By Gabriela Acosta, MWN
The new installment of the “Scream” franchise is finally here. And, according to screenwriter Kevin Williamson, it will be the last one of the saga that began in 1996. Canadian actress Neve Campbell was very hesitant to play Sidney Prescott, the fearless heroine of the horror film:
“Scream gave me a lot of popularity and a chance to be at a special point in film history. Wes Craven was a phenomenal director, the film was a huge success at a time when horror films were no longer being made well. It allowed me to be in a very special niche, in that corner of cult films and opened doors for other roles in this industry, such as comedies and dramas. I’ve always defended the fact that it wasn’t a film that pigeonholed me, but it allowed more horror film scripts to come my way, but my career has been complete in every way.”
The 48-year-old noted that there were two things that were central to the project: reuniting with Courteney Cox and David Arquette and that her son motivated her to meet Ghostface again.
“Sidney has never been a helpless victim in the film. I’m very fortunate to provoke various reactions with this role because there are people who keep saying to me, ‘Sidney Prescott inspired me, Sidney Prescott made me braver, made me less insecure, made me stand up for myself.’ Also, my son often challenges me not to forget Ghostface’s mask [*Laughs*],'” she said.
Nostalgia brings the franchise back to movie theaters with young actors set to refresh the saga. But we will see the return of founding characters, such as Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) and David Arquette (Dewey Riley) along with Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Jenna Ortega and Jack Quaid, among others.
“I also hesitated and it made me question several things: ‘Do you want to do another Scream,’ ‘Why bring it back?’ My answer was, ‘Why not?’ It was an important part of my life and I had a lot of fun. They brought the franchise back and I decided to take a chance, especially because it would have given me a lot of angst not to have,” Courteney Cox added.
In the end, the actress made it clear that the Scream experience marked millions of people:
“You don’t go to a parking lot at night alone. Ever. You don’t go to the bathroom in a movie theater. And anyone could go crazy, that doesn’t go out of style,” she concluded.
