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7 Interesting Facts About The Scream Franchise You May Not Have Known

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The Scream franchise is widely popular due to the “who dun it” storyline that keeps you guessing till the end. The iconic Ghostface mask is one that even if you haven’t seen the movies, you know what it’s from. It’s sold at every store during the Halloween season.

Recently the franchise was brought back to life with Scream V and VI. They were both successful at the box office and have led to a 7th film in development. We can thank Wes Craven for this franchise we know and love. Today, we dive into 7 interesting facts you may not have known about the Scream franchise.

Wes Craven turned down the project twice

Image of Scream 1-4 Director Wes Craven

As hard as it may seem, Wes Craven wasn’t interested in directing the first Scream movie at the time. He wanted to step away from gore films for a while. He rejected it the first time because it was too dark and violent. He then rejected it a second time but the reason for it is unknown. Fortunately, he changed his mind and helped create the iconic Scream franchise.

Drew Barrymore accidentally called the police while filming

Movie Scene from Scream (1996)

While filming the intro scene in the first film, Barrymore was handed an actual phone connected to a landline. She didn’t realize this at the time, and she unknowingly dialed 911 several times and hung up. It was finally realized once the police arrived on set.

The Ghostface mask was discovered during location scouting

Movie Scene from Scream VI

The filmmakers went through several ideas and models but could never find something that stuck. While they were touring several homes that they were thinking of filming at, a producer ran across the mask sitting on the back of a chair. At first, no one else was interested in it but eventually, they decided on it. They would have to make an agreement with the creator of the mask Fun World to negotiate an agreement to use it in the film.

A Nightmare on Elm Street easter eggs appear throughout the films

Movie Scene from Scream (1996)

Many easter eggs are hidden throughout the films and one of them is references to Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Wes Craven himself makes a cameo in the first film as Fred the janitor who is dressed in the iconic Freddy Krueger Sweater. In the second film, the sweater can be seen hanging on a door. Also in the fourth film, a trivia question is asked about the weapon Freddy Krueger uses.

The cast had no idea who the killer(s) was in Scream 2

Movie Scene from Scream 2

As crazy as it sounds, at the time of filming the cast had no idea who the killer(s) was. It was only until the last 10 pages of the script started filming that they were handed a copy to look over. They even had to sign confidential agreements so they couldn’t say anything, and the last 10 pages were printed with light grey ink so it would be hard to produce copies.

Neve Campbell was on the Scream 3 set for only 20 days

At the time, Neve Campbell was busy filming other films such as Drowning Mona and Party of Five. The filmmakers didn’t want to make the film without her. They decided to work out a contract with her that only had her on set for a total of 3 weeks.

Scream 4 was supposed to jumpstart a new trilogy for the franchise

Movie Scene from Scream 4

When Wes Craven was helping create Scream 4, he mentioned the idea that he didn’t want it to be a one-off and that he wanted this film to jump-start a new trilogy. It was supposed to be a trilogy that was on its own from the first 3 films. Craven then passed away from brain cancer in 2015 and the production company decided not to move forward with this idea.

Scream Movie Poster Collage

The Scream franchise is something that we all know and is still popular even today with new films. These are just some of the many interesting things you may not have known about this franchise. Did you know any of these interesting facts or do you know some that weren’t mentioned here? Let us know in the comments below. Also check out some more facts about the Scream franchise down below.

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Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

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Radio Silence Films

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

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7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film

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Horror Movies Releasing This Month – April 2024 [Trailers]

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April 2024 Horror Movies

With only six months until Halloween, it is surprising how many horror movies will be released in April. People are still scratching their heads as to why Late Night With the Devil wasn’t an October release since it has that theme already built in. But who’s complaining? Certainly not us.

In fact, we are elated because we are getting a vampire movie from Radio Silence, a prequel to an honored franchise, not one, but two monster spider movies, and a film directed by David Cronenberg’s other child.

It’s a lot. So we have provided you with a list of movies with help from the internet, their synopsis from IMDb, and when and where they will drop. The rest is up to your scrolling finger. Enjoy!

The First Omen: In theaters April 5

The First Omen

A young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, but encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.

Monkey Man: In theaters April 5

Monkey Man

An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.

Sting: In theaters April 12

Sting

After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet-and fight for her family’s survival-when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.

In Flames: In theaters April 12

In Flames

After the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

Abigail: In Theaters April 19

Abigail

After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

The Night of the Harvest: In theaters April 19

The Night of the Harvest

Aubrey and her friends go geocaching in the woods behind an old cornfield where they are trapped and hunted by a masked woman in white.

Humane: In theaters April 26

Humane

In the wake of an environmental collapse that is forcing humanity to shed 20% of its population, a family dinner erupts into chaos when a father’s plan to enlist in the government’s new euthanasia program goes horribly awry.

Civil War: In theaters April 12

Civil War

A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

Cinderella’s Revenge: In select theaters April 26

Cinderella summons her fairy godmother from an ancient flesh-bound book to get revenge on her evil stepsisters and stepmother who abuse her daily.

Other horror movies on streaming:

Bag of Lies VOD April 2

Bag of Lies

Desperate to save his dying wife, Matt turns to The Bag, an ancient relic with dark magic. The cure demands a chilling ritual and strict rules. As his wife heals, Matt’s sanity unravels, facing terrifying consequences.

Black Out VOD April 12 

Black Out

A Fine Arts painter is convinced that he is a werewolf wreaking havoc on a small American town under the full moon.

Baghead on Shudder and AMC+ on April 5

A young woman inherits a run-down pub and discovers a dark secret within its basement – Baghead – a shape-shifting creature that will let you speak to lost loved ones, but not without consequence.

Baghead

Infested: on Shudder April 26

Residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders.

Infested

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