Everything We Know About SCREAM (2022)

The Scream franchise revamped teen horror in the late ‘90s with its original trilogy following Sidney Prescott. The series of slasher flicks made a resurgence back in 2011 with Scream 4, bringing the story into a new millennium with familiar faces and new characters. And, just when we all thought the Ghostface saga was done, the announcement of a fifth film sent fans into a frenzy. There’s much speculation abound and some frustration over its title but the excitement is ramping up once again as Sidney prepares to return to Woodsboro and we meet the new targets of Ghostface. Here’s everything we know about Scream (2022). Make sure to check for updates as the premiere date gets closer.

Title

The film’s title is Scream. (We will refer to it as Scream (2022) for clarity.) Yes, that is the same title as the 1996 original film. Talk about some confusion. Scream isn’t the first franchise to do this. There’s Halloween (1978) and Halloween (2018), with the latter ignoring the many sequels between them for a direct continuation of the story.

This latest Scream will follow the events of Scream 4. However, it could be a sign that the franchise is going to refresh itself with new leads. Sidney, Dewey, and Gale have been around for many, many years and it is time to pass the torch (if there will be subsequent films). If not, perhaps the title is a full circle type of deal to end things for real this time.

Scream (2022) Plot

In a world of many leaked plots, Scream (2022) has managed to keep its narrative under wraps. We do know that murder will bring Sidney back to Woodsboro to face Ghostface once again. That’s evident from this “Welcome Home, Sidney” message from the Scream Twitter account back in September 2020. And we can figure out a portion of the rest. Many people will die, Sidney will get snappy with and fight the antagonist, and some shocking twist will reveal a new killer.

The trailer that every fan has been waiting for finally arrived on October 12. Sid comes back to town to help Sam, whose sibling Tara is attacked by Ghostface. Apparently, the initial string of attacks is against people who are related to Billy and Stu, the original killers. The clip shows Ghostface in an even more ominous light, his tone darker and his figure looming in shadows and over victims. This movie is gonna be a scream.

The Scream Movies official Twitter page invited fans to join the Woodsboro Horror Film Club. The link goes to a Facebook fan page with promises that fun things are on the way. Including screams that will really hurt your throat. For now, it’s a wonderful community to talk about all things Scream. The eagle-eyed among us noticed that the fictional club’s logo hides a zip code within it. The zip code, 94971, is for Tomales, CA, where Stu Macher’s house is located in real-life. So, a major part of the plot will revolve around the sordid past of this residence.

There is also this intriguing poster with a haunting close shot of Ghostface with his signature knife and the following tagline: “It’s Always Someone You Know.” Now that’s a line that is certainly facts. We will, in fact, know this person because they are in the movie.

The film is really leaning into that “everyone’s a suspect” ideal with its character posters showing everyone holding the Ghostface mask…expect Vince. Does this mean there’s something weird going on with him? We don’t know but he does give Billy Loomis vibes for sure.

Oddly enough, the Scream franchise and the holiday season are intrinsically tied together. The first two films were released on December 20 and December 12, respectively. Although Scream (2022) will not drop in December, it is celebrating Christmas with #12ScreamsForTheHolidays, a social campaign where they will drop new tidbits leading up to the impending release. The first bit is a final poster, which tells you that the killer is in the poster. Once again, we see the OGs and newcomers…but not Vince. What’s with this guy being left out? Is he the one wearing the mask in this picture? Probably not. It’s just too obvious at this point.

Behind the Scenes

Scream (2022) will be directed by franchise newcomers Matt Bettinelli-Olphin and Tyler Gillett. The previous four films were directed by horror legend Wes Craven, who died in 2015. Bettinelli-Olphin and Gillett are 2/3 of the Radio Silence filmmaking trio, known for V/H/S and Devil’s Due. James Vanderbilt of Amazing Spider-Man fame pens the script while original screenwriter Kevin Williamson steps into the executive producer role. Filming wrapped in Wilmington, NC in November 2020. The cast and crew famously posted Stu Macher’s house from Scream as a filming location.

A behind-the-scenes featurette gives us some additional information and interesting tidbits about the film. First, there’s the revelation that Sam is harboring a secret that Ghostface knows. And of course, he (or she…or they) is using this as leverage. Sam seeks Dewey, who appears to be retired from the police force at this point based on a new clip of him looking at his beloved badge and gun in a box.

We get some cast commentary, including Cox saying that this film has some twists that she still cannot get over. But the biggest reveal is Sidney Prescott’s running scene. In the trailer, we only see the top half of her body. This featurette shows her entire body, revealing that she’s pushing a stroller. So it looks like Sidney is a mom now! It is not too surprising considering she’s wearing a band on her left ring finger but she has a whole new motivation for ending this horror forever.

Scream (2022) Cast

Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette will reprise their roles as the infamous trio Sidney Prescott, Dewey Riley, and Gail Weathers Riley, respectively. And, of course, Roger L. Jackson will give voice to Ghostface once again. Returning with the veteran cast is Marley Shelton as Judy Hicks, a Woodsboro police officer who survived the events of Scream 4.

There are also a ton of new faces to the franchise. According to Entertainment Weekly, Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera will play sisters Tara and Sam Carpenter. (Love the homage to John Carpenter.) The Boys Jack Quaid will portray Richie, who is presumably not a high school student, and Dylan Minnette as Wes, Judy’s son. There’s also Mikey Madison as Amber Freeman (who looks suspect) and Kyle Gallner as Vince Schneider. Jasmine Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding are confirmed in the film and are playing Woodsboro High School students Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin.  This means they are likely the children of Martha Meeks, Randy’s sister. Right now, there’s not much known and officially confirmed about how they connect in this story. We do know that Mindy is queer and Chad is a jock, as evidenced by his letterman jacket.

However, the aforementioned EW report does give us the first images of the characters. Hopefully, more details about them will come forth. Interestingly, many of the actors refer to the newbies as “fresh meat,” which means a lot of them won’t make it to the end credits. After a noticeable lack of diversity in the previous films, it is glorious to see so many people of color.

Scream (2022) Release Date

The film will release in theaters on January 14, 2022.

Originally published on October 11, 2021.