The horror genre is known for its long-running franchises, which usually include a beloved and iconic villain. Wes Craven’s Scream is no exception, with the 1996 original breathing new life into the genre and starting a massive franchise. A sixth movie is currently filming, but fans were disappointed to learn that it won’t include franchise star Neve Campbelll as Sidney Prescott. While Campbell isn’t in Scream 6, she recently played Sidney again in an unexpected place.
All three of the original Scream heroes returned for the wildly successful fifth movie earlier this year: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. And while Scream 6 was quickly greenlit, it’s going to feature far less OG action. Campbell recently revealed that she won’t be in the new slasher thanks to a pay dispute, to the disappointment of fans. While we won’t get Sidney in the upcoming slasher, the Craft icon got back into character for a Red Cross campaign encouraging folks to donate blood. You can see it below, courtesy of Scream fan site Hello Sidney:
I mean, how cute is that? Neve Campbell got to show off her comedic chops while appearing in this advertisement from the Red Cross. It’s wild seeing her break the fourth wall as Sidney Prescott, in a set that looks akin to Stu Macher’s house. And since she won’t be in Scream 6, fans have got to take what we can get.
The above video opens on Neve Campbell about to run up the stairs of a house, before she turns to the camera and admits she should probably be getting a weapon instead. Hardcore Scream fans will know that she had similar dialogue in Wes Craven’s original movie, when Sidney’s talking to Ghostface about why she hates horror movies. She pops up in a few more of these gags throughout the clip.
After this we meet various other horror movies characters, who are lamenting about tropes of the genre. In a hilariously dark fashion, one claims they’re wasting their blood by being murdered by a killer instead of donating and saving lives. Between these jokes and the inclusion of Neve Campbell throughout, this ad is really swinging hard.
Of course, seeing Neve Campbell play Sidney again might bring up feelings of disappointment for the hardcore Scream fans out there. It’s almost impossible to imagine a Scream movie without the franchise star, but that’s exactly what we’re going to get with the upcoming sixth movie. Co-stars old and new have put their support behind the 48 year-old actress, who claimed she wasn’t being paid what she is worth. And while rumors swirled that a new deal was found, Campbell recently shut them down. And with David Arquette’s Dewey killed off, that means Courteney Cox will seemingly be the only OG back for Scream 6.
Scream 6 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on March 31st 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
