Ever since the mid-‘90s, the Scream films have been offering meta-commentaries on the horror genre, delivering slasher-movie thrills while deconstructing their rules and conventions. Now, nearly a decade on from Scream 4, a fifth film is on the cards from Ready Or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. And while it’s early days on the project, currently in pre-production and among the many movies caught up in the Coronavirus pandemic, we now know franchise stalwart Neve Campbell is in talks to return.
“We’re having conversations – I have been approached about it,” the actor confirmed to Rotten Tomatoes. “The timing’s a bit challenging because of Covid. You know, we only started the conversation maybe a month and a half ago, so it’s going to take some time to figure out how it’s all going to work out…. We’re negotiating, so we’ll see.” Campbell also opened up about continuing the series without legendary director Wes Craven, who helmed all four films in the franchise and passed away in 2015. “The two directors wrote me a very touching letter about Wes Craven and how he was such an inspiration to them and how they really want to honour him, and that meant a great, great deal to me,” she said. “So we’ll see. Hopefully we can all see eye to eye on the project and find a way to make it.”
Anyone who’s seen Ready Or Not – or Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s work on horror anthologies Southbound and VHS – will know that the series is in good hands here, and there’s plenty of territory for them to mine. After Scream 4 mined the spate of ‘00s remakes, the rise of found-footage and the prevalence of the internet for its meta-commentary, where does a fifth film go? How about mining the Blumhouse trend of small-budget-high-concept-big-returns horror? Or does it go after the A24 prestige horror trends – are people more scared now of the Babadook and Swedish pagan rituals than a knife-wielding killer in a spooky mask? Stay tuned post-lockdown for more on Scream 5 as it comes together.