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Can A "Scream" Movie Be Successful Without Wes Craven?

The Scream series has been one of the most successful and well-known slasher franchises in horror's bloody catalogue, and most certainly a highlight of director Wes Craven's career. Over the course of 4 films, so far, Craven's instinct for suspense and steady guidance has become one of the most dependable facets of the Scream formula. At this point, it's understandably difficult for many fans to imagine a Scream movie being directed by anyone other than Wes Craven.

But what if Scream 5 has indeed been green lit, and Craven decides to t this one out? He seems pretty intent on taking a hiatus from film-making for a conderable stretch, while the Weinsteins (and posbly Kevin Williamson) seem to be doing everything in their power to get the next installment made sooner rather than later. Craven gets first look at any script for Scream 5, but even if he's handed something really stellar, the man still might mply need a break too much to gn onto a major production this soon. This predicament got me thinking about whether it's really preferable to let a completed script collect dust on a shelf while Wes Craven takes a well deserved breather. One of the issues that seemed to dog Scream 4 at the box office was the mple fact that the franchise hadn't really been on the radar for a long time. It's also worth noting that the longer a finished script exists before production starts, the more likely it becomes that spoilers will be leaked all over the internet. Still, Wes Craven's name is now such an embedded part of Scream, it seems equally risky to make a fifth chapter without him. After having a debate with myself about this question for some time, I have come to this concluon: If Kevin Williamson, Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox are all still in place, and if Williamson gets some say in who the new director is, I would be able to support a Craven-less Scream 5. I don't want to wait a long time for the next movie, but I also don't want Craven to feel like he's being pressured or rushed into gning on. If he comes back to Scream , it should be because he's excited about it and at the top of his game.Big shoes would obviously need to be filled here, but there are directors out there who could help bring us a fun and scary Scream 5, while posbly putting their own unique stamp on the franchise in the process. Here are just a few of the directors who I think could man up to the task.Alexandre Aja

: To me, this one is almost a no-brainer. Aja has proven that he can deftly blend elements of horror and comedy with Piranha 3D, and the killer played by Wes Bentley in the Aja-directed P2 seems like he'd be right at home inde a Ghostface costume. Beyond that, Aja's eye popping handling of brutality and carnage in all his films suggests that he would be able to honor the important parts of the Scream formula and multaneously kick the kill scenes up a level. Steve Miner : Mr. Miner may not have much in the way of name recognition, but he does have a resume to indicate that he has the chops to helm a Scream movie. Albeit in a different subgenre, Miner has also blended horror with comedy in Lake Placid. He covered some teenage slasher ground as well, with Halloween: 20 Years Later . That film garnered mixed reviews, but Miner's direction of his cast was actually quite solid and certain scenes did achieve a palpable level of tenon. Joss Whedon : Ok, so this one is a longshot. Whedon is a vocal and busy director who, to my knowledge, has never expressed any interest in doing a Scream movie. That doesn't mean the studio couldn't court him for the project, or at least send a script his way. At first, he might seem like an odd fit. However, no one is better at mixing humor with high octane horror action than Joss Whedon. Just watch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series if you don't believe me. It's true that Whedon's genre work to this point has mainly focused on the supernatural, and Scream 5 would be a departure for him. To me, that makes him an intriguing choice. Ghostface has always taken some level of delight in making himself/herself appear capable of the supernatural. Ghostfaces in the past have seemed almost to teleport between doorways in order to better chase dney Prescott, or to have the ability to steal voices from both the living and the dead. The idea of Joss Whedon playing around with this somewhat underused element of Scream gives me fanboy tingles on the back of my neck. It will probably never happen, but that doesn't mean no one should suggest it. James Gunn : Mr. Gunn directed one of the best horror/comedy creature features of all time with Slither. The strength of that movie alone is enough to earn him a nomination for Scream 5 from me, but he also wrote the screenplay for the 2004 remake of Dawn Of the Dead. While Gunn didn't direct that film, his script showed an ability to successfully handle a large ensemble cast. If he can do it as a writer, it's likely he can also do it as a director. As with Whedon, a Scream film would be just a little different than anything James Gunn has done yet. The guy needs a good project, though, and he would bring a quirky, gory glee with him to the franchise that might be just what it needed if the decion was ever made to move forward without Wes Craven.Those are the directors I would put on my shortlist if I were the Weinsteins, just so I had some plan of action in place if Wes Craven were to turn down Scream 5 . What say the rest of you? Could any of these guys hit a homerun with a Scream movie? Should I be exiled from society for even suggesting that one of these films could happen without Craven's involvement? Is there someone who should be on my list that isn't? Be sure to let me know.

Scott Glosserman did a great job on BEHIND THE MASK...

i saw the headline and my answer is nope.plain and mple

My opinion is that there should be no Scream 5 at all. Let this franchise die so we can at least be grateful for some quality flicks. We all know once it gets to 5, 6, 7 etc. the series will become yet another Hollywood-raped shitpile.

BUT for the sake of this topic, I think it's the perfect call for Steve Miner. H20 is my favourite Halloween flick, not to mention he also directed Friday the 13th 2 and 3 and produced the first Friday the 13th!

I think the problem we'd see with a new director is that they might try to imitate Wes Craven, which wouldn't work out. On the other hand, if the director tried to put their own spin on the seires it might come off as too different and fans would reject it. It's a tricky tuation. That said, I think its posble that a fifth Scream movie could be good, I just think they should do something a little different than what we're used to. If Wes was replaced by a director who knows and appreciates the horror genre well, I'd conder giving the film a shot.

Scott Glosserman did a great job on BEHIND THE MASK...

I actually had a milar thought. Right after I submitted the article and started getting ready for work, I realized I should have also suggested Scott Glosserman among my other choices. Behind the Mask

was a damn fine film and very much in the same vein as Scream .

My opinion is that there should be no Scream 5 at all. Let this franchise die so we can at least be grateful for some quality flicks. We all know once it gets to 5, 6, 7 etc. the series will become yet another Hollywood-raped shitpile.

BUT for the sake of this topic, I think it's the perfect call for Steve Miner. H20 is my favourite Halloween flick, not to mention he also directed Friday the 13th 2 and 3 and produced the first Friday the 13th

Thanks for the opinions. I'm aware there are others out there bedes you who feel that Scream

(and posbly all horror franchises?) should stop after only a few sequels. I'm not of that school of thought. I think there can always be something done to make a franchise fresh again.

It's also odd that part 7 is your favorite Halloween film, because I would think you would have a problem with it due to the mple fact that it's a seventh sequel. But hey, thanks for supporting one of my choices. And I can't believe that I forgot how involved Miner was with Friday the 13th!

I think the problem we'd see with a new director is that they might try to imitate Wes Craven, which wouldn't work out. On the other hand, if the director tried to put their own spin on the seires it might come off as too different and fans would reject it. It's a tricky tuation. That said, I think its posble that a fifth Scream movie could be good, I just think they should do something a little different than what we're used to. If Wes was replaced by a director who knows and appreciates the horror genre well, I'd conder giving the film a shot.I agree that imitating Craven exactly would be a mistake. However, directors, while important, are not the only creative force behind movies. Another director can put his own stamp on the series, but the presence of Williamson, Campell, Arquette and Cox would do a lot to make sure it was still recognizable as a Scream movie. It's a little more important to me to have Williamson write the thing than to have Craven direct it (although I still want Craven to gn on if he feels up to the task and likes the script).

By the way, my guess is that this will all turn out to be a hypothetical when Wes Craven does, in fact, end up gning on for "Scream 5".

Well if there is indeed a Scream 5, I just hope that Williamson writes an awesome script that is way better than part 4, because part 4 was a disappointment. It could have been screwed over by Kruger as well, maybe the reshoots/rewrites ruined 4 who knows? Lets hope for a new film in the vein of 1 instead 2,3 and 4. Less comical, more nister and twisted with more creative kills and hopefully a better soundtrack.

My opinion is that there should be no Scream 5 at all. Let this franchise die so we can at least be grateful for some quality flicks. We all know once it gets to 5, 6, 7 etc. the series will become yet another Hollywood-raped shitpile.

BUT for the sake of this topic, I think it's the perfect call for Steve Miner. H20 is my favourite Halloween flick, not to mention he also directed Friday the 13th 2 and 3 and produced the first Friday the 13th

Thanks for the opinions. I'm aware there are others out there bedes you who feel that Scream

(and posbly all horror franchises?) should stop after only a few sequels. I'm not of that school of thought. I think there can always be something done to make a franchise fresh again.

It's also odd that part 7 is your favorite Halloween film, because I would think you would have a problem with it due to the mple fact that it's a seventh sequel. But hey, thanks for supporting one of my choices. And I can't believe that I forgot how involved Miner was with Friday the 13th

I suppose I did come across as contradicting myself there - but to clarify: the reason I love H20 the most is I feel it captured the spirit of the original Halloween the most. Plus it did what no other sequel to these kinds of horror franchises would dare do - KILL OFF the main antagonist to climax the series. But of course we all know what greedy Akkads and Dimenon did after that....

When I say sequels decline in quality when the number of sequels grow, I am for sure generaling.... but I would say the vast majority of any film will always be superior in it's original piece, and that endless sequels only weaken what the original sets up.

I think it would be neat to have John Carpenter at the helm of a Scream sequel.

Well, like I said in another thread, if there's another Scream movie then Brian De Palma should write & direct it.

It would be disappointing if Wes Craven didn't do this one, he's probably the only director out there that is capable of handeling this franchise without turning it into something of the supernatural like some of the seqeuls of FT13 when Jason always gets ressurected, but on the other hand it would be difficult to butcher this franshise like that but still...It wouldn't be the same if Craven won't be involved with this film.