Credit: (Left) New Line Cinema (Right) Paramount Pictures / Radio Silence ProductionsThe new Scream sequel could obliterate the fourth wall…
Like the many slashers that came before it, Scream has certainly endured over the decades. That’s not to say that every film in the series has been as great as the original film — you only need to look at A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween to know that slashers don’t rely on great sequels to survive — but audiences are always hungry for more Ghostface.
As Scream VI (2023) continues to dominate the box office, having grossed over $100 million worldwide so far (a first for the Scream franchise), it’s only a matter of time before Scream VII (TBA) gets green-lit, especially when you look at how quickly the current film was announced after its predecessor was released in theaters last year.
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And so it’s reasonable to already start wondering where the next film will take the franchise. In fact, fan theories certainly haven’t stopped with the release of Scream VI — while Matthew Lillard didn’t reprise his role as Ghostface killer Stu Macher in the new film, fans are now expecting him to show up in the new Scream sequel instead!
But Scream VII could wind up going in a completely different direction entirely, and, again, you only need to look at the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to see where that might be. The seventh installment in the supernatural slasher series was a return to form for the late Wes Craven, who would later go on to direct Scream (1996).
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Despite the original A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) being a hit with audiences and becoming an instant classic, and the third film, A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors (1987), also being both a critical and financial success, the series took an incredibly sharp nosedive in quality with its fourth film.
The fifth and sixth entries were even worse, and before that sixth installment, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), was released, the franchise was already dead and buried, and horror icon Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) had become a shadow of his former-self; far more in line with Bugs Bunny than the once-terrifying dream demon.
Related: Every Ghostface Killer In the ‘Scream’ Movies Ranked
With Craven back in the director’s chair for the seventh installment, the aptly-named Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), the opportunity was ripe for the horror master to right a few wrongs, and put A Nightmare on Elm Street and its protagonist back on track. To do this, though, he’d have to break the biggest rule of all — de-canonize everything.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare isn’t really a sequel to the six films that came before it, as it actually takes place outside those films, in the “real world” — ours, if you will, with Heather Langenkamp, who plays final girl Nancy Thompson in the first and third Elm Street films, playing herself, as does Robert Englund and even director Wes Craven.
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Despite grossing only $19.8 million against a budget of $8 million, the film received positive reviews from critics at the time, and has since become a cult classic and even a franchise-favorite for many fans. In hindsight, it’s likely audiences weren’t prepared for New Nightmare‘s “meta” approach, but it would only take Craven a couple more years to give it another go — albeit with far more success — with Scream (1996).
So, will the seventh Scream installment break the fourth wall in the same way New Nightmare does? The chances are that it won’t — after all, it was three terrible sequels that paved the way for Craven’s fourth-wall-shattering film. Although, ingeniously, the film still manages to serve as a sequel to the original 1984 Elm Street film.
Related: Neve Campbell Surprisingly Returns to ‘Scream’ After Quitting Franchise
Should Scream eventually decide to take this route, though, then it would have to commit to staying in the “real world” for subsequent sequels, unless the franchise decides to bow out with such a film. Either way, it wouldn’t be too far a stretch, especially seeing as the films don’t really take themselves all that seriously anymore anyway.
But it would be interesting to see just how “meta” Scream can take things, and a New Nightmare-style sequel would definitely test the franchise’s ability to analyze the genre, and perhaps even start a brand-new trend in film.
Check out the official Scream VI trailer below:
Related: ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Reboot From the Creators of ‘Stranger Things’? Yes, Please!
As per Wikipedia, here’s the official synopsis for Scream VI:
The film continues with the survivors of the latest Ghostface killings, sisters Samantha and Tara Carpenter and twins Chad and Mindy Meeks, leaving Woodsboro behind and starting a new chapter of their lives in New York City only to again be plagued by a streak of murders by a new Ghostface killer.
Scream VI stars Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), Roger L Jackson (the voice of Ghostface), Dermot Mulroney (Wayne Bailey), Henry Czerny (Christopher Stone), Tony Revolori (Jason Carvey), Jack Champion (Ethan Landry), Devyn Nekoda (Anika Kayoko), Liana Liberato (Quinn Bailey), Josh Segarra (Danny Brackett), Samara Weaving (Laura Crane) and Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis).
Related: ‘Scream’ and ‘Friday the 13th’ Will Cross Paths In New Slasher Series
Do you think Scream 7 should take place “outside” the franchise? And what’s your favorite scary movie? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!
