Anghus Houvouras on why Scream no longer needs Sidney Prescott…
Let me first say this; Neve Campbell is an absolute treasure. The following thoughts have nothing to do with Ms. Campbell and all of the amazing contributions she made to the Scream series, of which I consider myself a huge fan. The original Scream is a perfect movie; a cinematic sucker punch that deliciously deconstructed the genre and reinvigorated audience interest in horror. There are a great many people involved with Scream who are responsible for the film and franchise’s success, a hefty percentage of that deservedly belongs to Neve Campbell.
But does the franchise still need Sidney Prescott?
I believe that answer is ‘no’. In fact, when I heard that Campbell would no longer be appearing in Scream 6, I found myself feeling more hopeful for the next film than hateful. For the first time, the creative forces behind the franchise will have to move forward without a net. Sidney Prescott was the heart of the first three Scream movies and she was an integral part of the fourth and fifth installments. Sidney is invariably tied to the Ghostface Killer just as Laurie Strode is tied to Michael Myers. And if the latest Halloween movies have proven, tying the series to legacy characters rarely elevate the subsequent sequels to anywhere interesting elevation.
I enjoyed the latest Scream movie, but the formula has become watered down so much that the films are starting to lose their flavor. From a storytelling perspective, what else is there to do with Sidney Prescott? Is every Scream movie doomed to take place in Woodsboro, have Ghostface re-emerge, characters discuss horror movie cliches and then somebody calls Sidney who comes back and puts herself in harms way for whatever implausible reasons the writers construct? While I’m sure there are those who would be pleased as punch to see 70 year old Sidney Prescott getting a call at the Retirement Home about a new Ghostface in Scream 23. At some point the series needs to separate from the legacy characters and try something new.
And there’s a chance ‘something new’ won’t work. Sidney Prescott is baked into the casserole that is the Scream franchise. It’s hard to picture a Scream movie without her. But as is, Sidney and Gale Weathers are a safety net. The warm comfort of nostalgia that can be brought in to anchor the movie providing familiar faces to the film that will appease fans of the series. There is a certain level of risk of making a Scream movie that abandons the legacy characters and setting that made the movies so successful.
However, five films in, the series may have passed the precipice of predictability and desperately in need of a new twist. The Scream series needs to try and abandon the past. Kill if it has to. Make a story free from the tethers of the original movies and the legacy characters that were part of the frightening foundation of the franchise.
Yes, the prospect of a Sidney-Free Scream movie is terrifying. But I firmly believe it might be the best thing to take the series in a sinister new direction.
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Anghus Houvouras
