The technology has changed ― but the bloodlust is still apparent ― in “Scream,” the upcoming fifth movie in the horror franchise of the same name.
Viewers got a first look at the hotly anticipated film, due out in January, with the release of a new trailer Tuesday. Fans of the 1996 original will likely be pleased to see actors David Arquette, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox reprising their roles, alongside newcomers including Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega and Jack Quaid.
The new clip finds Ortega, whose acting credits include “Iron Man 3” and Netflix’s “You,” on the run from the masked killer Ghostface. It’s a clear homage to an iconic scene from the original film that featured Drew Barrymore ― only this time, Ghostface has text messaging and a home alarm system at his disposal.
Watch the full trailer for the upcoming film “Scream” below.
The original “Scream” was directed by Wes Craven, generally regarded as a master of the horror genre. Several sequels followed, and while 2011’s “Scream 4” was a hit, hopes of reviving the franchise dwindled significantly following Craven’s death in 2015.
In an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis for Variety last year, Campbell said she was “really apprehensive” about taking on the role of Sidney Prescott for a fifth movie. An impassioned letter from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who directed the new film, changed her mind.
“They are directors because of Wes Craven and they’re really so excited to be a part of these films and what an honor it is to do them, and that they really want to do justice to Wes and honor his legacy,” Campbell said. “Then I went and watched one their films and it’s brilliant and in keeping in tone. So I thought, ‘You know what, I can do this.’ I think this could be a lot of fun and a good idea. These are people who are doing it for the love of these films. So that meant something.”
Though more than 25 years will have passed since the debut of the original “Scream” by the time the new film is released, Gillett said reviving the franchise without Arquette, Campbell and Cox would be unthinkable.
“We couldn’t imagine the movie without any of them and so not having that perfectly locked-in right off the bat was definitely scary,” he told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Monday. “We couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome in terms of just how everyone rallied around the project and really became a family with a really singular goal of making it across the finish line with this project.”
“Scream” is due to be released Jan. 14, 2022.