Highlights
- The Stab franchise doesn’t effectively comment on current horror trends.
- A true-crime documentary could provide a fresh angle for Scream 7.
- True crime documentaries are now more popular, making it a fitting choice for Scream 7’s meta commentary.
Scream 7 will go into production later this year, with Kevin Williamson set to direct the latest entry in the long-running horror franchise. Neve Campbell will return as Sidney Prescott, and she will likely be joined by Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers and Patrick Dempsey as Mark Kincaid. Fans are speculating about what angle the upcoming sequel could explore, with the return of the fictional Stab movies a particular bone of contention.
Many fans would like to see Scream 7 move away from the Stab franchise in favor of something a bit more relevant to current times. A true-crime documentary would be a good route to explore in Scream 7. True crime is hugely popular these days, and the Scream franchise is tailor-made to explore this particular craze, with the Ghostface murders providing the perfect subject for a ‘true crime’ deep dive.
The Stab franchise doesn’t provide effective horror commentary in the Scream franchise anymore
The Scream franchise has always provided meta horror commentary on the events in each entry in the series using a fictional in-universe horror movie franchise called Stab. The fictional franchise was used effectively in the earlier sequels to portray what the creative team were trying to say about the state of horror, but it has become overused and doesn’t have the same effect as it used to.
Scream 2’s best idea saw the introduction of the Stab movies into the narrative in the opening kill sequence, when two students at Windsor College, Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens, were murdered during the premiere of Stab in theaters. Stab created a discussion about the effects of cinema violence, with the movie being based on the ‘real life events’ that occurred in Woodsboro one year earlier. It also led to a meta discussion about sequels, as the suggestion was made that a copycat killer was trying to make a real life sequel to Stab.
Scream 3 was the most Stab focused of any movie in the franchise, with the murders taking place on the set of Stab 3: Return To Woodsboro. Scream 4 used the Stab movies to launch a conversation about remakes in Hollywood, with the Stab sequels becoming more and more ridiculous as they went on. Scream (2022) used the Stab movies perfectly to create the motive for the Ghostface killers, which was toxic fandom. However, Scream 6 moved away from the Stab franchise, and the movie was better for it. If Scream 7 returns to the Stab movies, it would be considered a step back.
A true-crime documentary could investigate the Ghostface murders in Scream 7
Scream 7 |
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Starring |
Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox (rumored), Patrick Dempsey (rumored) |
Written By |
Guy Busick |
Directed By |
Kevin Williamson |
There is an argument that true-crime documentaries have become the horror movies of current times. Real life is so much scarier than any movie could ever be, and Scream 7 needs to comment on this. The Scream franchise has always treated itself like ‘real life’ as opposed to other movies in the genre. The Stab movies were based on ‘real life events’ and the logical next step would be for a true-crime documentary to exist in Scream 7, focusing on the Ghostface killings. When a murder occurs in actual real life, the chances are it’ll be turned into a true-crime documentary rather than a movie, and Scream 7 could have some meta fun with this angle.
Gale Weathers alluded to the shift in focus to true crime content in Scream 6, when she bemoaned her failure to sell the movie rights for her new book.
It’s all about true crime limited series these days.
This remark could be explored in Scream 7, with the introduction of a true-crime documentary about the string of Ghostface massacres over the years. Maybe Gale Weathers has joined forces with a team of true crime armchair detectives to re-investigate the origins of the Ghostface killings.
A true-crime documentary could provide the perfect meta commentary in Scream 7, and it could also provide a motive for the newest Ghostface killer(s) to attack Sidney and her family. Halloween (2018) introduced a couple of true crime investigators into its story, as they approach Laurie Strode to discuss her tortured past. A similar thing could happen in Scream 7, with a documentary crew tracking Sidney down to get her thoughts on the string of Ghostface murders.
Similarly to movies based on true life events, there is a growing trend of true-crime documentaries that manipulate the truth to get better ratings, and this could provide the perfect motive for a Ghostface killer to snap and launch an attack on the team behind the documentary. Either a cult of Ghostface killers or a franchise mastermind could be behind the attacks, and take offense to how they are being portrayed in the documentary.
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