The horror genre has been in the midst of a renaissance for years now, to the delight of fans. In addition to exciting new concepts, this trend has also resulted in the revival of beloved properties like Halloween and Scream. The latter will return to theaters this coming January, and will feature the return of heroes like Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. But will moviegoers have to see the previous four to enjoy the Scream 5? Luckily, the director has weighed in on this.
The new Scream movie marks the first time that an installment of the franchise was helmed by someone other than late horror icon Wes Craven. Ready or Not’s Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin are behind the camera, and the latter filmmaker recently addressed Scream 5’s connection to the previous installments. As he put it,
This isn’t a movie that you need to have seen 27 other movies to understand. But, your experience will be extremely heightened the more knowledge you have of those previous four. We have a ton of Easter eggs in this thing. We have so many little moments, and nods, and things that are big and little, that all tie to the previou four. So there’s a bit of a puzzle aspect to it from knowing the first four. But hopefully if you don’t catch those things, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t take away from your experience.
That was certainly honest. While being careful to actually keep the secrets of the next Scream under wraps, he makes it seem like the new installment will be accessible for newcomers. That said, fans like myself will be treated to more easter eggs and moments that those fresh faces won’t be able to appreciate.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin’s comments come from an interview he and his Scream collaborators had with the fan outlet Hello Sidney. The fifth movie wrapped filming back in November, and the theatrical cut is seemingly close to being completed. And while we’ll catch-up with the beloved trio of original heroes, there will also be newcomers and a brand new story to entice casual fans.
As previously mentioned, Scream 5 will feature a number of returning faces. Fans were delighted to learn that Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette would all be reprising their roles in the new installment. Additionally, Marley Shelton will reprise her Scream 4 role as Judy Hicks. Some fans are also holding out hope to see Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed, but there’s been no indication of her having a role.
Given how much the Scream franchise relies on surprises, there have been great lengths taken to guard the new movie’s secrets. This includes shooting multiple endings, and giving the cast different versions of the script. As such, not even the young stars who are making their debut in Scream 5 know for sure who the killer(s) is.
Scream is currently set to arrive in theaters on January 14th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
