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I have been listening to the Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club, which actually Elena recommended to me.
She did not listen to it, but she said, girl, this title sounds so you.
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I am absolutely obsessed with a sweet treat after dinner, and my favorite sweet treat right now is my mochi.
I'm not yours. Just kidding. You can have some too.
This is a cool creamy scoop of ice cream. wrapped in a soft, chewy dough.
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I'm obsessed. It's pillowy. It's satisfying.
I feel indulged. I just love it so much.
I really am obsessed with the strawberry flavor right now.
My mochi is only around 70 calories per piece, which like, hello, that's amazing.
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Look for the purple box of My Mochi ice cream at your local grocery store. and feel joyfully chill with the coolest treat around, my mochi.
Hey, weirdos. I'm Elena. I'm Ash. And this... is a special morbid this is one of the coolest morbids i think that we have actually ever had the chance to do it's definitely really cool it is absolutely phenomenal we got to hang out with some very rad people Yeah, we got to hang out with, you might have heard of them, Radio Silence. who are made up of Matt Bellatini-Olpin, Tyler Gillette, and Chad Vilela.
They are the masterminds behind Ready or Not.
They are the masterminds behind... VHS. VHS, Southbound, and the new Scream.
Scream. 2022 and they're gonna be in they're gonna be masterminding the sequel to the new scream Which I'm so excited for.
I think it starts filming in September. Yeah.
And not only did we get them, which would already be like, whoa. okay, I'm going to listen to this episode because it sounds awesome.
Oh, hold on. Hold on to those butts. Wait a minute.
Because We also got the star of the new Scream, Melissa Barrera.
She plays Sam, who, if you've seen the movie, you know exactly who I'm talking about because she was... fucking amazing in it.
Again, if that was the case already, this is amazing.
But guess what? But wait, there's more. Let me just tell you about the cherry on top of this whole delicious sundae of beautiful people.
I loved that. We got to talk about To Deputy Dewey Riley himself, David Arquette. a life-changing experience overall to be able to sit there and talk scream with dewey himself was really something amazing, especially because we got to talk about Wes Craven.
We got to talk about, you know, the past screams.
We got to talk about the screams coming up.
We got to talk about... Anything and everything to do with Scream.
We even got to ask about Stu, in case you were wondering.
The burning question that we've all had since the year of my birth 1996 it's the year of our lord 1996 oh my gosh So... Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh. And so... The thing is with this, we didn't do any spoilers.
We made sure to avoid those, but we do talk in depth about the new Scream.
We talk about plot points, we talk about characters that might not be completely known if you haven't seen it.
If you haven't seen the new Scream 2022 Scream and you are planning to see it and don't want anything spoiled, meaning like character names and possible plot points and deaths.
Maybe wait to listen to this episode until you've seen it.
Other than that, we're not going to spoil any of the big things from it, but I think you'll have a fun time if you've seen it or if you want to see it and want to listen to it.
So without further ado, here we are. Get ready to listen to ash myself matt bellatini open chad valella tyler galette melissa barrera and David Arquette.
Thank you guys so much for being here. We appreciate it insanely because we know you have, like, about a million press things that you probably have had to do the last few weeks but we really really appreciate it thank you Of course.
And this is going to be fun. I'm so excited.
This feels like we're just like hanging out with a ton of people.
It's awesome. I know, it really does. And obviously, congratulations on all the success already that this movie is getting.
It's huge. Thank you. You're welcome. It's insane.
Particularly, I have been so excited for this.
The second it was even hinted at, I was counting down the seconds. seconds, like huge.
So to start this off, I like to hear everybody's first original Scream experience.
Because mine, in particular, because it came out in 1996, the first one, I'm sure you all know.
And I was like 11 when it came out. But my first experience of it was I convinced my mom to somehow recognize rent the VHS from a Hollywood video because she just didn't know it was a slasher movie.
I was like, yeah, just throw that one in there.
And I also did that with Children of the Corn to her once because it has a sickle on the front and it looks like a crescent moon.
And I was like, it's about fairies. And she rented it, so...
True story. And so this was one of those that I just was like, look at these pretty people on the cover.
Let's rent that. And I remember being terrified, but being obsessed with the writing. obsessed with how different this was.
I couldn't stop watching it over and over.
And I was also obsessed with Stu and Billy, which made me feel some type of way.
And now I'm like, okay, I kind of made like a career out of some of them.
Yeah, it makes sense now. It makes sense.
But... And I think Ash... You were, this movie came out, the original Scream came out the year that I was born.
So that's my first experience with it. We can all feel old for a second.
But we want to hear about all of your first experiences with it. yeah dude why don't you start because yours yeah we were gonna say we would love to hear david's first experience When did you see it?
It came out the year I was born. What great acting at such a young age.
The funniest thing is the first time I saw it, I used to work at this newsstand on Melrose.
And we all used to hang out there. They used to give out these flyers for like, you know, when you live in Hollywood, you always... get these little flyers that say, come to a test screening.
And it gives you a little log line of what it's about.
And they were doing that. I was like, oh, what's the movie?
And I looked at it and I read it and I was like, oh, I just filmed this movie.
I know this one. So I went, and then they saw me in the line at Paramount, and they were like, you can't be here.
Oh my God. That is amazing. so i was like well i'm here and they're like okay come to the back sit with us just don't let anyone see you you're not allowed to be here So they let me watch it, but the greatest experiences that I got to watch Wes watch it.
And I was watching it, but I kept watching, like, turning to Wes, and he'd be like... and he's sitting there like just knowing what's coming and it's like and then uh Everyone would go, ha ha, and then they'd laugh, and he would just like chuckle.
My favorite moment ever, just watching him watch what he created.
That's amazing. That really is. I'm like, That must have been the coolest experience ever.
Just knowing Wes must have been an amazing experience.
Truly. It really was, because you see like the joy that he had in scaring people, but then people laughing as well. did you have a sense that it was like special when you were watching it in the theater did it like Were you like, oh shit, we did a, we made a thing that's gonna last.
We did a thing? Yeah. I felt it on this one, too.
It definitely... you know, there was that same kind of feeling.
You know, you get it once in a while. It's when a lot of different elements come together.
We've got great producers, great writers, great directors. great cast that's gelling, not a lot of egos or the egos balance each other.
There's egos, but they're good. You need a certain amount of ego in this business.
Of course. What about you guys, Matt, Chad, Tyler?
Your first experience with the original?
Mine was, I saw it in, when I, I saw it in Oakland at the Grand Lake Theater and a friend of mine in college is actually in the party scene He's the dude that's doing, like, the beer cake.
Yes. Oh, my God. I know exactly who you're talking about.
Yeah. jacket jacket kid on the couch and it's awesome It was like, Oh, he's, you know, he gets messed with, with Henry Winkler.
His name is Ryan. And, uh, So I saw it right after Christmas break.
So it had probably been out like a couple of weeks.
But it was that experience that I think we've talked about a lot where it's it's a it's a theatrical experience the way you want it, where the audience is interacting with the movie and they're doing exactly what you were just talking about, David.
You know, we were like laughing and gasping and it's like you feel the energy it's an energetic movie it's not just it's not passive viewing and I think that's That's what like got it hooks in me right away.
I was like, Ooh, this is I, all I want is this kind of experience.
Oh, yeah. That's exactly how I felt. And I felt that way about this one, too.
Because when we saw it, I was literally like... everybody was screaming, like laughing, gasping, yelling things out.
Like yelling like, no. And that's exactly what you want in an experience.
I haven't had that experience in a theater.
And I can't remember why. Yeah, because you're with a bunch of people you don't know, but you feel like you're all in something together, weirdly enough.
Yeah. Yeah. And then you just latch on to the characters.
I think the reason we all keep going back to Scream is because they're so good.
Oh, absolutely. Definitely. For me, it was one of the very first movies that I ever went to. to see multiple times in the theater, right?
It was like the first time I saw it, I felt like I missed so much because A, I'm a scary cat And I felt like, And then B, I just would get caught up either in just the laughing and just having a good time at it.
I might've missed a line or something like that. and just loving every single character on screen.
And so we went back multiple times in that first week after we saw it. maybe two or three other times.
And that was the very first time I ever, ever been like, let's go to the movies again to see the same movie.
It was just that type of excitement around it and it really meant a lot to us.
And then with VHS and the way home entertainment was back in the day, we basically had it playing all the time in our apartment.
It was just always on there. It was like we had Scream and then we had Empire Records.
Great combo. Weird combo, but it was like, all right, we're going to roll with this for now.
But yeah, so it was always on and always in our lives after it came out.
I love that. Yeah, I saw it on VHS. I didn't see it in theaters.
I saw it at a sleepover. That's his way of saying he's younger than the rest of us.
Yeah, exactly. I love it. You were on my level.
I like didn't... I was fascinated by the... horror movie section of my video store growing up, but I did not like fear and fun didn't translate to me when I was younger.
And I remember watching it at a sleepover, which I would say is like probably the scariest way to experience screaming.
Definitely. Yep. In a situation that's not safe at all, right?
You're in a house and And I remember never being more scared and then never being more entertained.
And it was this feeling of, wow, this movie is so much smarter than me.
And the feeling of like, I it's I'm being so just so manipulated by every moment of it and just loving the ride every single second of it was, you know, was just this really profound eyeopening eyeopening experience.
And, um, And it was a gateway for me, like everyone says.
So many people say it was, right? It was sort of the introduction to... a whole galaxy of horror movies for me.
That's like exactly how I feel. Like, this was the first slasher that I had seen, and that's still my favorite movie genre.
And I'm like, I feel like it's because of Scream.
Yeah, and it was the first one too that I'd seen and that I had seen that was like a whodunit. like a true whodunit, where the entire time you're like, no, it's that one. got to be that.
No, they're being too hard with this. And I felt that they've done such a good job of doing that with every single one of them. that you think immediately you know who it is and then it flips it and then it brings it back and it flips it and yours this one did it Perfectly, because I went back and forth.
I was like, it's this one. I know it. I'm locking it in right now.
And I was wrong. So David, focusing on your character just for a second, because he's obviously a favorite in this house, for sure.
And a fan favorite. We loved it. far beyond you've been in all the movies and obviously like the first one there's a year between and then three years between two and three and then 11 for the last two.
So Is it hard to stay in one character throughout such a long running franchise?
Like what's your process to get back into Dewey?
Do you watch the movies? No, it's literally like... just fall right into it i just no i just i it's so weird i could just uh think like, I'm Clint Eastwood.
And then I remember, no, you're not Clint Eastwood.
That's the whole character. He's like, just trying so hard, but then...
I'm actually human. That's an amazing way to describe him. and then just i don't know it's had this weird parallel with my life so um i uh I don't know.
It's been just this weird constant kind of very close character to me.
I feel like the Dewey of 2022 is so evolved really from the one of 1996. really even from the 2011 film.
It's like a really believable natural progression How do you feel about the shift in character going to this one, to 2022?
Yeah, I think it was really interesting what Guy and Jamie and Matt and Tyler did with sort of like... seeing a character whose life didn't turn out the sort of way he expected or would have hoped or You know what I mean?
It's kind of like there's something very realistic about that just in life experience.
I've noticed just as you get older, there's like a little shine that you lose in like, You know, like just being gullible or optimistic and, you know, life beats you down.
I don't know. I feel it's up to us to sort of keep that shine and like fight through all that and not. let it beat you down, not give in or give up.
So it was interesting to see him there. You know, we had a lot of conversation about alcohol and like, I was like, I just didn't see dewey as an alcoholic you know that's a whole other realm of self abuse and everything.
But, you know, They ended up, we shot a bunch of stuff, but they ended up cutting some stuff.
I don't know if it just didn't fit or if, I don't know why.
You were right, that's why. It was too heavy.
Yeah. Obviously wanting there to be some real emotional gravity with Dewey and where he's at. there's a fine line between that like that flavor that seasoning like being the right amount and being so much that it kind of pulls it pulls the tone in a direction that you just don't want to go.
David, to your point, I think you said so much during prep that there's even even when Dewey's at like the darkest moment, there's this like buoyancy with his character there's a feeling of like hopefulness even though you know he's not that he's not the Clint Eastwood he he you know, hopes he is, and there's this sort of buoyancy to his character that that really in so many ways gives these movies their flavor.
And so it was, yeah, that was one of the, one of, one of the main reasons why that stuff just felt like it didn't really belong in the movie ultimately.
I could definitely see that. And that's cool too that, David, you know Dewey. so well like you you know you embody him so it's cool that you're able to say you know what like I don't think he would do this or like this doesn't feel right.
And you guys were able to be like, you know what?
Yeah, you're right. That doesn't feel right.
And I think that's why it came out so realistic, because when we first see him, I remember we were both like, oh man, like, this is like, oh, I want to hug Dewey.
But it was so real. Like you were like, if they had changed this into something, you know, way more like sunshiny, it wouldn't have been as real.
I wouldn't have believed that. So this was so much more like, yeah, that's exactly what would have happened.
It makes sense. For sure. But Melissa, you're back.
We have you. I am. I feel like I love just being here and listening because.
I mean, I got to do some press with Nevin Courtney and I was just like, How did I get so lucky to just be here listening to all these stories?
Because they've been with this for 25 years.
We just came in into this amazing roller coaster and to work with the people that we've admired for so long, but they have so many stories.
They have so much history with the franchise, with Wes.
Like David and I, when we were shooting that scene, when we're driving to the hospital, like David and I were in a car together for hours.
And he was just telling me stories and stories and stories of like the first movies and about the West.
And I was just like, this is amazing. Like, This is like anyone would kill to be in my seat right now.
Yes. Pun intended. Yeah. So lucky to have the generosity of David and Nev and Courtney. to like come back without Wes. and share all their knowledge with us and share their experience. because it was the same like with David knowing Dewey, it was fascinating to watch them the three of them just like slip right back into their character so seamlessly.
It was like magic. It was like you were experiencing, it was like you were seeing like the best david copperfield show and you love me and i'm just like dancing shapeshifting It was insane like it was it was beautiful to watch and it was such a.
We were so blessed to have them guiding us, all of us.
We were exactly just talking about that before we jumped on here.
I was going to ask you, Melissa, Obviously, this is a very established and beloved franchise and you were amazing. in it, immediately I was like, you fit so perfectly.
That's my girl. We were both like, yes.
And I just want to note, we're were you nervous like was there did you feel the pressure of this like you were going into it yeah like stepping into such like a established franchise with like legacy characters?
Uh, uh, crippling. It didn't show. I could only imagine.
Oh, no. Like, yeah, it was a... It was so much pressure and it was so terrifying. that if I thought about it, I would just not show up on set.
You know, like if I stopped to like think about it, I would just be too scared to even do anything.
So I had to kind of like compartmentalize and be like, okay, you'll deal with that later.
Because right now you just have to show up and try and be as professional as you can and make the people that that have been a part of this franchise for 25 years and that are trusting the newcomers to like carry this on and keep this going, make them proud and make them feel like that they were right to come back, you know, because, because in the end, like David, Courtney and Nev, coming back to this fifth installment was a huge vote of confidence for Matt and Tyler and Chad and for all of us.
So I felt the weight of that. And I was like, I just want to do right by them.
And because they know Wes, they know what he would have wanted and they know what he would have liked, you know, and if he would have been proud of this. that's what mattered the most to me and I still you know I coming in, I was like, this is gonna be tough.
Like I already know that this is gonna be tough because it's a story that's been going for 25 years.
People are in love with these characters that they know and have known for four movies. and coming in and being a new girl, Um, I knew that it was going to be rough.
Like I was expecting it. I was expecting like the the people that would be like, yes, and the people that would be like, hell no.
We don't, you know, like I was, I was prepared for both.
You made True Scream fans proud. I can say I speak for all of them, every single one.
As someone who loved all the original movies, I think you did an amazing job.
Yeah, I think you surpassed everybody's expectations for sure.
You really did. You said something that totally just pinged for me, like this idea that... you're so thankful that the work is as hard and as like fast paced as it is because you don't have time to freak the fuck out. about how crazy the task is, how all of that anxiety can be so crippling, but it's only crippling if you're not in the process of making the thing.
And we're always so thankful. There's like so much credit goes to William, the producer who was on the ground.
Just pushing everything forward. There was never a moment where it was like, okay, well, we should just pause and And it was like, nope, just keep going, keep going.
I keep working the thing, keep working the script, keep working the scene.
And you can't, you sort of aren't allowed to get anxious and nervous when you're just in the doing of it.
And... Man, if we had taken even a moment, it would have been like a crushing experience.
That's why we all get sick and have breakdowns after we're done.
Yeah, I bet. Honestly. I can't imagine. And I was going to ask you guys too, Matt, Chad, and Tyler.
I was going to ask you the same question, and you kind of answered it.
It must have been so crazy nerve-wracking just walking into this.
And just taking it in your hands. But it felt like you guys were really... And I...
I think I'm right here, but I think you were like very confident in your vision for this.
It came off that way at least. And I think it was so much better than if you had like panic or catered to every single wish of every, you know what I mean?
Like, cause there's so many fans that are like, I want this to happen.
I want this to happen. If they don't do this, rah, rah, rah.
And I think you gave what we needed but you were so confident in your own vision that it was like what we didn't know we needed.
Definitely. Were there challenges along the way, like creating it?
Yeah, I think there always are. I think the thing And that anxiety is like, it's always, it's there from the moment you first read something that excites you and you're aware that not only of just the gravity of what it is, but that that excitement and wanting to do that excitement justice is like such a huge thing, right?
That you're like chasing that feeling of, fuck, I know this can be something great.
And how do you hold on to that feeling for long enough to actually complete the task?
And then over the course of, of making it, especially early on.
There are always moments, and I think, they're the same for all of us, but I imagine we also have kind of different ones where, there are certain things that sort of click into place that make you go, oh, we're ready.
Like this is right, this is right. I certainly meeting David and Evan Courtney for the first time, that was like a huge moment for us where, You know, I mean, they're heroes of ours. badly for them to feel connected and, you know, for them to, like, vouch for what the project is.
And then the other the other big one was when Melissa and Jenna, the two of you did your chemistry read.
And that was early in the process. This was like early pandemic.
We were supposed to be getting into pre-production, but everything had gotten pushed.
And that was a moment for for I think all of us on the on the producing creative side where we were like, holy shit, like we've got we've got a movie like this.
Totally going to work. And you just keep trying to stack as many of those moments on top of on top of one another and hopefully you make it to the end. you did it we are the fans right exactly the writers so so we were having these conversations we were we are all throwing out what our fan theories would be of where this would go.
And obviously, Jamie and Guy wrote an incredible script. and we all had to be on the same page moving forward, but like we, we approached it as fans and like, like from the original and all through all four of them and making sure we had throwbacks from each of them.
So it wasn't just, One, it's a fan of the entire series and not just picking and choosing.
Which sometimes, you know, like if you get on Reddit or whatever and you see a couple of those things, it might be, you know, like when people rank them, like, go away.
Just like, yeah, right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
You're going to get eviscerated. Yeah. I hate the ranking thing too.
I hate that because I'm like, I just love them all.
Like I can't. I love them all for what they are.
They're all special in their own way. Yeah.
It's like picking a favorite child. You can't do that.
Yeah, you can't do that. Can we talk about that for a second?
We did a... a little party bus thing going around opening weekend.
And we went to a few movie theaters and we introduced the movie.
Like we just like showed up and, And we we watched people watch the movie.
That's so cool. And we introduced the movie to some audience. some shows and we met this really cool fan.
Do you remember? And he, it was his like, seventh time watching the movie wow that's amazing it was it was friday night oh my god That is amazing.
Yeah. Icon. Seven times. And he like. came out for like a drink and he saw us there.
And so he came and like we started talking.
And it was just fascinating talking to him, but he was like such an ultimate like, to me, fandom is about love, right?
Like, loving something. And then what I love about the movie is that it talks about, like, toxic fandom and like how it can like turn the other way around and get so nitpicky and like I get it but he was just like so he he got it like he He got the movie.
He got everything that we wanted to do. And it was just such a beautiful thing to get to. talk to him and him being like, this is my eighth time.
He showed us all these tickets. I just want you guys to do well at the box office.
And I was like, I almost started crying because I was like, this is. this is the scream fandom like this is why this story lives on because people go And I have like in my social media, people are like, this is my fifth time that I'm going to watch it.
This is my 10th time. And it's that kind of movie that makes you want to go back, but it's such a team effort Like, it's not just us that make it and that are in front of and behind the camera.
It's everyone. It's like, it's everyone that shows up to the theater and like goes and watches it and like tells people to go watch it.
And, and, And all of this was for me to say that I wanted to talk about the third one, because I feel like the third one gets a lot of It does.
It does. Thank you. i feel like the third movie gets so much hate it does i don't get it at all I did a marathon with my whole family over New Year's to prepare them for the movie.
And the third one is my new favorite because this time around.
This time around, I think I was more of in need of like the humor.
It's such a humorous, it's like the funniest I think out of all the movies.
And I didn't even realize it, but like talking to talking to this fan that I'm blanking on his name and I apologize, but you know who you are.
You know who you are. Maybe. You know who you are.
But he was saying that the third one happened right after...
Columbine, I think. Yeah. Oh, you're right.
We were talking about that actually. And so that the whole, like the shift in tone and the fact that it became a little bit more comedic versus scary is because they they read the room they read like the energy of the world in and that's what the world needed and I just think that's what makes me love it even more.
Absolutely. Because I didn't even know that.
I fully agree. And then I was like, oh my God.
Like, it's brilliant. That was Wes, you know?
Like, he was like, oh, okay. We're toning it down.
We're making it this because we're living through this right now.
And I just think that's beautiful. Absolutely.
Because it always makes me crazy. I'm totally with you guys with the ranking thing.
It makes me nuts. I just can't do it. And it's true that three, I'm like, three has so much.
So much. Like that whole scene when the killer is revealed.
I'm like, this is brilliant. Like, I love it.
And it's... It's different, but it vibes.
And it's so cool to watch a filmmaker challenging... himself and the writing and the cast liked it. that it's so clear that and David, I'm curious, like if you had conversations with Wes about that, that everything like there was never a desire to just repeat to to sort of do the paint by numbers version to make the assembly line franchise, but to actually like really challenge what the idea is and try to find the new, weird way that you could fold the universe in on itself.
And I mean, that's why I think that franchise, it holds up. as just one of the most memorable and exciting because you can see that in the work that There's a real desire to continue to be inspired by what the characters are and what the world of Scream is.
Yeah, totally. There were moments throughout, and it typically came when it got really like the scripts got thrown out.
Like, you know, it got really sort of, and felt like it wasn't working or something got revealed online or all these little weird changes would happen along the way. especially with three and, you know, three allowed us to like, dive into the comedy for sure.
There was one moment where we were tied up or something.
And it just felt so Scooby-Doo. So we were like, oh, this feels so Scooby Doo.
But I've had the same experience where I've re-fell in love with it and I also read Wes's memoirs and it kind of got a you know, sort of his take and where he was coming from and all that kind of stuff.
But then also, what was I going to say? Oh, yeah.
And four, like we had a bunch of conversations.
I was trying to convince them that for us to have a kid because we had a kid.
We have a kid. We have a kid. I don't know.
It was always like the. I see dead people, there's always something interesting about a... kid in a scary situation it just amps up like oh yeah you want to protect it and all that but um also pitched the uh the idea for like streaming stuff but not like as it came out a little clunky but
I was one of the people, I don't know, who finally did it.
But I had been seeing that. you know, the internet was coming and all this stuff was coming.
Wes, we were talking about it, and then he started including all the camera sort of streaming elements. which is, if you look back, way ahead of its time.
Way ahead of its time. I mean, every single one is ahead of its time in its own right, right?
It's teenagers having cell phones. That's like the big shocking thing, right?
It falls and almost breaks his foot when it falls out of his pocket.
It's like, are you alright, Billy? And even up till four, where it's, like, so ahead of time with, like, the streaming, the live streaming thing, like, David was showing, like, like what Snapchat tried the spectacles thing for a while where you could like look and just wear the glasses and it would stream what you're watching.
And that was, That was years after after four came out, so it's always about at times but also aware of what's coming.
That's the fun of Scream. It's able to comment on where we're at as a society and where we're at in terms of our passions and what's important to us as human beings.
And then also look a little bit ahead as to where things are going and serve as a cautionary tale for all of that. at the bottom line, it's just like, just be good people.
Let's not kill each other. Let's not murder.
That's the moral of Scream. And murder.
Do not murder your friends. When for you did you feel like it, like the idea of the fandom around the franchise became something you were aware of?
Was that right after the first movie? When did it feel like, holy shit, there's a community? of people who value this in a way that you maybe didn't anticipate when you started the process?
Definitely after the first and after it came out and sort of like people started going to see it over and over again.
But then when you go to a horror convention, that's where you really meet people where it's touched them.
They have stories about... you know, going on their first date and now they're married and have three kids and like how then how deep that becomes for People, you realize that along the way that it's really about entertaining the fans and it's about that connection with the fans.
And it's about those moments in time where those films had come out and where it resonates for them rather than for sort of what we were going through while we were making it or whatever.
But yeah, so that's really... always what touches me the most is when people have those kind of experiences. back about my experience like watching halloween with my friends for the first time and like So that is really the best part of the horror franchise.
It's like, that's scary, that's like fun, those memories. that sort of community you go to, especially when you go to a really rowdy theater that's when it becomes the best especially like the opening the feeling even when this opened over that weekend was a feeling of almost like Halloween.
It really was. It was. Yeah, it's really cool.
So whatever that can happen, I really love.
Because it was such an event. Like we rarely have like events, like movie events anymore.
So this felt like such... A huge one? It did.
Oh, I was so excited about it. And then just for a quick story, just to tell you how much this one impacted...
We went to see this one and we took my husband, who is not a huge slasher fan, but he was like, all right, I'll go.
And he was guessing halfway through who it was.
He was like, okay, oh, I remember this room from the other.
Like he was totally into it. Connecting little dots along the way.
Which we were like, look at you. Wow. We get home.
We put the kids to bed and I think I was just like doing a quick workout.
I come downstairs and he's watching the first Scream.
And he was like, there's a marathon on and now I want to watch the other ones.
He's like, I want to see the new one again so I can start.
Because we were pointing out the little references you guys put into all the screams.
We kept being like, scream two. Scream four.
We were screaming. He's like, I don't remember.
What are you talking about? So he went back and was like, I want to see it again so I can start knowing these references.
So you hooked him right back in. So thank you for that.
We were doing press and I was with Nev. And I was like, Nev, I think about going over the... the film and like certain things I think about it, I'm thinking, she's like, you know, the movie's over, right?
I was like still in Dewey mode trying to solve this.
I'm investigating. Be careful, Sydney. They don't trust you.
You're like, Nev, should you be out here alone?
Like, are you all right? I love that. It's become so real to so many people.
It's like a real world that we live in. And I think that's also like we've talked about Wes a ton and he has felt very clearly through all of the movies, including the newest one.
And one of the things I loved seeing was one at the end, Just seeing for Wes in that font and everything.
I was like, that was like a feeling, honestly.
Yeah. Visceral. Visceral. It was, we were just like, yay.
And then also there's a particular character. named Wes in this one that as soon as I heard his name, I was like, and a particular scene with him.
I felt like was and it's like, you know, the big scene with him.
I felt like it was kind of a tribute to us because it was So gnarly.
And I was like, I feel like Wes would love this.
I don't know him, but I feel like he would love this.
And I just want to know, was that intentional?
Was that kind of an intentional tribute to him in a way?
Yeah, I mean, very specifically the name.
Yeah. And in that scene, I mean, I feel like the whole movie is a tribute to Wes from our point of view on some level, you know?
So yeah, for sure. And I think, you know, we were just talking about this yesterday with how gnarly that scene gets.
One of the things that We've had a lot of people tell us that this one is more violent and more brutal than the other ones, which I don't think we agree with.
But I think the thing that kind of dawned on us is that what we were trying to do when it came to that is – to recreate the feeling we had when we saw the originals. regardless of what it actually was, to us it was so visceral.
And it was so real. And so to try to be able to recreate that was something that I think just really mattered to us.
You definitely succeeded. I can tell you that.
Yeah, for sure. Because in the end, when 4 West comes up, you're like, yep. that was no doubt about it.
And I think, I think that scene, that West scene, the big West scene, is I know because I saw it a few times with different people and that was the scene where people were the most on the edge of their seats.
Yes. And like grabbing on to the arms of the other people because there's so many like fake people scares in that it's a scene that like kills you on the inside.
There's so much anticipation for like, when is the attack going to happen?
And it's just so beautifully constructed.
And I think that it's very fitting that it's the character of Wes that gets that scene because it's so much of like what Wes probably what you guys learned from Wes, you know, like that thing of like, the keeping the audience at the edge of their seat and like tricking and all these like, all these wonderful things that Wes was so good at doing like that scene is perfect that was one of those scenes too that like in the edit whenever we would watch it it was one that we always found ourselves watching like we would be watching the movie.
I mean, we could you. We could get in there and tinker with it, but it was one that we would lose ourselves in just in the editing of it.
It was... oh, like we're just watching the West scene and we're all kind of holding our breath.
There are always those scenes in the movies that you're making where you sort of it's weird.
You like have this distance from it and that's that, you know, it's working because it's, it's having an effect on the people who were there. every little moment.
It also, David, what you were saying earlier about watching Wes watch the original.
And just like, that's the scene for us that we do that the most.
That's the one where we do that the most.
Honestly, we felt it too, because like Melissa was saying, we were throughout that scene.
The two of us like this. Like, what is happening here?
And I think it's just the way it's shot and the way everything happens.
That's why it just felt like such a worse scene to me, because it was like, the anticipation and the suspense in that scene, and you being like, ooh! you just don't know when it's going to happen.
And then it took it like, so like we keep saying it was so gnarly, but it was like just enough.
Like it was just enough where you were like, oh, like afterwards you were just like, damn, what did I just watch?
Truly. It was so good. That scene very sort of interestingly was scripted differently.
It was a real... and of action sequence where Wes like ran into into his mom's room and like went to her. gun safe and there was a sort of ticking clock of like is he going to get the gun out in time and when we got into pre-production and we started kind of crafting, wanting to make sure that every scene, every kind of kill scene had its own really unique identity.
That was always one that felt a little bit like Like it could be in any action movie.
And then sort of coupled with that was just the production challenge of, well, you guys aren't going to have enough time to shoot, to do justice to that action sequence.
I remember really specifically, we're sitting in Camp Sherrick, the conference room at the Homewood Suite. and trying to brainstorm like, what can we do with this kill?
We know these are the ingredients we know we have.
And it dawned on us how fun it would be to do a kill, to craft something where the audience is fully aware of something that the character isn't. and they're just going about their normal routine, normal day, but the audience knows that that there is something horrible like lurking somewhere in the house and that for it was like one of those moments where we were like that totally that's exactly exactly the right idea.
And then that house happened to be so perfect with all the little corridors The way that door, the door to the pantry opens up.
Oh my God. Yes. And the way that... refrigerator was positioned.
We didn't have to move or design anything in terms of the layout of that space.
And it was just one of those moments where like There's something at work in the universe that it all kind of comes together and becomes what it is.
Yeah, it sounds like it was like Kismet, honestly.
It was a West moment. It was. Yeah. Honestly, because I didn't know how that was going to end through that whole thing.
I was like, is he going to he's going to be fine.
Like, everything's going to be fine. I was like, I don't think when it happened, I was shocked.
Yeah. I think Wes would be proud of that.
I think one of the things, like you were talking about earlier, in the original movie and with this one, most of the cast was there watching outside on monitors.
They were working, had no reason to be there, but that was the kind of movie this was it's like people would just go to hang out with their friends and watch these things and you know like that doesn't happen on a lot of movies where people are going on their day off to just watch.
Just watch it happen. that we use in the movie when Wes does see ghost faces.
That was kind of a prank we played on Dylan, too, because...
He didn't know Ghostface was there for that take.
And we just wanted to get his natural reaction to, I love that.
And he actually saw Ghostface standing with a knife behind him, so we stuck Ghostface in behind him when he was walking up to the door, because he did the door thing a couple of And then on that one, we put Ghostface behind him in that jump where he almost jumps off a... He almost hurt himself.
Oh, no. I love it. That's awesome. So obviously, found out that you guys are now working on the sequel, which is really exciting and congratulations on that.
It's so exciting. I think our biggest question surrounding that is Melissa, Because in this one, you have such a fascinating backstory for this installment of Scream.
Do you think or do you hope that going into this sequel, we'll get a little more information on you and like your family? uh i don't know i we're gonna have to be really i was gonna say yeah i don't even know that i've uh like i don't know i can't i don't know that i can i don't know what to say because I don't know.
That's fine. We figured we'd ask. It's okay.
That's always the best answer. Spoken like a true professional.
I've learned not to like hope or expect for anything and just, you know, whatever. whatever the writers think is the best journey for this sequel will be.
I will say I think the thing that we can say we can say about it is.
Now that these characters exist, that what the script is and can be is so much more specific because they're real characters now, right?
It's not just the blueprint of what someone can be.
It's like Melissa, Jenna, you know, Mason, Jasmine, like they brought those characters to life in such a real way that now The target for Guy and Jamie is now so specific, and we're so excited to see what they come up with.
I think it's going to be really cool to see.
I'm excited for it. Because honestly, your character was... The whole time, I was like... what's going on like what happened right because you get little snippets of like you know she got in trouble and she was like a kind of a bad girl at one and you're like, what happened?
I need to know that whole time. know just enough but you still feel so connected to your character automatically which says a lot for you Yeah, absolutely.
Thank you. I think it was definitely like it was a beautifully written character and I feel so lucky that I got to that I got to bring her to life and that I got to work with David and Nev and Courtney and Are we doing spoilers here?
I've been so careful because I know that in some countries the movie's not out yet.
And so I've been trying to like not... post spoilers or stuff like that to give people a chance to experience it. on you know, when they go and watch it.
But um, but I'm just I'm just happy that I got to play this character that is so different to Gail and Sydney, you know, like you already have Gail and Sydney and like, and these two women are. the faces of Scream and like they're such lovable and like fierce characters and then Sam is so completely different to both of them.
And that's what I loved about it. That like, Guy and Jamie were like, how do we complement these two women that already exist.
We're not trying to bring someone in that to be any kind of replacement because that's not even possible.
Let's bring in someone that's completely different that can be a little bit, you know, how do you say? not volatile but like Yeah, kind of rough around the edges.
Yeah, rough around the edges and you don't know what to expect.
Yeah, like shake things up. That's what I liked because it didn't feel like... you were trying to be anything that you shouldn't be.
It was like that character was so its own character.
And I immediately was like, oh, I'm excited for this character now because it's so different.
And now I'm like, where's this going? And I can't wait to see it.
Yeah. Me too. I'm like, you're like, so But I think if, because I know you guys probably don't have a ton more time, but I had to, and also we're going to say, you know, in the beginning of this, we'll say like, if If you haven't seen it, maybe see the movie before listening.
Not that we've really spoiled anything, but I don't want anybody just walking into like full discussions on it.
So we'll make sure people are a little prepared ahead of time.
But I have two questions and I don't know if you're going to be able to answer these.
So if you can't, that's totally fine. If you're like, no.
We had to shoot our shot. But I gotta shoot my shot.
So the first one. I noticed, and a lot of people noticed, in this last film, there was a little mention of a character called Kirby.
That was from the fourth one. I know. I know, it's crazy.
You probably didn't mean to, but it was there.
And I personally love Kirby the character, so when I saw this, I was... really excited and i just wanted to know like Do you like Kirby?
Do you like her enough to see her again, perhaps?
Or what are your thoughts? We love Kirby.
We're Kirby fans. That's not accidental.
That was a very... It wasn't an accident?
No. No, we are huge, huge Kirby fans. We wanted Kirby to... to serve even more of a purpose in this last one.
But at the end of the day, it felt like, We kicked around a bunch of ideas with Guy and Jamie, but it always felt like to do that character justice you need to to like have a moment where kirby can be kirby and we just weren't ever going to be able to really do that and so it felt It felt like the more fun way to sort of nod to her survival was in a very small Easter egg and, you know...
Just letting people know that she's out there. in the world it's such a fun we had no idea like just the level of of fandom and of theory around the level of kirbydom yeah Oh, 30 stands.
Yeah. It's intense. I really liked her character. that someone alive could create such a conflict was a totally foreign thing to us.
It's wild. But I feel like in these movies in particular, if you don't see them die, you're immediately like, welp, I'm just saying.
Anything's possible. Which brings me to my last one.
This one is a burning question and hot for debate.
So I love Stu Mocker. Just putting that out there.
Love, Stu Mocker. Heard around the block.
That he... That it might be canon a little bit.
I've never used that word until right now, so I want to let you know that.
That he... May still be alive somehow. I don't know how.
I have not thought about it too hard. Do you think he's still alive?
Just your personal thoughts. Anybody. All of you.
You don't see him die in the first one. I'm like blanking.
So you see... TV go on his head. He groans.
Do you want Dewey's answer? Absolutely.
I do. Hell yeah. I don't want to mess up for anybody.
He does say he's a real loony case. He is a real living toon.
Yeah. There you go. Boom. I like it. I like it because you heard it here first.
Drop the mic on that one. Because he does groan after that thing has... it's his head.
He grows. I was trying to show my husband while we were watching and I was like, see the groan.
And he was like, no, he didn't survive. There's no way.
I was like, You didn't see him die. I didn't see him brought up.
I mean, I'm a Matthew Lillard fan. Oh, same.
Absolutely. I'm also a Hayden Penetier fan.
Yep, of course. And Sam and Kirby are the same age.
So just, you know. If the writers are listening, I don't know that I have any.
I feel like they would hang out. I feel like they would hang out I'm just saying they have similar vibes they definitely do I think so they both have good hair I feel like it works I'm for it Well, with that, thank you so much for answering those questions, by the way, because they were like burning and I was like, I got it.
I got to shoot my shot. I got to try it.
But David, Melissa, Matt, Tyler, Chad, Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.
This has been so much fun. This is probably one of the coolest things that's ever happened to us.
So thank you. Huge Scream fans, and this is like huge for us.
So we really appreciate it. And we can't wait to watch the movie a million more times. much thank you thank you so good to see you guys Have a good call, David.
Bye. Thank you. Bye. Thank you so much. It was so nice to meet you.
Hi, Melissa. We'll try to crash your dinner tonight.
Please do. We will too. We'll get on a plane.
All right. See you later. Bye guys. Thank you.
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