In 1996 Scream introduced horror movie fans to a smarter, wittier, and more self-aware kind of slasher flick. The teens being hunted by the Ghostface killer knew the common horror movie downfalls, with the shrieking girl running upstairs instead of out the front door and some hapless guy saying "I'll be right back" right before going off and getting hacked to bits. Sex and drugs will get you killed, while virginal girls will always survive to the end. Directed by Wes Craven (Nightmare On Elm Street) and written by Kevin Williamson (The Following), the movie changed the way people watched horror movies.

It launched a popular franchise which spanned the 1990s and 2000s, redefining itself with each new sequel. Now, MTV has chosen to adapt Scream into an all new television series. The show will star Willa Fitzgerald (Royal Pains) as Emma Duval, the TV equivalent of Neve Campbell's Sydney Prescott. Joining Fitzgerald is Reign's Amy Forsyth as Emma's BFF Audrey Jensen (Tatum equivalent). John Karna (The Neighbors) will play their friend and pop culture expert Noah Foster (Randy equivalent) and Carlson Young (The Kroll Show) will be playing a popular girl named Brooke Maddox.

Even with its obvious ties to the source material, the MTV program isn't setting out to be a long-form remake of Craven's 1990s hit. The network's first step in forging it's own path? Changing up the characters. It's second step? Giving Ghostface a makeover.

Back in November it was announced that MTV was not pursuing the rights to the mask used in the film franchise. Now EW has released the first official images of MTV's Ghostface mask and, while similar to the original, the new face is distinctly different. According to executive producer Jaime Paglia, the changeup is all part of allowing the series to form its own identity. Paglia explained:

"The [original] mask is so iconic. If you were to have that mask in a television series, but you weren’t following any of the characters [from the original], I believe that would be misleading the audience."

Check out the new Ghostface mask design below:

Scream MTV new Ghostface mask

Paglia's fellow executive producer Jill Blotevogel added:

"It evokes some of the Jason hockey mask and the white Michael Myers mask, but it’s still first and foremost evocative of the Scream mask. It’s sort of a reinvention while also paying homage."

Of course, it helps that the new mask has won the approval of the legendary horror master himself. In talking about Ghostface's new look, Craven said:

"The new mask is cool and scary and takes the series into a new direction.  It also ties into the story, which I won’t give away."

MTV's mask is pretty ominous, with leather straps bolted to the edges and prominent cheekbones which will look phenomenal lurking in the shadows. The mask does appear reminiscent of the Greek comedy and tragedy masks of old, but perhaps that is the point. Scream is known for being an incredibly self-aware franchise. It knows the genre and works hard to turn it on its head while at the same time paying tribute to it.

Also worth noting is Ghostface's new mouth, which isn't quite as long as the original. It is still open as if in the act of screaming though, which is appropriate.

Now that the series is coming together, horror fans might want to brush up on the rule of survival. After all, if you want to live through Scream, you have to know the rules.

Scream will premiere on MTV in October 2015.

Source: Entertainment Weekly