The sixth installmentin theScreamfranchiseis fast approaching. But there is a different air around it than the buildup to last year’s fifth film,Scream(2022). We had been waiting for over a decade to see the return of Ghostface, but it had an added layer of excitement as we would see our legacy characters meet a whole new generation of victims for Ghostface to torment. The result was a pretty solid updated entry in a franchise that has been ongoing for over 20 years. It was a nice blend of callback to the original films whilst taking on the new, modern horror landscape to fit a whole new generation of audiences.
The original actors were still at the top of their game despite being sidelined by the new characters. The incoming actors gave solid performances, particularlyJenna Ortegawho is a bonafide scream queen now andJack Quaidgave us a brilliant dual performance as a loving, out-of-his-depth boyfriend and a crazed, psycho killer. I could not contain my excitement this time last year. My whole life changed when I was 13 and I first watchedDrew Barrymorepick up that phone toRoger L. Jackson’s iconic voice asking her what her favorite scary movie is. I even have Casey Becker’s hairstyle now to prove it. But I’m sad to say that all that anticipation and eagerness to jump back into my favorite horror franchise has been completely stripped away by one fatal decision: not bringing backNeve Campbell.
Why Do We Love the ‘Scream’ Movies?
A lot of people love theScreammovies for different reasons. For some, it’s their perfect combination of genres - slasher, murder mystery, and comedy. The way they use meta-humor was like nothing ever seen before in horror.Wes CravenandKevin Williamsonperfectly made a movie that was able to be so searingly self-aware while also being genuinely terrifying. To others, it’s all about the characters. Whether it’s Stu (Matthew Lillard) and Billy’s (Skeet Ulrich) folie à deux that still does the rounds of TikTok edits or it’sEmma Robert’s pitch-perfect portrayal of a psychopath desperate for fame, there is no shortage of compelling characters, both evil and good, in this franchise. I love theScreamfilms for all the reasons listed above, but the central one will always be Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. Without her, there is noScream.
Why Is Neve Campbell Not Returning for ‘Scream VI’?
In case you didn’t know, after 28 years and five films, Neve Campbell will not be returning to the franchise for the sixth installment. Now, if this was due to her feeling like her time with the franchise has run its course, I would be totally fine with that. If the decision to walk away from Sidney was completely on Campbell’s terms, I would support that decision, period. But that isn’t the reason. Campbell is not returning becauseshe felt that the franchise did not make her an offer that aligned with the value that she has brought to the franchise;
“Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film. As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to esta“Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film. As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.“blish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
It was a heartbreaking day forScreamfans. The woman who we watched transform from a terrified victim to a fearless college student to an impassioned helpline worker devoted to helping other victims to a bestselling author finally brave enough to tell the world her story to a happy and accomplished mother is suddenly being denied her own story. Sidney Prescott completely flipped everything we ever knew about the final girl. She had sex, she cursed, she was angry, and she got revenge. She was never the “perfect girl” that cinema wants these characters to be. And past the final girl, she was just a compelling, layered, and complex female character, which isn’t the easiest to come by, especially back in the 90s. What I always loved about Sidney was she was never an easy archetype to peg. She wasn’t the cool girl or the mean popular cheerleader. But she also wasn’t the meek, studious bookworm. She was different things at different times. Her arc over 25 years is one of the best ever put to film, not just the horror genre.Screamisherstory, no matter how many new Sidney-adjacent characters you bring in or a new generation that is meant to take over. No Sidney, noScream.
Neve Campbell Is the Sole Heart of the ‘Scream’ Franchise
Out of all of the fiveScreamfilms I have seen, there is one scene that will stay with me forever. It’s at the end ofScream 2when Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) has unveiled himself as one of the killers, alongside Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf). While Mickey is hammering on about how Billy was such a good killer, SIdney reminds him of a crucial element: “You’re forgetting one thing about Billy Loomis…I fucking killed him!” She then slices his face using her now-dead boyfriend’s necklace with his fraternity logo on it. Using an icon of the patriarchy to take down a man who is only after her because he was so enamored with the guy she took single-handedly took down is such a perfect representation of what these movies are all about.Scream 2showed us that Sidney was never going to be a helpless victim.
Championing Women…Up Until a Certain Point
TheScreammovies have always championed its female characters. Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) is an unapologetic career woman who’s also handy with a gun. Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) proved that being the overzealous film nerd wasn’t just for male characters. It’s a huge reason that theScreamfilms have aged as well as they have. They always mocked toxic male culture and punished those characters who tried to weaponize it to terrorize women. So, when you push out the central female figure of this entire franchise, what does that say about the moral integrity of the films in general? It feels hypocritical, ingenuine, and totally removed from everything theScreamfranchise has stood for. Sure, we have two compelling, layered, and badass sisters at the center of the new generation. But the entire franchise is tainted now by this ugly reality. The marketing team has wasted no time in trying to do some damage control, havingJenna Ortegasay that audiences will be “distracted” by all the actionthat they won’t notice Campbell’s absence (Sure, Jan.) Surely that speaks volumes for why they should have made Campbell a better offer. How can you deny her value when you have to make your new movie bursting with so much chaos that you hope audiences won’t feel her absence?
So, to get more personal, should it weigh on my conscious that I am going to continue on with them when they have abandoned her? Neve Campbell is the beating heart of this franchise, and to rip her out is to stop all the oxygen pumping through these films.Screamhas always been about how trauma should never define you but can help you move through life, and make you equipped to handle anything. Sure, these movies are also about who the next killer is, gore, violence, and poking fun at the horror genre. But without the central throughline of SIdney’s journey, they would all feel like meaningless gimmicks. Even Gale and Dewey, although completely their own characters, are connected through Sidney. All roads lead back not just to the character of Sidney Prescott, but to the actress who has stayed devoted to the story for over 25 years.
I guess with so many franchises pushing aside legacy characters to open up new stories and visions is so prevalent now, we’ve come to a point in the road where we have to ask ourselves what is too far. Can you continue a legacy without the very person that this legacy is based on? They managed to do it without Wes Craven but that wasn;’t a conscious choice, they didn’t push him out or make him feel he wasn’t worth it. Again, I wouldn’t have a problem if Campbell decided enough was enough. But to make the woman who helped create a character that so many people adored, connected with, and saw themselves in feel as though she is not worth paying enough puts such a stain on the entire franchise. Kevin Williamson even admitted that Campbell paid a key part in making Sidney’s arc so memorable. It was her idea to have Sidney help other victims inScream 3. This is such a defining plotline in Sidney’s characterization and is what sets her apart from other final girls. So how could you not offer her the deal she feels she’s worth? I think it’s safe to say that Wes Craven couldn’t have imagined that we would still be here, 28 years later. Much like Sidney, the franchise has grown and continued to prove its place in the horror sphere. A nice parallel between fact and fiction.
Will I go seeScream VI? Yes, I will. But, my main reason now is no longer to catch up with some of my most beloved film characters and to see who the new set of Ghstfaces are. I will be going to confirm my suspicions that these movies are nothing without Neve Campbell. As much asDavid Arquettewas an integral part of the franchise, he’s more in the middle of the Jenga tower. You take him out, the movie might wobble a bit, but it has the foundational blocks to keep it up. But Neve Campbell is that bottom layer. And I firmly believe that if you take her out, the rest will crumble, I’ll only find out after seeingScream VI.Even if I enjoy the plot and the whodunnit angle is done well, no matter how entertaining it might be, all of it is forever tainted by this behind-the-scenes decision. It really saddens me to see the key ingredient of a franchise I loved so much be made to feel she wasn’t worth the cost to bring back. Neve Campbell, to me and to so many, you areScream. You are that bottom-middle Jenga piece.
