It’s been a while since anyone could claim any year to be a good one, but in terms of horror, 2023 was pretty stellar.Talk to Me, M3gan, Saw X, andSkinamarinkwere among the highlights, and there are plenty more that either hit theaters to huge paydays or made their names known as independent projects. TheScreamfranchise made a huge splash as well. Too bad there may not be another in the foreseeable future. Is that really a bad thing, though?
Scream VIIwould have progressed the story of sisters Tara and Sam, as they continue to find themselves in the bloody path of emerging Ghostface killers, but that came crashing down following Melissa Barerra’s firing on November 21, followed by Jenna Ortega’s departure afterward. This comes a year after longtime franchise lead Neve Campbell quit the series following a pay dispute.
Along withdirector Christopher Landon’s exit, the future of the franchise is up in the air, but to be fair, it’s not just the cast and crew that matter — they are only the wheels of the vehicle. Meanwhile, the franchise is running short on gas. Let’s go into the main reason why we don’t need anotherScreammovie.
A Series of Satire
When the firstScreamwas released in 1996, it served as a much-needed dose of adrenaline into the horror genre and effectively revitalized the slasher film, which by this point was fizzling out. The film was a breath of fresh air because it acknowledged the all-too-common tropes and flaws of horror (that movies before it relied on heavily) as if they were symptoms of an infection.Screamcalled out all of these and turned the genre on its head with its in-touch commentary and originality, driving against what was expected while using the norms to create a legendary horror-thriller and satire.
With its success, a sequel was a no-brainer, and there was plenty more to talk about.EveryScreammoviehad a different meaning and theme to accompany each killing spree.Scream 2andScream 3continued its predecessor’s commentary on the horror genre by tackling the rules and norms of sequels and successfully deepened the conversation on how they typically fail to live up to expectations, while also avoiding the same mistakes (mostly).
Scream 3even went further by tackling the toxicity of Hollywood and its exploitation of tragedy. It wasn’t the best film in the franchise, but it’s aged arguably well, given everything that came to light about the industry in the 2010s.Scream 4,Scream (2022), andScream 6weave plots that revolve around horror’s loss of originality, tackling reboots, re-quels, and remakes, even going into franchise territory and making villains out of toxic fanbases. But at this point, what’s left to talk about?
Related:Scream 7: Who’s Left to Carry on the Franchise?
What More Is There to Say?
Considering thatcommentary on the horror genreand the fanbase has been the backbone of theScreamfranchise, what more is there to say? We are currently in the re-quel and legacy phase of horror, and these have been covered in the last two installments. The films have even gone after the fan bases themselves, leaving little left to explore.
The first threeScreammovies had plenty to talk about because they were working from the ground up and captured everything that was wrong with horror. The first film was so successful that it effectively modernized the genre. Gone were the ridiculous intuition-insulting tropes like running upstairs instead of out the front door, and splitting up to find a killer.Screamforced movies and fans alike to grow up and embrace change. Granted, it didn’t stop movies from being predictable and finding new tropes.
TheScreamfilms stopped for a decade afterScream 3, though, giving the genre time to evolve and change. By the timeScream 4was released, there was plenty to talk about, digging into the landscape and highlighting the out-of-control nature of sequels, remakes, and reboots. The originality was fading away, and despite its success, the flaws of franchise films were also starting to show in this very installment. There was no sense of danger for the core trio: Sydney almost seemed bored, Dewey was still a bumbling cop trying to do his best, and Gale was still struggling to remain relevant. The first timeScreamhad done anything surprising was when they killed Dewey, but nothing since.
The original characters have taken a backseat in the current installments, but what’s changed? The new core group lives, despite multiple stab wounds (Chad alone is stabbed around 20 times across two movies), the killers are predictable, and nothing new and lasting has happened. The series is still too rooted in the past for anything significant (story-wise) to happen, constantly referencing previous installments as they relate to the present and not showing any signs of trying to do anything different.
How often has it been that aGhostface killer’s identitywas surprising? How meaningful is it when the core three return, and does it make sense? What are these movies doing that’s special or important other than talking about the past? TheDetroit Newscomments on this in their article, “Looking at the Past in the Reflection of the Knife,” stating:
Scream doesn’t set out to carve a new path, it offers the promise of something new while wrapping audiences in the familiarity of old. Yes, Scream comments on and plays with those very ideas, but that doesn’t make it any less guilty of succumbing to them. It just means it doesn’t follow its own rules.
Is It Better to Wait?
Screamhas already tackled the modern era; the films aren’t doing anything new. Sure, the “Will Sam turn out like her father?” story is interesting and a worthy driving force, but the will-she-won’t-she narrative won’t last much longer, if it continues at all at this point. Let’s say that everyone who has left the project rejoins soon: anything but her embracing her darker impulses or a surprising outcome will ring as more of the same. To keep true toScream’ssatirical themes, maybe the next subject they tackle should be the need for change by doing something movies have yet to do.
While mostly the studio’s fault, mainstream horror has always ridden on the success of more popular films. An example is the success ofScreamin 1996, resulting in studios clambering to get their hands on anything by writer Kevin Williamson and embracing meta. Another is the long line of remakes released in the 2000s and 2010s. More original films likeM3ganandGet Outhave been gaining more mainstream success, signaling the rise in desire for newer content.
Related:Neve Campbell Addresses Possible Return in Scream 7: ‘I Would Love to See It Continue’
If this isn’t enough, theScreamfranchise’s future success may benefit from sitting out for a while and giving Horror the chance to change and prosper. This will allowScream 7to be a smarter endeavor, just like its predecessors. Even thoughScream 7’sfateis up in the air, we may still see the movie before long, given studio greed. Only time will tell, but as fans, we should hope we are given something worth seeing.
If you like theScreamfranchise, you might like our video below about some of the most rewatchable horror movies ever ade.
