Scream Franchise

[starri]

Apparently the fifth movie, to be entitled simply Scream (which won't be confusing at all), was able to wrap production last year despite COVID.  And it's due out in January.

I don't know why I've been on such a kick lately.  I've been on staycation this week, and burned through Scream: TOS and Scream 2.  I'm debating if I want to wade into 3 or if I need to work myself up to it.  It is a very rare movie that I've seen dozens of times that can keep me riveted to the screen, but those two are definitely among them.

Considering all of issue surrounding 2's production, it has no right being as good as it is.

[Bastet]

I have all four of these films on DVD, yet still stop to watch on TV whenever I come across one.  I'm impressed every time at how the first film is such a fantastic parody of the genre, while simultaneously being a terrific offering within the genre.

"They're all the same - some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who's always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door.  It's insulting."

Here's the Honest Trailer:

 

[Annber03]

Oh, my god, that was hilarious. I'd never seen that "Honest Trailers" clip before - I've never really checked out those things in general, actually. May need to change that. 

."And without Twitter, movie dorks had to get creative when it came to harassing women." LOL. I also absolutely lost it at the "Benny Hill" type music during all the scenes of Ghostface falling all over the place and whatnot XD. And I loved the comparison of Billy to Johnny Depp. Yeah, pretty much. 

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I'm impressed every time at how the first film is such a fantastic parody of the genre, while simultaneously being a terrific offering within the genre.

Same. I first saw Scream at a sleepover when I was a teenager, and it scared the crap out of me. I remember going upstairs to get some of my stuff the next morning (we'd spent the night down in my friend's den) and I remember dashing up there and back, and keeping an eye on the doors the entire time. That whole opening scene with Casey is legitimately terrifying and incredibly tense. The moment when she's cowering in the corner next to the TV, practically sobbing and pleading for the killer to stop...yeah, that'd be me. 

Also, for some reason, I always seem to forget that Henry Winkler's in this movie until I watch it, then I'm like, "Oh, right, the Fonz is in this!" :p. 

I should get this movie on DVD, I don't know why I don't have it already. Would be nice to watch it without all the editing that comes with catching it on certain cable channels. 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Annber03

[starri]

While I would probably hate the experience now, I saw it during its original run during a very late showing at the campus arthouse cinema my freshman year of college.  I (and a large portion of my fellow audience members) was a little tipsy at the time.

It's honestly one of the best times I've ever had at the movies.

[Bastet]

It opened when a friend and I were in Vegas for the weekend, and we were so stoked for the film we spent the first part of our first night there in a movie theatre instead of on the Strip (we live in L.A. and going to Vegas was an easy, semi-regular occurrence back then, so we'd already been a few times and would go back several more, but we still got some funny looks when people found out that's how we rolled) and, as always with a horror film, sharing in the audience reaction was part of the thrill.  With this one, it was also fun to spend so much time laughing together.

[AgathaC]

There was a screening of 2 when I was in college and it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a movie. Lots of yelling at the screen (in a fun, non-annoying way). My favorite part was this group of jocks who started out acting all “Oh, we’re tough. We’re just gonna laugh at everyone.” They ended up jumping and screaming louder than anyone. As funny as they are, they are genuinely scary and suspenseful. My sister and I saw the first one in the theater in the middle of the afternoon solely so we wouldn’t have to walk across a dark parking lot afterwards.

[Genius]

Anyone have any theories on the plot for the upcoming Scream (5)?  I have one but not sure if it's okay to post?

[anna0852]

3 hours ago, Genius said:

Anyone have any theories on the plot for the upcoming Scream (5)?  I have one but not sure if it's okay to post?

Sydney snaps and becomes ghostface. At this point it's either that or a nervous breakdown. 

[starri]

I do expect them to kill off one of Sidney, Dewey, or Gale, if not all three.  I wouldn't have been surprised if Gale had gotten killed in 3 had Neve Campbell's lack of availability not forced Gale and Dewey to be the leads.

I know 2 got a lot of crap at the time for killing Randy, but that's also the thing that really gave the movie stakes.  As strong as Jada Pinkett Smith and Sarah Michelle Gellar are, you don't quite have time to connect to Maureen or Cici.  And Hallie and Derek are both short-changed, I'm sure due to last-minute rewrites.

[Genius]

Here's my theory for the plot.  They take a page out of "Wes Craven's New Nightmare," where the actors are now playing versions of themselves.  It's the 25th anniversary of the original "Scream" and there's a ScreamCon at a Los Angeles hotel that's hosting a giant cast reunion, headlined by Neve, Courteney and David of course.  Everyone's gathered and staying at the hotel, when a real-life Ghostface starts attacking and killing the cast.  This way anyone who was ever associated with the franchise can return, whether their character died or not, allowing for a zillion awesome cameos.

Just imagine the opening scene.  Drew Barrymore on the set of her talk show after a day of filming.  She gets a call on her cell.  "Do you like scary movies, Drew?"  "Ha ha I've heard that a million times over the past 25 years, who is this?"  She's then chased around her studio and brutally killed.  Does it get any more meta than that?

The killer can be a crazed movie fan who was desperate to reboot the franchise, or a disgruntled former co-star.

I could be way off, but I have read reports that a trailer was going to be impossible without giving away the plot, so who knows, maybe I'm close?

[starri]

I am…cautiously optimistic. 
 

Neve looks great, though. 

[Jediknight]

Calling it, while he did do it for The Following, Kevin Williamson is gonna get his original idea for Scream 3 in this movie.  The killers are going to be a cult of Ghostfaces.  It's not gonna be 1 or 2, it's gonna be a lot who follow in Stu and Billy's footsteps, and try to finish their work.

[Spartan Girl]

They broke up Gale and Dewey, didn’t they?☹️

[anna0852]

Well David and Courtney are broken up in real life....

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, anna0852 said:

Well David and Courtney are broken up in real life....

Yeah, I know…

My friend recently watched the first movie for the first time and she’s really interested in the other movies.

Unpopular opinion: I never liked Randy. There was something skeevy about how he was ready to jump on Sid right when Billy got arrested. Hell, the original script ended with him asking her out right after she killed Billy and Stu. FFS She just found out she slept with the guy that killed her mom! 

[AgathaC]

Yeah, I thought Randy was kind of funny but also incredibly creepy (in that “seems funny but isn’t the harmless nerd he pretends to be” way) and I wasn’t sorry when he went away. Of course, that was probably the vibe they were going for so he could be comic relief while still being a potential suspect. So, well done, I guess.

The trailer hits on one of my own personal nightmare scenarios so I was effectively creeped out.

Edited October 12, 2021 by AgathaC

[Spartan Girl]

5 minutes ago, AgathaC said:

The trailer hits on one of my own personal nightmare scenarios so I was effectively creeped out

New technology is a game changer. *shudders*

[AgathaC]

Exactly! My husband wanted automatic locks when we put in a new security system this summer and I absolutely would not budge. No. Just no.

[Annber03]

12 minutes ago, AgathaC said:

The trailer hits on one of my own personal nightmare scenarios so I was effectively creeped out.

When she backed up against the wall, I knew what was coming and I still jumped anyway. 

[starri]

Randy definitely comes off badly when you look through 2020s eyes.  I have less of a problem with him wanting to move in on Sid when she dumps Billy, but a huge one when he's followed her to college like a stalker.  I mean it would be one thing if they were, like, at UCLA or something, but she's at a small private college on the other side of the country.

But I don't mind his death, although it's less to do with that, and more to do with the fact that the movie needs stakes.  If all four of our survivors made it through the next movie, it would feel cheap.  Frankly, if all of the Core 3 make it through the new one, I'm going to be a little disappointed.  I would prefer it not be Sid, but I will take it as it comes.

Plus, Randy's death also moves the plot along by motivating Gale to get a little reflexive.  After she decides "I just want to find this fucker!" it kicks off the movie's best scene, the chase between Gale, Dewey, and Ghostface in the AV room.  Gale screaming behind soundproof glass is just perfect.

As someone who knows more about how movies are made now than I did in the 90s, it's super impressive to me that the first two can each be a half-hour longer than a typical slasher, give the characters time to breathe, and still have the plots MOVE.  It's amazing on so many levels.

[pinkandsparkly13]

Yeah I didn't mind Randy dying, but I thought he was okay. I didn't really care about Kirby's death in Scream 4 either, even though most people really liked her. In fact I don't care much about that movie. I need to see it more though I guess. Ha. I remember not being sure if I cared if any of our heroes died. But as I was watching it, I didn't want Sidney to die, but Gale would have been fine. 

[Bastet]

That trailer doesn't have much of the franchise's trademark humor in it.  Maybe "I've been through this.  A lot."  But, on the other hand, that humor doesn't readily lend itself to soundbites.

Hell, whatever they come up with, I'm in.  I just wish it wasn't only in theatres, because unless things are different by then, no way I'm marinating indoors with a bunch of other people for two hours.

[Josh371982]

12 hours ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

Yeah I didn't mind Randy dying, but I thought he was okay. I didn't really care about Kirby's death in Scream 4 either, even though most people really liked her. In fact I don't care much about that movie. I need to see it more though I guess. Ha. I remember not being sure if I cared if any of our heroes died. But as I was watching it, I didn't want Sidney to die, but Gale would have been fine. 

I remember hearing that apparently Courtney was almost begging for them to kill Gale off but No dice. I liked Scream 4 but I also was wanting them to raise stakes and kill off 1, 2 or all of the orginal 3 in Scream 4 to pass the torch so to speak for a new Generation. I also really liked Kirby and wanted her to be the "New Sydney" so to speak.

[Genius]

Well my theory above was clearly wrong, lol.  And I liked the new trailer but...I don't know.  Unpopular opinion maybe, but it was surprisingly...traditional?  There was hardly anything meta about it.  The stakes don't seem raised, nor is there a new hook evident.  It's just, "oh, it's happening again, I guess we better return to Woodsboro." 

I'm surprised they gave so much away regarding what's presumably the opening kill.  Unless hopefully that's not the opening kill?

Where's the humor, where's the rules, where's the self-awareness?  Can we at least get a Tori Spelling in a "Stab" reboot joke??

[Morrigan2575]

On 10/12/2021 at 9:59 AM, starri said:

I am…cautiously optimistic. 
 

Neve looks great, though. 

Neve looks great, Cortney Cox looks like plastic. 😕

This one worries me, the trend is to kill off the original characters for the "reboot". I worry this might be the end of Sydney, Gail and Dewey

Edited October 13, 2021 by Morrigan2575

[Anela]

19 hours ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

Yeah I didn't mind Randy dying, but I thought he was okay. I didn't really care about Kirby's death in Scream 4 either, even though most people really liked her. In fact I don't care much about that movie. I need to see it more though I guess. Ha. I remember not being sure if I cared if any of our heroes died. But as I was watching it, I didn't want Sidney to die, but Gale would have been fine. 

I actually prefer the fourth movie, over the third. The assistant made me laugh, and Emma Roberts played the role she does best. 

[Anela]

18 hours ago, Bastet said:

That trailer doesn't have much of the franchise's trademark humor in it.  Maybe "I've been through this.  A lot."  But, on the other hand, that humor doesn't readily lend itself to soundbites.

Hell, whatever they come up with, I'm in.  I just wish it wasn't only in theatres, because unless things are different by then, no way I'm marinating indoors with a bunch of other people for two hours.

Same here. My dad said, "We've done well, so far" when I was thinking about attending something that I can't talk about here, because it's political, but I wasn't sure, because it would be a massive crowd. A couple of weeks ago. I didn't go, because of covid. 

7 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Neve looks great, Cortney Cox looks like plastic. 😕

This one worries me, the trend is to kill off the original characters for the "reboot". I worry this might be the end of Sydney, Gail and Dewey

It does look like they're setting up a new cast. :/ I hope not. I'd prefer them to come up with a new franchise, and just let this one end. Ghost face doesn't have continue, let Sydney be. But they won't. 

[Racj82]

4 hours ago, Anela said:

I actually prefer the fourth movie, over the third. The assistant made me laugh, and Emma Roberts played the role she does best. 

That's the general opinion. Most people don't like 3.

This is the first trailer. They were never going to lay everything out there in this one. I'm sure they will develop the tone more later on. Also, these are the guys who did Ready or Not. They know how infuse horror with humor. I had no idea how funny that movie was going to be based on the trailers.

[pinkandsparkly13]

And I love part 3. Lol but I tend to hold some unpopular opinions about movies and shows. 

[Racj82]

On 10/14/2021 at 12:42 AM, pinkandsparkly13 said:

And I love part 3. Lol but I tend to hold some unpopular opinions about movies and shows. 

I don't hate it but I definitely don't love it.

The fact that Lance Henrickson is basically an analog for Weinstein in a movie he's producing is just wild.

But, Deon Richmond (the black guy) is fucking great in everything he's in.

I love the concept of Sydney moving away from everyone but still wanting to help others live and survive.

The stalking in the set of Sydney's old home was an all time great horror sequence.

Park Posey is remarkable in the movie.

Cotton's final moments are great.

But....the plot is a mess. The ultimate villain of the franchise being revealed here doesn't really work. Sydney isn't around a lot because of Neve's schedule and it hurts the movie. It also gets really wacky in ways that don't work. And the voice box with everyone's voice in it is equal parts stupid, doesn't make any sense and is too much of a cheat.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Racj82

[Jediknight]

4 hours ago, Racj82 said:

That's the general opinion. Most people don't like 3.

Should have known that 3 was gonna be a big disappointment when they killed off Cotton right away.  The guy with the best arc in the series, and he's the opening kill.  Falsely imprisoned for the murder of Maureen, gets exonerated and released, has some resentment for Sidney thanks to her testimony and refusal to have anything to do with him, and he saves Sidney and gets revenge on the Loomis family.  We never got to see him as a full fledged ally of Sidney, we only got references to it, with him being one of the few who knew where Sid lived.  He deserved a better ending.

Parker Posey was great in it, and the commentary on the DVD was entertaining.  Of course, the commentary had Wes Craven, and I could have listened to him talk about horror movies for hours and hours.

[Spartan Girl]

I didn’t like 3 either for the reasons that were all stated, plus I don’t think the whole backstory about Maureen being raped to explain why she turned into a serial cheater was necessary. It would have been enough to leave her as a bored desperate housewife.

The movie’s one redeeming moment, however, was Sidney calling out Roman’s villain apologia excuse. That was awesome but long overdue. She’s been through this crap three times, she’s over it.

Kind of a shame that she apparently couldn’t make it work with McDreamy. But given her history with relationships, I guess it’s understandable.

Also liked how Dewey proposed to Gale by putting the ring in her book. That was cute. I know David/Courteney are split in real life but it’s still going to break my heart if Dewey snd Gale are done too.

But yeah 4 was more fun and had a better plot.

[blackwing]

16 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Neve looks great, Cortney Cox looks like plastic. 😕

This one worries me, the trend is to kill off the original characters for the "reboot". I worry this might be the end of Sydney, Gail and Dewey

Good trailer.  I think Neve looked great and youthful in her first appearance in the trailer, when her hair is pulled back and she is on a boardwalk or something.  But later in the trailer, with her hair down and she's in a jacket, she looks a bit matronly.  Courtney Cox looks great, plastic and all.

I am looking forward to this one but the title is confusing.  Scream 4's title was "SCRE4M".  Why couldn't this one be called "5CREAM"?

[starri]

On 10/14/2021 at 12:42 AM, pinkandsparkly13 said:

And I love part 3. Lol but I tend to hold some unpopular opinions about movies and shows. 

I think it's pretty mediocre, but I do think it has interesting things to say about how women are treated by powerful men in Hollywood as we learn Maureen's backstory.

Which makes the fact that it was produced by Harvey Weinstein deeply ironic and not in a good way.

[Spartan Girl]

They could have let Kirby live if only so that not all of the new characters would be murdered. It just doesn’t seem fair for her to get killed off in such a brutal spiteful way by the Nice Guy. Yes, that was the point, but ugh.

It also would have been another twist on the trope, having the blonde character you think is a victim winding up as the real Final Girl while the dark haired Final Girl was actually the evil killer all along.

[Racj82]

On 10/16/2021 at 11:27 AM, Spartan Girl said:

They could have let Kirby live if only so that not all of the new characters would be murdered. It just doesn’t seem fair for her to get killed off in such a brutal spiteful way by the Nice Guy. Yes, that was the point, but ugh.

It also would have been another twist on the trope, having the blonde character you think is a victim winding up as the real Final Girl while the dark haired Final Girl was actually the evil killer all along.

They could easily retcon Kirby dying. It's not something they linger on for long. There have been more egregious changes than that.

[Spartan Girl]

Rewatched Scream 2 yesterday and it occurs to me that the final shot of Sidney walking off by herself is more tragic than initially believed. Yeah, she’s alive, but she’s alone—more so than before. Her friends are all dead, including fellow survivor Woodsburo Randy. And she undoubtedly feels guilty for Hallie and Derek’s deaths—Hallie because Sidney insisted on trying to unmask the killer instead of making a run for it like Hallie was begging her too, and Derek because she didn’t trust him enough to untie him when she had the chance. I caught that she was fiddling with Derek’s necklace in that last bit, so yeah, lots of guilt there. No wonder she went off the grid in the third movie.

It really does suck to be the Final Girl.

[txhorns79]

 

On 10/13/2021 at 6:56 PM, Morrigan2575 said:

I worry this might be the end of Sydney, Gail and Dewey

I worry more that it is being released in January.  That's usually not a signal of confidence from the studio.

[Morrigan2575]

12 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I worry more that it is being released in January.  That's usually not a signal of confidence from the studio.

I wonder if that still holds in COVID times?

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I wonder if that still holds in COVID times?

I think so.  I don't think throughout this we've seen any big movies that were expected to do well being moved to January. 

[Racj82]

4 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

 

I worry more that it is being released in January.  That's usually not a signal of confidence from the studio.

That doesn't mean anything. Studios more and more have been taking advantage of the light January box office. The first movie was released on Christmas which was terrible placement but it did amazing. People assumed the third Bad Boys movie would fail or be bad because it was coming out in January last year. It did huge numbers pre Covid and was well received. There are blockbusters scheduled every month now. 

[txhorns79]

6 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

The first movie was released on Christmas which was terrible placement but it did amazing.

Placement in the the time leading up to Christmas is traditionally thought of as a sign of confidence by a movie studio.  It's why you see studios releasing movies they believe will be big award winners at that time.  They aren't always right, but that is typically the thought.  

I tend to think that because Scream 4 did poorly at the US box office, the January placement for Scream 5 is not a good sign.  

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

Placement in the the time leading up to Christmas is traditionally thought of as a sign of confidence by a movie studio.  It's why you see studios releasing movies they believe will be big award winners at that time.  They aren't always right, but that is typically the thought.  

I tend to think that because Scream 4 did poorly at the US box office, the January placement for Scream 5 is not a good sign.  

For a horror movie? It's not good placement. And this was the thought at the time. It caught everyone off guard because it was thought that it was a throwaway movie. That's the just the reality of the situation. Not everything January related equals dumping ground. It's safer in January. Less competition. It doesn't mean the studio also thinks it's bad. 

[FilmTVGeek80]

Is February considered much better for movie releases than January? Scream 3 came out in February and I doubt the studio thought it was going to do poorly. Maybe they are hedging their bets because of how Scream 4 did, but I don't think that signifies they think the movie is crappy. 

I usually watch the Scream movies during October. I like 3. If I ranked the movies, it would come last but not by much. It did have some flaws definitely, but it was entertaining. It is funny though because it was probably the most predictable of the movies for me. It's probably because I watch too many soaps and Lifetime movies but as soon as they started talking about Maureen's past I had a feeling she was going to have some secret child. And since I thought Scott Foley looked so similar to Neve, I thought he seemed like the best bet to play her sibling.

[scarynikki12]

3 hours ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Is February considered much better for movie releases than January?

February has been a good month in recent years. Get Out, Deadpool, and Black Panther all did excellent with their Feb releases. It's a quieter month so a great movie can stand out but isn't expected to have a significant release each weekend like in the summer or fall. January is tricky since it's both the month where movies go to die and when many Oscar contenders get their nationwide releases (those that were only released in LA and New York on Christmas to make the deadline). A movie sent to die in January can still make money but the expectations are much lower since it's past the Oscar deadline. 

Since we're still in a pandemic my guess is the Jan release date is more about the studio hoping to take advantage of the lowered expectations than an indication of the level of confidence in the actual movie. 

[anna0852]

It can never happen but as a Criminal Minds fan I'd love to see one of these movies from the perspective of the BAU as they go after Ghostface. 

Edited October 23, 2021 by anna0852

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

It can never happen but as a Criminal Minds fan I'd love to see one of these movies from the perspective of the BAU as they go after Ghostface. 

Oh, my god, I would watch the hell out of that XD. 

[kiddo82]

While I have no problems saying that the original Scream is the best one I have such unabashed love for Scream 2.  Outside of the more recent  "event" MCU movies like Infinity War and End Game, Scream 2 was probably my favorite communal movie experience ever.  I will never forget the guy in my theater who yelled "Stupid bitch!" as Sarah Michelle Gellar's character went back inside the sorority house instead of running down the street.  And speaking of SMG, I'll take any chance I can get to praise her in that scene.  Her face is so damned expressive but it's never over the top.  (She also steals I Know What You Did Last Summer too.  "No, he used scissors, asshole!")  The Cassandra rehearsal scene is beautifully done and I love Gale and Sydney going HAM shooting at Mickey at the end.  I laugh every time.  I haven't had a chance to watch any of the Screams in their entirety so far this season (I'll try to squeeze 1 and 2 in by next weekend) but I have caught bits and pieces of 1-3 on AMC.  It's a real testament to them at how rewatchable they still are.  

[Tenshinhan]

On 10/19/2021 at 4:13 PM, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Is February considered much better for movie releases than January? Scream 3 came out in February and I doubt the studio thought it was going to do poorly.

Scream 3 was originally supposed to be released in December like the previous two films.  It was filming delays and reshoots that resulted in its February release date.

[Shorty186]

I really love Scream 3, I think because of Parker Posey and her chemistry with Courteney and David. I tend to skip Scream 2 when I rewatch. Not sure why, maybe because they kill Randy. So I'll try rewatching it to see why it's so popular. But the original is hands down one of my favorite horror movies ever. I remember in film school I actually showed a clip of it for an assignment (I think to show an example of refexivity) so I showed the scene where Randy is watching Halloween and then Sidney and Kenny are watching the tape of Randy watching Halloween and my classmates were like, "Yeeees!"