing films of 1996 and became the highest-grossing slasher film in the world, an honor it held until it was surpassed by 2018'sHalloween. Its success was matched byScream 2, which not only broke box-office records of the time but was also considered superior to the original by some critics.Scream 3 fared worse than its predecessors critically, with many reviewers commenting that it had become the type of horror film it originally parodied inScream andScream 2, while others praised it for successfully completing the film trilogy. The movie and its themes were re-evaluated in the wake of theMeToo movement[8][9] and it underwent a positive reappraisal in the years since its release.[10]Scream 4 also received mixed reviews, with criticism mainly aimed at its use of horror film cliches, although many considered it an improvement over its predecessor.[11] Like the third film, it was critically reappraised years after its release.[12] Both films, especiallyScream 4 and its killers' motives, are now widely seen as being ahead of their time.[13][14] The fifth and sixth entries received mostly positive reviews.[15][16]Collider said the franchise worked so well because at heart it is really a mystery series.[2]
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scream | December 20, 1996 | Wes Craven | Kevin Williamson | Cary Woods, Harvey Weinstein, &Cathy Konrad |
| Scream 2 | December 12, 1997 | Wes Craven, Cathy Konrad, Harvey Weinstein, &Marianne Maddalena | ||
| Scream 3 | February 4, 2000 | Ehren Kruger | Cathy Konrad, Kevin Williamson, Harvey Weinstein, & Marianne Maddalena | |
| Scream 4 | April 15, 2011 | Kevin Williamson | Wes Craven, Iya Labunka, & Kevin Williamson | |
| Scream | January 14, 2022 | Matt Bettinelli-Olpin &Tyler Gillett | James Vanderbilt &Guy Busick | Paul Neinstein, William Sherak & James Vanderbilt |
| Scream VI | March 10, 2023 | |||
| Scream 7 | February 27, 2026[17] | Kevin Williamson | Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick & James Vanderbilt |
The film series began withScream, premiering on December 18, 1996, at theAMC Avco theater inWestwood, California[18] and was generally released on December 20, 1996. Based on a screenplay by screenwriterKevin Williamson and directed byWes Craven, creator of theA Nightmare on Elm Street franchise,Scream offered a self-referential approach to horror by featuring a cast of characters aware of the conventions/clichés of thehorror film genre and able to use them to survive. The film focuses on teenagerSidney Prescott as she comes under attack from a mysterious character dubbedGhostface while dealing with the anniversary of her mother's murder. The film went on to be a financial success and received considerable critical acclaim for its deconstruction of the horror genre. It is credited with revitalizing the horror genre in the mid 90s and inspiring an array of imitators.[19] It was particularly notable for its casting of established and popular actors and actresses which was previously uncommon in horror films.[20]
The series continued withScream 2, premiering atMann's Chinese Theater,[18] followed by a general release on December 12, 1997. Written by Williamson and directed by Craven, released less than a year after the original film. LikeScream, the film features characters aware of the horror genre and the conventions of the horror sequel, mocking them while simultaneously falling victim to them. Set in 1998, the film again focuses on the character of Sidney Prescott, now a college student, as a series ofcopycat crimes begin, the killers again using the disguise of Ghostface. The film was financially successful,[21] and received similar critical praise for its deconstruction of the horror film sequel and commentary on the influence of the media in society. The script forScream 2 was leaked during production revealing the identity of the killers and so the film underwent extensive rewrites, changing the identity of the killers, though their motivation remained the same.[22][23]
The series continued withScream 3, which premiered on February 3, 2000, at the AMC Avco theater in Westwood, California[24] and was generally released on February 4, 2000. Like previous entries, the film was directed by Craven, but Williamson was unable to formulate a complete script due to his commitment to the short-lived television seriesWasteland and his original filmTeaching Mrs. Tingle (1999). Consequently, he wound up being replaced byEhren Kruger who finalized a script based on several ideas supplied by Williamson. Set in 2000, the film focuses on Sidney Prescott who faces a new Ghostface killer and the truth about her mother that led to the start of the Ghostface killings. The film, like its predecessors, featured characters who were self-aware of horror conventions, in this case the rules and structure of the final entry in a movie trilogy.Scream 3 was less successful than the previous two installments, commentators noting that the film had become akin to the horror films it originally parodied inScream andScream 2. Others were critical of the change in tone, focusing more on humor instead of horror and violence. However, critics who reacted positively were supportive of this change in tone and praised the film for successfully completing the film trilogy.[25] The movie and its themes were re-evaluated and examined in the wake of theMeToo movement.[8][9]
In July 2008,The Weinstein Company announced the development of a new sequel,Scream 4, written by Williamson with Craven being secured for the project in March 2010. In May 2010,Cathy Konrad, producer of the original threeScream films filed aUS$3 million lawsuit against The Weinstein Company alleging they violated an agreement with her company, Cat Entertainment, that gave them first rights to produce allScream films.[26] The Weinstein Company argued that the agreement requires Konrad's services to be exclusive to the franchise, an argument that Konrad called "false pretext" as the previous films did not make this stipulation.[26] Konrad accused the Weinsteins of attempting to force her to walk away without compensation in order to hire a cheaper producer (Craven's wife Iya Labunka) and cut costs.[27] In April 2011, it was reported that the case had been settled out of court by The Weinstein Company.[28]
The film underwent reshoots of some scenes in January 2011 with Craven stating that they were to enhance some scenes but that the ending remains untouched, countering criticism that, following a January 6, 2011test screening,[29] the film may undergo significant changes due to poor audience responses.[30] The fourth installment premiered on April 11, 2011, at Grauman's Chinese Theater with a general release on April 15, 2011. The film takes place ten years after the previous film, and once again follows Sidney Prescott as she returns to Woodsboro, the fictional town whereScream takes place, on the last stop of her book tour and encounters another set of murders and a killer, again using the guise of Ghostface.[31][32]
In 2011, Craven confirmed he was contracted to work on a fifth and sixth installment of theScream franchise, to be made if the fourth film achieved a successful release and reception.[33] Williamson also stated he had contractual obligations for scripts forScream 4 andScream 5, having submitted concepts for three films leading up toScream 6, though his contract for the sixth film had not yet been finalized. Williamson indicated that if aScream 5 were to be made, it would be a continuation of the story of the characters who lived throughScream 4 but thatScream 4 would not include any cliffhangers that led into the potential sequel.[34]
Before the release ofScream 4, actor David Arquette also added his support for a potential future of the franchise.[35] In February 2012, when asked about the potential for makingScream 5, Williamson stated at the time that he did not know if it would be made, saying "I'm not doing it."[36]
On September 30, 2013, Harvey Weinstein expressed his interest in a fifth installment.[37] Two years later in June 2015, theWashington Street Journal reported Bob Weinstein, when asked about the possibility of a film continuation afterScream 4, firmly denied the possibility of a fifth installment or any further continuation of the film franchise, citing theMTV television series as the right place for the franchise to find new life.[38] But after the death of Craven in 2015 and thesexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein shut down the Weinstein Company, the series's future was in limbo.
However, in early 2019, it was reported thatBlumhouse Productions was interested in reviving the series, and that head of studioJason Blum was working on making suchScream installments happen.[39] In November 2019,Spyglass Media Group acquired the rights to make a newScream film.[40][41] The next month, it was announced that the film would feature a new cast but could possibly feature appearances from previous main cast members.[42]
In March 2020, it was announced thatMatt Bettinelli-Olpin andTyler Gillett would direct the fifth installment, with Williamson serving as an executive producer, and that the film had already entered official development, with filming planned to begin in May 2020.[43] That same month, it was announcedDavid Arquette would be reprising his role ofDewey Riley for the fifth film;James Vanderbilt andGuy Busick were announced as additional writers.[44] In June 2020,Variety reported that the film would be distributed byParamount Pictures and was initially aiming for a 2021 release, which would be 25 years since the first movie was released in 1996. On July 31, 2020, Cox confirmed her return to the franchise for the fifth installment. The news was then confirmed by various other outlets.[45][46] In August 2020,Melissa Barrera andJenna Ortega were cast in undisclosed roles.[47][48] In the same month, Paramount Pictures announced that the film is scheduled to be released on January 14, 2022, having been delayed from its original 2021 tentative release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[49] In September 2020,Jack Quaid joined the cast in an undisclosed role.[50] In the same month, it was confirmed that Neve Campbell and Marley Shelton would return to reprise their roles withDylan Minnette,Mason Gooding,Kyle Gallner,Jasmin Savoy Brown,Mikey Madison, andSonia Ben Ammar joining the cast.[51][52][53] Filming began on September 22, 2020.[54][55][56] In November 2020, Williamson confirmed that the film's official title would simply beScream.[57]
Scream was released on January 14, 2022, byParamount Pictures.[58][59]
Campbell and the fifth film's directors have expressed interest in making future films in the series.[60] A sixth installment was officially greenlit on February 3, 2022, with the same creative team returning and with production slated to begin in mid-2022 inMontreal, Canada.[61] In March 2022, it was announced that the film was scheduled for release on March 10, 2023,[62] and that Courteney Cox would reprise her role as Gale Weathers.[63] On May 10, 2022, it was announced that Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and Jenna Ortega would also return for the sixth film.[64] The following day, it was announced thatHayden Panettiere would reprise her role ofKirby Reed from the fourth film.[65] On June 3, 2022,Dermot Mulroney joined the cast.[66] On June 6, 2022, it was announced Campbell would not be returning as Sidney Prescott for the sixth film. The actress made a statement about how her contract and salary negotiations had stalled with Paramount; she said, "As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes toScream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."[67]
In 2023,Scream (2022) andScream VI directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet were "hopeful" for a seventh film in the series.[68] They also stated that they wanted Campbell to return in future installments.[69] In August 2023, it was announcedChristopher Landon was set to direct the seventh film.[70] Production had been slowed by the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and2023 Writers Guild of America strike; plans were pushed back again on November 21, 2023, whenMelissa Barrera was fired from the film for social media posts in support of Palestine during theGaza war, which were interpreted as antisemitic by the producers.[71] The next day, it was announced thatJenna Ortega was not returning due to scheduling conflicts with filming the Netflix seriesWednesday,[72] though later sources said it was due to a salary dispute with Spyglass Media Group.[73] Ortega spoke out in 2025, stating that her leaving the project "had nothing to do with pay or scheduling" but rather the losses of Barrera, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillet.[74] It was also reported that screenwriters Vanderbilt and Busick were now tasked with "starting from scratch".[75] Landon announced on December 23, 2023, that he was no longer associated with the sequel.[76][77]
In March 2024,Neve Campbell announced she would return as Sidney Prescott for the seventh film.Kevin Williamson was additionally announced as the film's director.[78] In October 2024, Paramount announcedScream 7 would be released on February 27, 2026.Courteney Cox's return was confirmed in December.[79][80] In November 2024, it was reported thatIsabel May would portray a daughter of Sidney Prescott in the film.[81] In December 2024, it was announced thatAnna Camp,[82]Celeste O'Connor,[83]Asa Germann,[84]Mckenna Grace,[85] andSam Rechner[86] would appear in the film, withMason Gooding andJasmin Savoy Brown reprising their roles fromScream (2022) andScream VI.[87][88] In March 2025, it was announced thatDavid Arquette would appear in the film and reprise his role asDewey Riley.[89]
On January 7, 2025, it was announced that filming forScream 7 had begun.[90]
On June 4, 2012, it was reported that MTV was in the early stages of developing a weekly television series spun off from theScream franchise.[91] David Arquette stated on Twitter that he would not be a part of the television series.[92] On April 25, 2013,The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that MTV had greenlit the TV series, with Craven in talks about directing the pilot.[93] On July 26, 2013, it was reported thatCriminal Minds writers Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin had been recruited to write the pilot script.[94] On April 2, 2014, it was reported that the show would be penned by Jill Blotevogel (Ravenswood,Eureka andHarper's Island), and would focus on a YouTube video gone viral which would have adverse repercussions for teenagers of Lakewood and serve as the "catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town's troubled past".[95] The lead actors areWilla Fitzgerald,Bex Taylor-Klaus,Bobby Campo,Connor Weil,Carlson Young,Amadeus Serafini andJohn Karna.[96]
On April 12, 2015, the first trailer for the series was aired during the2015 MTV Movie Awards presented byBella Thorne, also revealing the final premiere date of the series, which aired on June 30, 2015.[97] An official promotional picture of the series' re-imagined mask was revealed in early June 2015. Initially, Craven expressed his approval of the redesign and hinted at its origins and possible plot significance.[98] However, Craven was later critical about the network's decision to abandon the Ghostface mask in the television series.[99]
On August 30, 2015,Wes Craven died of brain cancer. The first-season finale, "Revelations", included a tribute to him during the opening credits.[100] The second season ofScream premiered on May 30, 2016.[101]
On October 14, 2016, MTV renewed theScream television series for a six-episode third season.[102][103][104][105] On April 26, 2017, MTV announced that they would berebooting the series with the third season instead of completing the original storyline, with a new cast and setting. As part of the reboot process, it was revealed thatBrett Matthews will be serving as the main showrunner. In addition, Matthews,Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere and Yaneley Arty will be added as executive producers for the series underFlavor Unit Entertainment.[106][107] On July 19, 2017,The Hollywood Reporter announced that the series would transition into ananthology series following the third season if it was a success, information corroborated by MTV president Chris McCarthy.[108] The new cast members for the season areRJ Cyler,C. J. Wallace,Tyga,Keke Palmer,Jessica Sula,Giullian Yao Gioiello,Giorgia Whigham andTyler Posey.[109][110][111]
On September 18, 2017, it was announced that the Ghostface mask from the film series would be making an appearance in the third season.[112] On October 10, 2017, Keke Palmer confirmed in an interview thatRoger L. Jackson, who voiced Ghostface in the film series, would return for the third season, replacing Mike Vaughn, who served as the voice for two characters, the Lakewood Slasher in the first two seasons and the Shallow Grove Slasher in the Halloween special episodes of the second season.[113]
After the second season, the series moved from MTV to VH1.[103] The third and final season, subtitled "Resurrection", premiered onVH1 from July 8 to 10, 2019.[103]
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in two or more releases in the franchise.
| Crew/detail | Films | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scream | Scream 2 | Scream 3 | Scream 4 | Scream | Scream VI | Scream 7 | ||
| 1996 | 1997 | 2000 | 2011 | 2022 | 2023 | 2026 | ||
| Composer | Marco Beltrami | Brian Tyler |
| Marco Beltrami | ||||
| Cinematographer | Mark Irwin | Peter Deming | Brett Jutkiewicz | Ramsey Nickell | ||||
| Editor | Patrick Lussier | Peter McNulty | Michel Aller | Jay Prychidny | Jim Page | |||
| Production company | Woods Entertainment |
|
|
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| |||
| Distributor | Dimension Films | Paramount Pictures | ||||||
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Craven initially intended to hire talented, but relatively unknown actors who had not yet had a "big break" in the film industry, as he had done withA Nightmare on Elm Street'sJohnny Depp andShocker'sPeter Berg.[118] However, the decision was made to cast actors who already had a notable body of work, marking a change from many previous horror films where casting current, popular actors was unheard of. Craven believed their budget was inadequate to secure the actors they were pursuing but felt thatDrew Barrymore's presence made people eager to take part and accepting of a lower salary.[119]
Barrymore initially approached the production herself after reading the script and was signed to play Sidney Prescott.[120] However, as time progressed, her schedule commitments meant she would be unable to remain in the leading role, so she volunteered to play the smaller role ofCasey Becker who dies early in the film.[120] The production felt that killing off an actress of Barrymore's stature early on would be a risk but thought that it would be shocking to the audience and make them believe that no other character was safe.[121] Following Barrymore's changed role,Alicia Witt andBrittany Murphy auditioned for the lead and the production also considered contactingReese Witherspoon. The role was ultimately given toNeve Campbell after the director saw her inParty of Five, believing she could best embody a character who was "innocent" but also able to handle herself while dealing with the physicality and emotions of the role.[119][121] Though reluctant to undertake another horror film so soon afterThe Craft,[119] Campbell chose to doScream as it would be her first leading role and she adored the character, saying "She's a fantastic character for any kind of movie."[122] The production wanted a recognizable face for the role ofnews reporterGale Weathers, offering it to bothBrooke Shields andJaneane Garofalo.[123]Cox, who was starring in the hitNBC sitcomFriends at the time, was not considered due to her history of playing softer, kinder characters. Cox however lobbied hard for the role for that reason, wishing to play a "bitch" character, her efforts ultimately succeeding when she was cast.[119] ActressesMelinda Clarke andRebecca Gayheart auditioned for the role ofTatum Riley beforeRose McGowan was cast due to her best embodying the "spunky" nature of the character.[123] It was believed the collective strong female cast of Campbell, Barrymore, Cox and McGowan would help draw a significant female audience to the film.[121]
Kevin Patrick Walls, who played Barrymore's boyfriend Steve Orth in the opening ofScream, was one of the final candidates for the role of Sidney's boyfriend,Billy Loomis, alongsideJustin Whalin before it was won bySkeet Ulrich.[121][124] Campbell and Ulrich had a prior working relationship onThe Craft which they believed help them better develop the relationship between Sidney and Billy.[122]David Arquette was also approached for the role of Billy Loomis but instead wanted the role of Dewey. The role was described as "hunky" instead of the younger, "goofier" approach of Arquette but Craven appreciated the idea and cast him in the role.[119]Matthew Lillard was cast by chance as he had accompanied his then-girlfriend to a separate audition whereScreamcasting director Lisa Beach saw him and asked him to audition, where he secured the role ofStu Macher.[123] The role ofRandy Meeks was contested betweenJamie Kennedy andBreckin Meyer with the production favoring Kennedy.[123] Having no major role prior toScream, the studio wanted a more prominent actor than Kennedy in the role but the production were adamant that he was the best choice and successfully fought to keep him in.[120]Roger L. Jackson, voice of the character Ghostface, was picked at the end of several weeks of local casting in Santa Rosa. The production had originally intended to only use his voice temporarily but ultimately decided that it was perfect for the role.[125] He was intentionally kept from meeting many members of the cast in all three originalScream films as it was thought it would help their performance if they could not put a face to the menacing voice. The calls made by his character were genuine phone calls conducted on set by Jackson to the characters, again with the intention of aiding the interaction between his character and the character being "stalked" in a scene.[121] Craven commented, on Jackson's contribution to the film, "I can't imagineScream without Ghostface ... Roger Jackson's voice is very remarkable, it's got an evil sophistication."[118]
ForScream 2, Campbell had been contracted for a possible sequel before filming began onScream. However actors with surviving characters had a sequel option added after it was known which character would be eligible to appear in the next film.[122] In interviews, the production staff ofScream 2 stated they believed that Barrymore's role inScream added an element of respectability to the genre that made actors normally reluctant to engage a horror film, eager to sign on toScream 2.[126] Many of the actors involved including Campbell, Cox,Sarah Michelle Gellar andJerry O'Connell were starring in their own television series at the time making scheduling their availability with the film difficult. Gellar in particular had also recently finished work on another Williamson-penned film,I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) which was released two months prior toScream 2. She would admit in interviews that she signed on toScream 2 without having read the script, based on the success of the first film.[119] Craven took their desire to participate in the film despite their workload as a compliment to the film's quality.[126] To obtain the role of Derek, O'Connell and other candidates had to audition by performing a scene from the film where the character sings "I Think I Love You".[127] The cast was rounded out byLaurie Metcalf, who had just finished a nine-year run on the popular sitcomRoseanne,Lewis Arquette, father of David Arquette,Jada Pinkett andTimothy Olyphant in what was his first leading role in a feature film. Rebecca Gayheart, who had unsuccessfully auditioned to play Tatum Riley inScream, auditioned for the roles ofHallie,Cici andMaureen Evans before being cast asSorority Sister Lois.[119]
ForScream 3, Craven stated in an interview that convincing the central cast to return was not difficult but their burgeoning fame and busy schedules made arranging their availability with the film's production troublesome.[128] Campbell in particular was only available for 20 days of filming which resulted in a significantly reduced role for her character and a focus on Cox and Arquette's characters.[125]Emily Mortimer was cast asAngelina Tyler but shortly after filming began it was discovered she lacked the required permit to work, resulting in her being flown toVancouver to obtain one.[125]Carrie Fisher made a cameo in the film at the suggestion of Bob Weinstein and Fisher helped write her character.[125]Kelly Rutherford was cast after filming had begun as the production was undergoing constant rewrites and the opening scene evolved from requiring only a female corpse to needing a live actress with whom Schreiber could interact.[125] In a 2009 interview,Matthew Lillard, who playedStu Macher inScream, claimed that he was signed to reprise his role inScream 3 as the primary antagonist but after the script moved in a direction without his character, he was bought out of his contract.[129]
When production ofScream 4 was announced, Campbell initially refused offers to reprise her role as Sidney, forcing early script drafts to be written in consideration of her absence.[130] However, in September 2009, Campbell, Cox and Arquette were all confirmed as reprising their roles as Sidney, Gale and Dewey respectively,[131] with Jackson's commitment confirmed in July 2010.[132] Continuing the trend started inScream, the production cast established and popular actorsHayden Panettiere,Rory Culkin,Anna Paquin,Kristen Bell andEmma Roberts. Roberts was cast as Jill, Sidney Prescott's cousin, beating outAshley Greene for the role.Lake Bell andLauren Graham were cast in the film but dropped out early into production, Bell citing scheduling conflicts.[34][133]Nico Tortorella auditioned five times to secure the role of Trevor, the ex-boyfriend of Roberts' character, by reenacting a scene fromScream where the character of Billy Loomis reveals he is one of the killers.[134]
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Scream (1996) was conceived under the titleScary Movie by screenwriterKevin Williamson as an 18-page script inspired by a series of murders by theGainesville Ripper that Williamson had seen in a news story and his own experience alone in a friend's house, after discovering an open window he had not previously noticed. The treatment covered what would become the opening scene ofScream featuringDrew Barrymore. Williamson began to expand this script into what ultimately becameScream because his previous script,Teaching Mrs. Tingle, was indevelopment hell, writing it in only three days inPalm Springs[123] and bringing it to his agent in June 1995 to put it up for sale.[119][120] Accompanying the script were two 5-page outlines for potential sequels to the film, Williamson hoping to provide added incentive to buy the script by providing potential for a franchise.[120][126] Williamson would later claim he wrote the screenplay partly because it was a film he wanted to watch and "nobody else is making it".[135] The script was self-referential, featuring characters who watchedhorror films and were aware of the conventions of the genre and featured numerous homages to many preceding horror films which Williamson would claim inspired him, includingHalloween,Friday the 13th,A Nightmare on Elm Street andProm Night.[118]
Williamson was told early on by his agent, Rob Paris, that the saturation of violence and gore in his script would make it "impossible" to sell and following its purchase byMiramax he was required to remove much of the gorier scenes. However, once Craven was confirmed to direct, he was able to bring much of the excised content back.[118] Williamson intended to remove a scene in the film that took place inside the fictional school's bathroom, feeling it was awkward but Craven salvaged it believing it had potential. Williamson later confirmed that he was glad Craven did so.[121] The death of the characterPrincipal Himbry was added at the request of producerBob Weinstein who noted that there was thirty pages (thirty on-screen minutes) without a murder occurring. This later aided Williamson who was struggling to find motivation for characters to leave a party in the film's finale, now able to use the discovered corpse of the Himbry character.[121] When writing the finale, Williamson was unsure what to cite as a motivation for the killers or whether to give them one at all. Opinions were split between staff on the picture, some who felt that a motive was necessary for the audience to be given resolution while others felt it was scarier without one. Ultimately Williamson decided to do both, giving the character Billy Loomis the motive of maternal abandonment while not giving the character of Stu Macher one, instead having the character jokingly suggest "peer pressure".[121]
Following the release ofScream, Williamson confirmed that he had considered a concept for a sequel where the character Sidney Prescott attends college and acopycat killer begins stalking her. Dimension Films agreed to pursue a sequel in May 1997, by which point Williamson had already written 42 pages of the new script.[126] By July 1997, filming began onScream 2, but his completed script wasleaked on the Internet revealing much of the plot including the finale and the identity of the film's killers. As a result, the production was forced to continue filming with only a partial script as Williamson conducted rewrites, changing much of the finale, the killer's victims and the killer's identity.[23] To prevent the identity of the killer or important plot points being revealed again, the actors were not given the last pages of the script until weeks before shooting, and the pages that revealed the killer's identity were only provided on the day the scene was shot.[126] The short production schedule onScream 2 and his work on other projects meant that Williamson's final script used for the film was detailed in some areas but lacking in others, the intention being for Craven to fill out these scenes on set.[136]
Williamson was approached by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in early 1999 to pen a script forScream 3 but at the time he was involved with the writing and directing of his original scriptTeaching Mrs. Tingle[120] and developing the short-lived TV seriesWasteland. Unable to write a full script, Williamson provided a draft outline for the film that involved the filming of thefilm within a film "Stab 3", based on the previous film's in-universe murders, that took place in the fictional town of Woodsboro from the originalScream.[137]Arlington Road scribeEhren Kruger was brought into the production by the Weinstein brothers to develop a script using Williamson's notes, though Kruger admitted that without having been involved with the characters in the previous two films he struggled to write them true to character. Early scripts by Kruger had the character of Sidney Prescott much like "Linda Hamilton inTerminator 2" at which point Craven would intervene to bring the character closer to previous iterations. Kruger admits that Craven had a hand in writing the script though he remained uncredited for it.[137] Kruger's script would differ in many ways from Williamson's original including the removal of one of the killers and the inclusion of the death ofCotton Weary who was originally absent from the film. Additionally, the film's location changed from Woodsboro to Hollywood as Kruger believed that the characters should be moving to bigger places from high school, to college to Hollywood.[137] However, there were also considerations that creating a film containing acts of murder in and around the fictional Woodsboro school would receive negative attention following theColumbine High School massacre that occurred less than a year before the film's eventual release.[120] The film was given a greater emphasis on humor over violence and fared worse than previous installments both financially and critically.
Almost ten years after the last installment, in late 2009,[138] Williamson formulated a concept for a new installment and approached Bob Weinstein who, after hearing his pitch, told Williamson to begin writing a script for what would becomeScream 4.[138] Campbell initially refused to return to the series forScream 4 forcing early script drafts to be written in consideration of her characters absence with Cox and Arquette's characters becoming the focus.[130] Early versions of the script involved Campbell's character being attacked and killed in the opening, a key point of contention for Weinstein who had it removed,[138] while another version had Cox and Arquette's characters as parents, but this too was removed as it was believed that them having a child would be unworkable in the context of the film.[138] After Williamson was forced to leave the production due to contractual commitments toThe Vampire Diaries, under threat of legal action,[139] controversy arose in July 2010 whenScream 3 writer Ehren Kruger was brought in by Weinstein to perform re-writes on Williamson's script, about which Craven was outspoken on "losing control" of the story. He would later explain that despite rewrites it was still Williamson's characters and script,[140] stating:
Look, there was a bumpy period when things shifted over from Kevin to Ehren. I signed up to do a script by Kevin and unfortunately that didn't go all the way through the shooting. But it certainly is Kevin's script and concept and characters and themes.[140]
Weinstein clarified that Kruger was brought in to "punch up" the film's dialog but his involvement with the writing was not to the same extent as withScream 3.[138] To preserve the secrecy of the script and the identity of the film's killer, the cast were only provided with 75 pages of the 140-page-long script.[141] Like the two previous installments in the series, the script underwent rewrites often, with pages sometimes only ready on the day of shooting.[138]
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The script forScream (1996), then known asScary Movie was released for sale on a Friday and by 8 a.m. the following Monday had become involved in a significant bidding war from several studios, includingParamount Pictures,Universal Pictures andMorgan Creek, with producerCathy Konrad bringing it to the attention ofBob Weinstein.[138] The bidding eventually rose to an amount that the choice ultimately came down toOliver Stone, who was at the time working withCinergi Pictures, and Weinstein underMiramax.[120][121][123] Williamson agreed to terms with Miramax for $400,000 plus a contract for two sequels and a third, unrelated film, believing their label,Dimension Films, would produceScream immediately and without significant restriction.[118][120]Wes Craven was approached early on to helm the film but he was occupied with remakingThe Haunting and so other directors includingRobert Rodriguez,Danny Boyle,George A. Romero andSam Raimi were approached.[123] Concerns were raised by Williamson and Weinstein when many of the approached directors, having read the script, believed the film to be a comedy, making them reluctant to hire those particular directors, believing they "didn't get it".[122] Craven was approached and passed on the film several times, wanting to move away from the genre, but was enticed once Drew Barrymore became involved, reasoning that it may be different from his previous works if an actress of her recognition was involved.[123] Ultimately the production ofThe Haunting, at that time, fell through and Craven was able to take over directing duties on the film.[118] Close to the end of the film's production, the Weinstein brothers had the film's title changed fromScary Movie toScream inspired by theMichael Jackson song of thesame name as Bob Weinstein felt "Scary Movie" was not suitable when the film also contained elements of satire and comedy.[123] The change was immediately disliked by both Williamson and Craven who considered it "stupid" but would later remark that it was a positive change.[121]
Following a successful screening with atest audience and Miramax executives, both Williamson and Craven were offered a two-picture contract for sequels toScream, Williamson already having been offered a three-picture deal by Miramax for unrelated films.[118] Bob Weinstein ordered that the film be released on December 20, 1996, a date others were critical of as it was the Christmas season where seasonal and family films were more prevalent.[123] Weinstein argued this fact was in the film's favor, as it meant that horror fans and teenagers had nothing interesting to watch.[123] WhenScream's first weekend takings amounted to only $6 million, it was considered that this release date gamble had failed, but the following week the takings did not drop but increased and continued the following week, leading to a total U.S. gross of over $100 million.[123] AsScream's box-office takings grew, a lawsuit would be filed against Dimension Films bySony Pictures who claimed that the titleScream was too similar to that of Sony's own filmScreamers (1995). The case was settled out of court with the details remaining secret but producerMarianne Maddalena would confirm that the production were able to use the current and potential future titles ofScream 2 andScream 3.[126]
A sequel was considered in January 1997 after the first film proceeded to gross more than $50 million in its first month.Scream 2 wasgreenlit with a budget of $24 million, and was released before the first film's anniversary.[126] The production of the film suffered a significant setback when the script was leaked revealing plot details including the identity of the killers, resulting in the script being modified to change many details.[23] In an interview, Craven commented on the rushed schedule for the film, starting in July 1997 with a December release date, with many scenes in the script provided with only a loose outline forcing him to develop scenes on set.[136] Various titles were considered for the sequel at different points in the film's production, includingScream Again,Scream Louder andScream: The Sequel before the studio decided to simply useScream 2.[142]
Scream 3 (2000) was released just over two years afterScream 2 with Craven again attached to direct the film on a greatly increased budget of $40 million. Shortly before production began on the film, theColumbine incident occurred and with it came an increased scrutiny on the media and its effect on people, particularly films. There were considerations at the time about whether the studio should continue production of a third installment in the aftermath of the incident but the studio decided to continue, albeit with changes.[120] The studio was much more apprehensive concerning violence and gore in the film than with previous installments with them pressing for a greater emphasis on the series' humor while scaling back on the violence. At one point in the production, the studio demanded that the film feature no blood or on-screen violence but Craven intervened stating that the film should either have the violence present in earlierScream films or should be called something other thanScream.[137] As with production ofScream, Craven would again state in an interview that issues with censorship and the MPAA made him consider leaving the horror genre.[128]
Production of a new film,Scream 4 (2011) was announced in July 2008 byThe Weinstein Company who approached Williamson about formulating a new script, with the intention of creating a newScream trilogy if the fourth film proved successful.[143] By late 2009, Williamson managed to develop an idea for the film and potential sequels and began work on the script.[138] The film was given a budget of $40 million and the principal cast were signed to the film in September 2009 followed by Craven as director in March 2010. In May 2010,Cathy Konrad, producer on the original three films filed a $3 million lawsuit against The Weinstein Company accusing them of violating an agreement that her company, Cat Entertainment, be given first rights to produce allScream films in order to cut costs by getting a cheaper producer (Craven's wife Iya Labunka, not named in the suit).[26] In April 2011, it was reported that the Weinsteins had settled out of court with Conrad, the details remaining confidential.The Hollywood Reporter however, claimed that Conrad received a cash payment and entitlement to a percentage of the profits derived fromScream 4.[28] In addition, she was given an executive producer credit on the film. Williamson and Bob Weinstein came into repeated conflict with each other during production with Williamson citing the creative direction of the film as the cause while Weinstein blamed the time constraints on the film's development. Williamson and Weinstein did not speak to each other after Williamson left the production, claiming other responsibilities, and he had not seen the finished version of the film prior to its release.[144]
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Filming forScream began on April 15, 1996, and finished on June 8, 1996. Filming was intended to take place inNorth Carolina, but the location was deemed unsuitable, with scouts unable to find useful locations that would not require extensive building or modification to make fit the requirements of the film. The production instead turned toVancouver, Washington and Los Angeles before discoveringSonoma County, California, and the areas within it:Santa Rosa,Healdsburg andTomales Bay. The house used by Barrymore's character is situated on Sonoma Mountain Road opposite the house used in the horror filmCujo (1983). Before filming began, the production approached Santa Rosa High School about using it as Woodsboro High School. The school board insisted on seeing the script and objected to the content of the film's dialog and the foul-mouthed, aggressive character ofPrincipal Himbry.[121] The matter reached local newspapers who also raised criticism but there the production received support from students of the school and local residents who supported the economic benefits of the film's presence and others who defended itsFirst Amendment rights. Opposition to the film came from those who deplored its content of violence against children (teenagers), as the area had suffered the tragic kidnap and murder ofPolly Klaas three years prior.[123] The matter resulted in a three-hour debate on the topic scheduled for April 16, one day after filming was to begin. Unwilling to be delayed, Craven began filming as scheduled on April 15, with the opening scene of the film featuring Barrymore[120] which took five days to complete.[138] The result of the Santa Rosa debate was that permission be denied and the production was forced to find another location for the school, ultimately being offered the Sonoma Community Center, which appears as Woodsboro High School inScream.[120]
For the film's killer, Williamson's script had provided Craven only with the description "masked killer", forcing him and his design team tocreate the Ghostface costume from scratch to conceal the killer's identity. While awaiting permission from Fun World, creators of the Ghostface mask design, Craven had the design team KNB Effects create an alternative that was used in two scenes before being replaced by the original Fun World design once permission was granted.[121] Bob Weinstein disliked the Ghostface mask, believing it was not "scary", and the studio, upon reviewing thedailies footage of the opening scene, were concerned that it was progressing in a direction they did not want and there was consideration that Craven could ultimately be replaced.[123] To assuage their concerns, the first thirteen minutes of the opening scene were compiled as aworkprint, a rough version of the finished film, and upon seeing it, the studio were content to let Craven continue and Weinstein was satisfied that the mask could be scary.[123] The third and final act of the film, set at a house party, was over forty minutes long and shot at a vacant property in Tomales over twenty-one nights.[123] The scene was considered the most difficult to shoot, as it took place entirely in one location, yet featured the individual stories and deaths of multiple characters, and as it was set at night, meant that production had to halt at daybreak.[123]
After filming completed in June, Craven spent two months editing the final product, encountering repeated conflicts with thefilm rating bodyMPAA concerning the content of scenes, being forced to tone down or obscure the more intense scenes and violence to avoid anNC-17.[121] Though Dimension Films had previously released NC-17 films, the rating made those films difficult to market and attract an audience and thus they were desperate for a less restrictiveR-rating.[120] For an early scene involving the death of the characterCasey Becker, Craven lied to the MPAA by claiming he had only one take of the scene and could not replace it with something less intense, in order to keep it in the film.[121] In interviews, Craven indicated that the conflict was enough that, at the time, he was considering leaving the horror genre, stating:
I'm a director who can do something very well but am not allowed to put it on screen. And they ultimately get you, as they did on this one, on intensity. They say, "it's not a specific shot, it's not blood, it's just too intense".[118]
In total, Craven sent eight different cuts of the film to the MPAA before Bob Weinstein intervened and personally contacted the MPAA, believing they misunderstood to which genreScream belonged.[123] Weinstein explained to the organisation that although he agreed it was intense, it also had comedic elements and satirized its content and was not just a horror film glorifying violence.[123] The MPAA reviewed their decision and granted the film an R-rating.[120]
Production of a sequel,Scream 2, wasgreenlit in May 1997, with filming beginning on September 17, 1997, with a budget of $24 million and wrapping on October 30, 1997. Filming took place largely inAtlanta, Georgia, over four weeks before moving to Los Angeles.Agnes Scott College in Atlanta andUniversity of California, Los Angeles were used to represent the fictional Windsor College that appears in the film.[127] The opening scene featuring the premiere of the fictional "Stab" film was filmed over three days in the Vista theater on Sunset Drive, Hollywood, the exterior represented by the Rialto Theater inSouth Pasadena.[145] Due to the large number ofextras present in the scene, its details were leaked onto the Internet shortly after filming completed, which Craven cited as the productions first experience of a major plot leak.[127] After his interactions with the MPAA inScream, Craven sent them a copy of the film that was intentionally much more graphically violent than they were planning to release, featuringOmar Epps'character being stabbed in the ear three times and an extended scene ofRandy Meeks' death. Their idea was that the MPAA would force them to remove the content the production already did not want while keeping the content they did. However, the MPAA gave them an R rating for the more violent cut, stating that they felt the message of the film was significant.[119] Following a script leak early into filming, security around the production was significantly increased, with a focus on closedfilm sets and strict restriction on what personnel could be present during filming and have access to the script, and with all present required to signnon-disclosure agreements. The script was printed on specialty paper to preventphotocopying and was often destroyed after use.[120]
Filming forScream 3 began on July 6, 1999, in and aroundHollywood, Los Angeles, in the areas ofSan Fernando Valley,Macarthur Park,Beverly Hills,Hollywood Hills andSilverlake,[146] with a $40 million budget and wrapped on September 29, 1999.[120] The isolated home of Campbell's character is situated inTopanga Canyon and Cox's character is introduced in a classroom atUCLA.[125] A scene where Campbell's character is pursued throughmovie set replicas of locations fromScream was not scripted but the sets were built because Craven knew he wanted to revisit the original film in some way, after which they wrote the scene around the set.[125] Due to the constantly changing script used for the film, which would often be usable on the day of filming, the production filmed large amounts of footage of different variations of the same scenes in order that, should the script again change, they would ideally have a scene they could use without having to film new ones at a later date. In particular, the opening scene had three variants and the three-minute scene featuring the character of Randy Meeks had two-hours of filmed footage.[125] The ending too was refilmed in January 2000, three months after principal photography finished, adding in the character ofMark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey) and having Campbell's character beaten and then shot by Ghostface after it was decided she defeated him too easily.[125][127] So in flux was the script that the final scene of the movie was filmed with three variants of Dempsey's character, one with him absent, one with his arm inbandages and one with him in a normal condition as they were unsure of what his fate would be.[125]
Principal photography forScream 4 began on June 28, 2010, with a budget of $40 million and concluded on September 24, 2010.[131] Filming took place inMichigan in the areas ofAnn Arbor,Dearborn,Livonia andNorthville. In January 2011, the film underwent an additional four days of filming to reshoot two scenes, following atest screening – the opening scene and a later scene that took place in aparking garage withAlison Brie.[138] Amidst criticism that the reshoots meant the film was in trouble and the result of a negative response from the test audience, director Craven countered:
They're not reshoots, we had a couple test screenings and we saw two scenes where they had moments you could add to and we just saw a spectacular opportunity ... The two scenes were really good, but we saw how they could be spectacular, so we thought, let's just go for it. They were key moments of the script, so we just decided to go back and go for the grand slam on them.[30]
Craven also complimented the film's ending, labeling it "kick-ass" and stated that it remained untouched as part of the reshoot process.[30] In an interview, Craven also highlighted that the script was so long they had filmed many scenes which had to be cut from the final film to reduce its running time.[147]
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The score for theScream series was provided byMarco Beltrami, starting withScream in what was his feature film debut. Beltrami was brought onto the production ofScream after Craven's assistantJulie Plec requested input on the now defunct site "Hollywood Cafe", asking for opinions on was "new", "fresh" and "wonderful" and was provided with Beltrami's name by several people. Craven sent for samples of Beltrami's work and was impressed by what he heard, bringing him to the set to view the first thirteen minutes of the film featuring the introduction and murder of the characterCasey Becker. Craven had Beltrami produce music based on this scene and then demonstrate it, impressing Craven enough to hire him.[121][148] ForScream (1996), the decision was made to intentionally use music to raise the tension in scenes where it was unnecessary when the characters were entering a situation where the audience may expect a killer to suddenly appear, only to not deliver on that expectation, part of the film's theme of playing with horror conventions.[121] Craven and editorPatrick Lussier provided Beltrami with advice on how best to deliver the music during scary and tense scenes as Beltrami had no prior experience in developing a horror score.[148][149] Beltrami intentionally avoided conventional horror score styles and approached the film as awestern, taking influence fromEnnio Morricone, prolific composer of many western films, in the creation ofScream's music.[150] When scoring a theme for the character of Dewey, Beltrami approached him as a sheriff but also as a "quirky" character, using a Morricone-style guitar accompaniment to maintain the Western approach.[151] An acoustic cover ofBlue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" plays softly in the background to Sidney and Billy's discussion of their relationship, which analyst Jeff Smith describes as:
An ironic comment on the brutality we have just seen in the opening sequence. More importantly, however, the allusion to the Blue Öyster Cult classic recasts the song's title by literalizing its meaning. While the title itself invokes the Reaper as a popular symbol for death, the film presents us with an actual person, who not only dresses as the Grim Reaper but also unleashes homicidal vengeance on the other characters of the film. The irony here, of course, is that Billy himself proves to be one of the film's dual slashers and is, in fact, the "Reaper" to be feared.[152]
The theme tune of Sidney Prescott, entitled "Sidney's Lament", became a signature track for the series, variations of the tune appearing across the score ofScream,Scream 2 andScream 3. The track features a female choral arrangement expressing "sorrow" concerning the fate of the character. InScream, Beltrami stated that the voice "spoke" for the character, "lamenting" the loss of her mother.[149] In future films it went on to represent the murders and ensuing trauma inflicted on her.[149] Christian Clemmensen ofFilmtracks called the "haunting" vocals of the track the "voice of the franchise".[153] The track "Sid Wears a Dress" features in the finale ofScream 3 where the sorrowful chorus of "Lament" gradually shiftskey to represent "hope" for the characters future following the resolution of her storyline in what was then the final film in the series.[154][155] The female voice would be accompanied by a male addition for the first time in "Pied a Terror" fromScream 3 to represent the brother of the character.[154]
Beltrami returned forScream 2 (1997), leading the score though there would be a late inclusion byDanny Elfman in the form of the choral track "Cassandra Aria". In addition, excerpts from the score ofBroken Arrow byHans Zimmer appeared in the film, in particular guitar work byDuane Eddy, for the character Dewey, replacing many of the character's related tracks from the originalScream score. Beltrami later explained that the Zimmer piece was used as ascratch track fortest screening purposes before the score was finalized. The test audience reaction to it influenced the studio keep the Zimmer piece, reducing "Dewey's Theme", which Beltrami had composed to fill its place, to minor use during more serious scenes involving the character.[127][149] The Zimmer piece would continue to be used inScream 3 during scenes concerning the evolving relationship between the characters of Dewey and Gale with Beltrami appropriating and adding his own influence to the piece to blend it into the thematicScream 3 score.[154]
ForScream 3, Beltrami employed sevenorchestrators to aid in scoring the extensive orchestral accompaniment featured in the film's score. Additionally, he experimented with new styles of sound production by recording instruments in abnormal circumstances such as inserting objects into a piano and recording at various velocities to create a distorted, unnatural sound and modifying the results electronically.[154][155]
| Film | U.S. release date | Budget | Box office gross | All-time ranking worldwide[156] | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | Other territories | Worldwide | |||||
| Scream (1996) | December 20, 1996 | $14 million | $103,046,663 | $69,999,977 | $173,046,640 | #1,133 | [157][158] |
| Scream 2 | December 12, 1997 | $24 million | $101,363,301 | $71,000,000 | $172,363,301 | #1,140 | [21][159] |
| Scream 3 | February 4, 2000 | $40 million | $89,143,175 | $72,691,101 | $161,838,076 | #1,230 | [160][161] |
| Scream 4 | April 15, 2011 | $40 million | $38,180,928 | $58,957,758 | $97,138,686 | #1,979 | [162][163] |
| Scream (2022) | January 14, 2022 | $24 million | $81,641,405 | $57,233,384 | $138,874,789 | #1,431 | [164][165] |
| Scream VI | March 10, 2023 | $35 million | $108,391,107 | $60,672,743 | $169,063,850 | #1,166 | [166][167] |
| Total | $177 million | $521,766,579 | $390,554,963 | $912,325,342 | |||
To date, the franchise has earned over $913 million worldwide.[168] TheScream series, when compared to other top-grossing American horror series—A Nightmare on Elm Street,Child's Play,Friday the 13th,Saw,Halloween, andThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre—and adjusting for 2023 inflation, takes fourth place with $779.5 million.[169]Halloween is the highest-grossing horror series in the United States at approximately $1.09 billion,[170][171] withFriday the 13th in second at $908.4 million,[172] and theNightmare on Elm Street series in third with $793.5 million.[173] TheSaw film series is the fifth highest grossing series with $688.3 million.[174]The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series is in sixth with $459.7 million,[175] and theChild's Play film series rounding out the list with $305.2 million.[176]
The originalScream has remained the most successful of the series, accruing a $173,046,663 gross worldwide and receiving a largely positive critical reception, remaining the highest grossing slasher movie of all time until 2018'sHalloween was released.[177] Despite competition from other big-name films during its release – includingTom Cruise'sJerry Maguire andTim Burton'sMars Attacks! – its release date of December 20, during the Christmas season; andVariety labeling it "DOA" before it was even released;[123]Scream became the surprise hit of the year and continued to show in cinemas for nearly eight months.[123][142]
Scream was closely followed byScream 2 with less than $1 million separating their respective box-office takings. By late 1998,Scream 2 broke December opening weekend records for its box-office takings in 1997 and held the record until December 15, 2000.[136][178] Unlike the first two films,Scream 3 was not well received critically and made less domestically at the box office (though still did very well), taking $89.1 million, compared toScream andScream 2 with $103 million and $101.1 million respectively. The takings of all three installments remained relatively equal in other territories, with less than $2 million separating them.Scream 4 underperformed domestically, grossing just less than its $40 million budget, making $38.2 million in the United States and Canada. It did better internationally, grossing $59 million in other territories for a total worldwide gross of $97.1 million.[179] It remains the lowest financially performing entry in the series to date and, according to industry experts, the film's opening weekend was "disappointing",[180][181] with the film representing the second-lowest opening of theScream franchise.[182]Scream (2022) grossed $81.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $57.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $138.9 million.[183][184]Scream VI had grossed $168.8 million worldwide as of May 1, 2023. It became the highest grossing instalment of the franchise at the domestic US box office (in unadjusted figures) and was the first movie in the franchise to cross $100 million dollars at the domestic US box office in 26 years, sinceScream 2 in 1997.[185][186][187]
| Film | Critical | Public | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[188] | ||
| Scream (1996) | 78% (130 reviews)[189] | 65 (25 reviews)[190] | — | |
| Scream 2 | 83% (133 reviews)[191] | 63 (22 reviews)[192] | B+ | |
| Scream 3 | 45% (164 reviews)[25] | 56 (32 reviews)[193] | B | |
| Scream 4 | 61% (190 reviews)[194] | 52 (32 reviews)[195] | B− | |
| Scream (2022) | 76% (300 reviews)[15] | 60 (49 reviews)[196] | B+ | |
| Scream VI | 77% (315 reviews)[197] | 61 (53 reviews)[198] | B+ | |
TheScream series has received a largely positive critical response since the release of the first film in 1996 with Kevin Thomas ofThe Los Angeles Times callingScream "a bravura, provocative sendup of horror pictures" whileEmpire's Adam Smith called it "Clever, quick and bloody funny." Other reviews appreciated the shift from the teen slasher films of the 1980s and their "endless series of laborious, half-baked sequels."[199] Williamson's script received praise for its "fiendishly clever, complicated plot" which "deftly mixes irony, self-reference and wry social commentary with chills and blood spills."[200] Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times was less complimentary saying "[Craven] wants things both ways, capitalizing on lurid material while undermining it with mocking humor. Not even horror fans who can answer all this film's knowing trivia questions may be fully comfortable with such an exploitative mix".[201]
Scream went on to rank No. 32 onEntertainment Weekly's list of the '50 Best High School Movies[202] and No. 13 onBravo's "The 100 Scariest Movie Movements".[203] In 2008,Entertainment Weekly would add additional praise to the film, listing it as No. 60 on their list of the "100 Best Films of the Last 13 years".[204] The film ranked No. 482 onEmpire's 2008 list of "The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time".[205]Scream received several awards in 1996 including theSaturn Award'sBest Actress for Campbell,Best Writing for Williamson andBest Horror Film plus nominations for Best Director forWes Craven and Best Supporting Actor for both Ulrich and Barrymore. The film was also awarded the 1997Best Movie by theMTV Movie Awards.[206][207]
Scream 2 received equally positive critical response with some critics arguing that the film surpassed the original in scares and humor. BothGene Siskel and theNew York Times' Janet Maslin gave the sequel positive reviews despite their negative response toScream.[208] The film failed to achieve the same success as the original in terms of awards however, winning only the 1998 MTV Movie Award forBest Female Performance for Campbell[209] plus Saturn Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Horror Film for Campbell, Cox andScream 2 respectively.
Scream 3 received mixed reviews, with many critics agreeing it was a step down compared to the first two entries and relied too heavily on horror movieclichés.[25] Of the characters, Roger Ebert said "[they] are so thin, they're transparent" but praised Campbell's appearance, saying "The camera loves her. She could become a really big star and then giggle at clips from this film at her AFI tribute".[210] Conversely, Kevin Thomas of theLos Angeles Times called it "genuinely scary and also highly amusing";[211] Tom Coates at theBBC similarly stated that "as the conclusion to the trilogy it works more effectively than anyone had a right to expect".[212] The movie and its themes were re-evaluated and examined in the wake of theMeToo movement, with many seeing the commentary on sexism and abuse in Hollywood as ahead of its time.[9][8]
Scream 4 received mixed reviews at the time of its release. While critics said it was an improvement over its predecessor, they were divided over the humor, kills, and its use of clichés.[213][214]New York Daily News wrote that the film was "dated" and that its reliance "on obvious clichés doesn't seem ironic anymore, just easy".[215]Empire gave the film two out of five stars, criticizing the film's old-fashioned formula and lack of scare factor.[216] Positive reviews included Colin Covert of theMinneapolis Star Tribune, who gave the film a perfect score of four out of four stars, praising the combination of scares, comedy, and twists.[217] Reappraising the film, many have creditedScream 4 as also being ahead of its time, foreshadowing the effects ofsocial media andInternet fame, while also praising Craven's creative vision before his death four years following the film's release.[218][219]
Scream (2022) received positive reviews from critics, who praised the new and old cast's performances.[220][221][222] Aedan Juvet ofScreen Rant called the entry an excellent modern slasher and wrote, "Though the franchise has always been a distinguished property with pure perfection, the recent return toScream raises the bar for aspiring slashers, once again setting a standard for modern horror – just as it did 25 years ago."[223] In a more mixed review, Wenlei Ma ofNews.com.au rated the film 3 out of 5 and felt that "Scream 5 lacks the spark Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett brought toReady or Not.Scream 5 is certainly funny and irreverent, but where it falls over is that it's rarely scary."[224]
Scream VI received positive reviews from critics, who praised the use ofNew York City as a fresh setting for the franchise while also praising the increased violence and performances of the cast.Chicago Sun-Times'sRichard Roeper gave the film three out of four stars, writing "Nevertheless, off we go on another aggressively gruesome, wickedly funny and at times cleverly stagedScream-fest that cheerfully defies logic while hitting all the right notes we've come to expect from the franchise." He praised the performances of Barrera, Ortega and Brown and felt the film's ending was "the most outlandish and spectacularly brutal ending of all".[225] In a more mixed review, Olly Richards, reviewing the film forEmpire, gave it three out of five stars, opining that it was "still far more inventive and entertaining than most horror franchises of a similar vintage", yet "one of the sillier series entries in terms of plot, but still scary enough and funny enough to leave you hoping Ghostface might yet kill again".[226]Scream VI won theMTV Movie and TV Award for Best Movie and Best Fight (Courteney Cox vs Ghostface).[227][228]
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The series has won many awards including:
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Scream (1996) was released onVHS on December 2, 1997, and onDVD on December 3, 1997, in US territories byBuena Vista Home Entertainment.[230][231] Acollector's edition of the film released on December 8, 1998, containing the film as well asdeleted scenes, outtakes, the film's theatrical trailer, cast interviews, directors commentary, andbehind-the-scenes information.[232][233] On October 19, 2021, for the film's 25th anniversary,Paramount released a newly remastered 4K version of the film onUltra HD Blu-ray.[234]
Scream 2 was released on VHS on December 1, 1998, and on DVD on July 22, 1998, in US territories by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.[235][236] A collector's edition followed on August 7, 2001. The collector's edition features additional material including outtakes, deleted scenes, the film's theatrical trailer, music videos of songs featured in the film, and directors' commentary. On October 4, 2022, for the film's 25th anniversary, Paramount released a newly remastered 4K version of the film on Ultra HD Blu-ray.[237]
Scream 3 was released on VHS on October 24, 2000, and on DVD on July 4, 2000, in US territories byWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, which had rebranded from Buena Vista by 2000.[238][239] The DVD release was as a collector's edition which features deleted scenes, outtakes, audio commentary, music videos of songs featured in the film, trailers for the film and biographies on the cast and crew involved in the film's production.[239] In 2001, theScream 3 release was nominated for aSaturn Award for Best Home Video Release.[240]
Scream 4 was first released on DVD and Blu-ray in Mexico on August 5, 2011.[241] It was later released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on August 22, 2011,[242] in Canada and the United States on October 4, 2011,[243][244] and in Australia and New Zealand on October 13, 2011.[245]
Scream (2022) was released digitally on March 1, 2022, in the United States.[246] It was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on April 5, 2022, byParamount Home Entertainment.[247][248]
In foreign territories,Scream,Scream 2 andScream 3 remained unreleased, including in Europe and Japan, until 2001, when they were simultaneously released on February 26 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Each film contained the additional content found in the collector's edition version of their US release, including deleted scenes, outtakes, theatrical trailers, music videos and commentary from each respective film's crew.[249][250][251]
Following the release ofScream 3, the first three films were collected inThe Ultimate Scream Collection byDimension Films on September 26, 2000, in abox set containingScream,Scream 2 andScream 3,[252] plusBehind the Scream, a short documentary about the production of the three films, and additional material, includingscreen tests of actors involved in the films, outtakes, and deleted scenes. Additionally, the three films were collected together in a single pack, again released on February 26, 2001, and released as "Scream Trilogy".[253] The three original films were released individually and in a collection inBlu-ray Disc format on March 29, 2011, two weeks prior to the release ofScream 4, byLionsgate Home Entertainment, which included1080phigh definition versions of the films. In addition to the films, each release contained audio commentary, theatrical trailers and behind-the-scenes footage for each respective film.[254]
TheScream (1996) original soundtrack, released December 17, 1996, by the labelTVT Records, features 12 songs by various artists including the original piece "Trouble in Woodsboro"/"Sidney's Lament" from the film's score byMarco Beltrami, most of which appeared in various scenes in the film. The piece "School's Out" byAlice Cooper appeared in the film but was replaced with a cover version of the song byThe Last Hard Men on the album. The album was given 3 out of 5 stars byAllmusic[255] though it was considered a failure and never charted on theBillboard 200 despite the success of the film.[256][257]
TheScream score by Marco Beltrami would be his first time scoring a major film release and the ensuing exposure allowed him to go on to score other blockbuster films such asI, Robot andLive Free or Die Hard. The score would not be released commercially until July 14, 1998, byVarèse Sarabande in a dual-pack with theScream 2 score. However it was found to lack several pieces from the films, with a runtime of only 12 minutes compared to the more common 30–45 minutes normally found in original scores[258] due to the high reuse fees involved in obtaining the rights to commercially release the music.[257] Beltrami was considered to have taken inspiration from the synthetic styles ofÉric Serra and other successful scores, the references becoming more pronounced in his score toScream 2. The theme for the central character Sidney Prescott, "Sidney's Lament" incorporated a "haunting" female solo vocal that would be utilized in other tracks throughout the entire film series.[153] The score toScream received generally positive reviews with Mikael Carlsson labeling it as some of the most intriguing horror scores composed in years[153] while Filmtracks claimed the scores had "cult status".[153]
TheScream 2 original soundtrack was released December 2, 1997, byCapitol Records featuring 15 songs in theR&B,rap androck genres by various artists, some of which are represented in the film.[259] The album spent ten weeks on theBillboard 200, rising as high as No. 50[260] but received a lower score than its predecessor from the music guide Allmusic, gaining only 2 out of 5.[257] Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic opined that the soundtrack was an attempt to compensate for the previous film's lack of a hit soundtrack, but failed to do, creating an "uneven" album of songs not "good enough to make [the artists'] own albums".[261]
TheScream 2 score was, as inScream, developed by Marco Beltrami and was released on July 14, 1998, in a dual-pack with the score toScream by Varèse Sarabande. The commercially released score was found to be lacking several pieces used in the film, with a runtime of only 17 minutes compared to the more common 30–45 minutes normally found in original scores.[258] Included in the missing pieces was the track "Cassandra Aria" created byDanny Elfman, described by soundtrack-review site Filmtracks as "a frenzied, choral-enhanced three minutes" that remains unreleased as of March 2011[update].[153] The length of the released score was considered disappointing and blamed on the fees required to be paid to musicians in order to release their music.[258] The influence of several other famous composers could be heard in the score includingHans Zimmer,Elliot Goldenthal,Ennio Morricone andChristopher Young. In particular excerpts of the Hans Zimmer's score toBroken Arrow, featuring guitar byDuane Eddy, would become a component of the theme tune of the character Dewey Riley.
TheScream 3 original soundtrack was released on January 25, 2000, byWind-up Records featuring 18 songs consisting largely of themetal genre by artists such asSystem of a Down,Slipknot andPowerman 5000, some of which are represented in the film. The album fared better than its predecessors, spending fourteen weeks on theBillboard 200 and reaching a top rank of #32.[262] and scoring a 2.5 out of 5 from music guide Allmusic. Reviewer Steve Huey claims that the "high pedigree" of the albums contributors had produced a "pretty listenable album".[263]
TheScream 3 score was again helmed by Marco Beltrami who employed sevenorchestrators and experimented with the recording of instruments in unusual circumstances such as physically and electronically altering the traditional sound of a piano while continuing to include a heavy vocal orchestra in his tracks[154] There was consideration that Beltrami was forced to hire multiple orchestrators to complete the score to meet the film's deadline.[263] Like previous scores in the series, theScream 3 score was released by Varèse Sarabande on February 29, 2000, with a total length of 33 minutes of music, though the album was again found to be missing certain sections of the score utilized within the film.[154] Beltrami took inspiration from other composers for the score, again incorporating excerpts of the score toBroken Arrow by Hans Zimmer in the track "Sid Wears a Dress".[154] Music guide Allmusic awarded theScream 3 score 2.5 out of 5.[264]
TheScream 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on April 12, 2011, byLakeshore Records.[265] The soundtrack features 12 songs performed by various artists mainly of therock genre, such asIda Maria,The Sounds andThe Novocaines. The soundtrack received mixed reactions, with Gotham News stating that "This new album attempts to retain the style of the old, while speaking to the present content-diluted market. It has some success, but no cigar."[266] Shadowlocked criticized the soundtrack's overly light tone, saying that "There's little here that I would have picked for a horror movie."[267]
A score soundtrack was also released, on April 19, 2011, byVarèse Sarabande.[266] TheScream 4 score was yet again developed by Marco Beltrami. It received mixed reviews. Filmtracks stating that "Despite the memorable history Beltrami has afforded the franchise musically, Scream 4 is a substantially disappointing continuation of the narrative. He and four assistant composers handle the 2011 entry from a purely functional stance, tackling individual scenes with stylistic remnants of the previous scores while accomplishing absolutely nothing new."[268] Soundtrack-review site Sountrackgeek gave the score a highly favorable review: "It is possibly the best score in the Scream series, because it is so incredibly forceful. It wants to be full of action and chills and it is. It's not the scariest of scores, but Scream has never been about the moody scares, but rather the surprise scare and crazy fight/chase scenes. It succeeds and I had a blast listening to this from start to finish."[269]
TheScream (2022) soundtrack consists of 15 songs – primarily of thepop,alternative, andhip-hop genres – featuring artists such asKim Petras,DJ Khaled, andSantigold. The soundtrack received positive reviews, with Joséphine Michele of Screen Rant describing it as matching the tone of theScream films perfectly while still feeling modern, saying "the movie itself takes heavy inspiration from the first film, butScream (2022) ups the gore and violence, and the soundtrack brings it into the 2020s."[270]
The fifth film's score soundtrack was released on January 7, 2022, byVarèse Sarabande. The score was developed byBrian Tyler, making it the first film in the franchise with a score that was not created by Marco Beltrami.
The film is co-scored byBrian Tyler, returning from the previous installment, and Sven Faulconer.[271][272]Demi Lovato andMike Shinoda contributed to the soundtrack with their songs "Still Alive" and "In My Head", respectively.[273][274]
A documentary film,Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective,[275] was released in April 2011. This film was written and directed by Ryan Turek. The documentary discusses the first three movies in the series and includes interviews withWes Craven,Neve Campbell,David Arquette and other cast members.[276] Composer John Corlis wrote the music for the documentary, which was released digitally in 2018.[277]
In 2011, the gameScream 4 (stylized asSCRE4M), developed by Beefy Media and Codeglue, published byThe Weinstein Company, was released for iOS and Android.[278][279][280]
Ghostface has appeared as a playable character in the gamesCall of Duty: Warzone,Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, andMortal Kombat 1.[281][282]
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Amidst the series' success, it has also been tinged with controversy with claims of real-worldcopycat crime inspirations and inducing violence.
On May 4, 1999, following theColumbine High School massacre and increasing news media scrutiny on the effects on society of violence in films, games and other media, theUnited States SenateCommerce committee held a hearing about Hollywood's marketing of films to youths and the horror genre of films in particular, using the opening scene ofScream, as an example of negative media which may be viewed by children.[120][283]
In the 2006murder of Cassie Jo Stoddart, the perpetrators, Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, both 16, were said to be inspired by theScream franchise.[284]
In January 2022, following the release of the fifth film, Logan Smith, 18, of Cocoa, Florida, tried to strangle a jogger to death after watchingScream, with intent to keep the corpse.[285]
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