This Is Killing Us! Let's Get Into Why the New 'Scream' Movie Isn't Called 'Scream 5'

It's not unusual for a film's sequel to take the title of the original. Just look at the recent Halloween movies, which are direct sequels to the two original John Carpenter films. Sometimes it's an homage to the first film and other times there is some tricky legal reason. For the next Scream movie, it's like the films are coming full circle. Still, it's a bit confusing, why is Scream 5 called Scream?

There are definitely a lot of differences between the next Scream movie and the four previous films. For one thing, director Wes Craven died in 2015. He was the man behind the camera for every Scream movie. And this time around, Kevin Williamson didn't write the script. Much like the world's spookiest wedding, the new film has something old, something new, something borrowed, and something boo!

While speaking with Us Magazine, Kevin revealed that no one was really interested in seeing the number five after anything. As wonderful as it is that the franchise has survived this long, tacking on a number as you continue to make more movies makes the series feel old and tired. He said, "I think taking the five off and calling it Scream [works] because it’s brand new.”

It's not so brand new that you won't see familiar faces. “There’s the legacy cast, and how they infuse this new world and there’s this whole new generation and a new cast of characters that are extremely fun. I think it was a great cast. It’s an amazing group of kids and young talent and they’re very, very good. They pop off the screen, and now our Sidneys and our mature characters who enter into it, they’re the adults. It works really really well," Kevin told Us Magazine.

James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick are the maestros behind the newest notch in the Scream belt. And while change can be scary, Kevin has a lot of confidence in this new team. He said he was excited to turn the franchise over to someone else. Everyone was nervous about trying to make this movie without Wes Craven. Kevin went on to say to Us Magazine that he, Neve Campbell, and Courtney Cox asked each other, "Why should we do this? With Wes gone, is Scream over?"

Ultimately, it was their trust in the vision James and Guy had for the new script. "They understood the heart and soul of it, and they understood the emotionalization, that it’s not about horror, it’s about the emotion and really making the audience feel something," Kevin lovingly said. This makes sense, as Scream isn't the duo's first foray into the world of thrills and chills.

James Vanderbilt wrote Zodiac in 2007 and more recently Murder Mystery, the crime comedy movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. This is a great combination in a Scream writer because above all else, these movies always had a sense of humor. His partner, Guy Busick, is equally as committed to the darker side, having written on Stan Against Evil and Castle Rock. He also wrote one of 2019's best comedy horror movies, Ready or Not.

Scream is slated to be released exclusively in theaters on Jan. 14, 2022.