Everyone can stop arguing over whether the new Scream movie is called Scream 5, Untitled Scream Project, or even 5cream. The fifth Scream is just titled Scream. Simple, right? Maybe TOO simple. The upcoming entry in the meta-horror franchise that used Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven’s love and skill with the genre to win over hardened slasher fans and horror newbies alike looks to follow in a grand tradition of late-in-life film sequel/reboots that claim the same title as the famous original.
The fourth Final Destination (AKA The Final Destination) and Fast and the Furious (AKA Fast & Furious) movies are good examples, but the key joke here is that Halloween did it twice, with both the 2007 Rob Zombie remake and 2018 David Gordon Green sequel. Scream made its mark playing on tropes established in the popular eye by Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason. That Ghostface became a horror icon on its own is a testament to the series’ craftsmanship, sense of fun, and eternal relevance in an industry that loves its franchises. Now, after satirizing franchise reboots in its fourth film, the fifth is taking the joke into its title.
Williamson announced the title on Twitter alongside the news that the new film has wrapped its Wilmington, North Carolina.