Scream director Wes Craven initially wasn't keen on directing the 1996 slasher film. With a continuation of the Scream franchise currently in the works, the original movie has endured as a pop culture icon in the 25 years since its release. Scream brought the iconic villain Ghostface to life, a masked killer who terrorizes a California town while a group of teenagers attempt to discover his identity. The film went on to breathe new life into the slasher genre, and raised the profiles of stars like Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox.

While the Scream sequel movie, the fifth in the franchise, is set to release in 2022, the saga started out 25 years ago with novice screenwriter Kevin Williamson seeking to upend established slasher tropes. The film's iconic opening depicts the film's biggest star, played by Drew Barrymore, being killed off in the first few minutes. Scream's thesis statement is laid out clearly by Randy (Jamie Kennedy), who outlines the horror movie "rules" in an iconic scene that emphasised the film's self aware tone. It also showed that Scream wasn't afraid to go back and forth between knowing comedy and tense horror.

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During an interview with THR, members of he Scream crew revealed that horror icon Craven initially didn't want to make the film. Producer Marianna Maddalena said the director was "very adamant" that he didn't want to take on a horror project. Ultimately, however, Craven decided to come on board after Barrymore was cast. Read the full comments from Maddalena, and production executive Richard Potter, below:

Maddalena: "I loved the script, but Wes was very adamant about not wanting to do a horror movie next. He wanted to get out of the horror ghetto, as he called it. So he passed on it right away. A couple of months later he read it again and they had attached Drew Barrymore and he just felt like, well, why not? He really enjoyed that work and he knew he was good at it, so he never thought twice about it once he accepted the job."

Potter: "If it wasn’t for Marianne and [Wes’ then-assistant] Julie Plec, Wes would have passed. I kept trying to get him to say yes, and he kept saying he’s done horror, he’s done slasher. I think he felt with New Nightmare that he’d sort of done the self-reflective meta thing. They were the ones at his company who kept saying, “You haven’t done this before. Nobody’s done this before.” The two of them got him to do the movie."

Scream-1996

Director of the horror classics A Nightmare on Elm StreetThe Hills Have Eyes, and The Last House of the Left, Craven had established himself as a horror genius, but thought the script for Scream was simply too dark, despite its humor, and was looking to do something different. In addition to this revelation about Craven's near-pass on one of his most iconic films, the interview also revealed the complicated behind-the-scenes world of Scream, with producer Bob Weinstein originally luke-warm on the film's first cut. Ultimately, it seems that many people underestimated just how big the film would become.

Following Craven's death in 2015, Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have their work cut out for them with the upcoming Scream sequel. They must be able to make Scream (2022) stand out on its own merits, while also staying true to the magic that made the original Scream so special in the first place. With Halloween season almost over, the seasonal attention on the horror genre will soon wane, but Scream (2022) coming January 14 is sure to remind fans of the immortal question, "What's your favorite scary movie?"

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Source: THR

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