Summary
- Skeet Ulrich shoots down the idea of the
Scream
franchise going into supernatural territory. - The iconic Billy Loomis actor feels going down such a route would risk alienating the fanbase for the horror property, who he feels have connected to the movies due to their grounded and realistic stories.
- Though some may argue Ulrich’s return in the last two movies could be borderline supernatural, the franchise has found creative ways to avoid jumping into said territory to remain rooted in reality.
Skeet Ulrich opens up about whether he thinks that the Scream franchise should add a supernatural twist to a future installment. The actor starred as Billy Loomis, one of the two teen perpetrators behind the killing spree enacted under the iconic Ghostface mask that sweeps through the small town of Woodsboro in Wes Craven’s 1996 genre-bending, self-aware slasher feature. Ulrich would later reprise his role in a clever twist in 2022’s fifth installment, as a new generation is swept up when a new Ghostface copycat killer attempts to recapture the original spirit of the first case.
While Scream 7 is slowly coming together despite certain complications, Ulrich opened up about what future installments could hold when speaking to ComicBook.com. When asked whether the franchise should ever invoke the supernatural into its storyline, the actor firmly stated that he feels a large draw for audiences is its grounded, realistic nature, and tapping into unearthly elements could prove to be too far for some fans. Check out Ulrich’s full response below:
I don’t think so. I think what has made it such a success — and when I do signing conventions throughout the year, the fan base is rabid, rabid, rabid, I’ve never seen anything like it — and I think what they’re into is that it could be their neighbor. You don’t know. But I think if you take it outside of what is possible and plausible in most people’s minds, you lose a lot of that core audience, so I don’t know if that’s necessarily a direction they could get away with. They can get away with a lot, but I don’t know about that one.
The Scream Franchise Doesn’t Need A Supernatural Twist
Scream has experimented with its rules since its beginning, with the first movie being a slasher where its cast was aware of the tropes of the genre they were in, rewarding horror fans while endearing its cast to viewers. As the franchise went on, it has used its own in-universe slasher series, Stab!, inspired by the first film’s spree, to comment on filmmaking and media impact on viewers, while later installments turned their lenses to social media and toxic fandom. The result is a world that both holds incredible depth, but not enough that the sense of realism is broken.
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Furthermore, Scream‘s experimentation has already been creative enough to feature the returns of long-gone characters without a magical or scientific resurrection. Not only did Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) leave one final piece of advice from beyond the grave in Scream 3, but Ulrich himself returned as a vision to daughter Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) as opposed to a physical revival, but nevertheless played a key role in the core plot. While Scream fans hope for the return of Stu (Matthew Lillard) despite his crushing end, a supernatural revival is likely the last possibility that the creatives would consider.
As the franchise’s future gets back on track with Scream 7 bringing back Neve Campbell and original writer Kevin Williamson to direct, Ulrich’s comments are sure to resonate with fans. The star’s experience with the fandom makes it clear that not only does he recognize the incredible popularity of the franchise, but just what keeps audiences invested. As such, Ulrich’s desire to keep Scream grounded is a good insight into what would work for the franchise’s next chapter.
The most recent two Scream movies are available to stream on Paramount+.
Source: ComicBook.com
Scream
- Cast
- Neve Campbell , David Arquette , Courteney Cox , Skeet Ulrich , Jamie Kennedy , Liev Schreiber , Heather Matarazzo , Hayden Panettiere , Marley Shelton , Melissa Barrera , Jenna Ortega , Jack Quaid , Mason Gooding , Jasmin Savoy Brown , Roger Jackson
- TV Show(s)
- Scream (2015)
- Character(s)
- Sidney Prescott , Gale Weathers , Dewey Riley , Billy Lomis , Randy Meeks , Cotton Weary , Neil Prescott , Hank Loomis , Casey Becker , Martha Meeks , Kirby Reed , Judy Hicks , Sam Carpenter , Tara Carpenter , Chad Meeks-Martin , Mindy Meeks-Martin , Richie Kirsch