Scream Director Teases Plenty of Franchise Easter Eggs in New Film

Over the course of the original four Scream films from director Wes Craven, audiences were treated to both obvious and subtle references to other corners of the horror genre, with co-director of the upcoming Scream Tyler Gillett recently pointing out that, while the film will be accessible to an entirely new generation, fans of the original franchise will be able to pick out Easter eggs that a casual viewer might not recognize. Given that the upcoming film comes a decade after the last installment hit theaters and that it's adopting the simple "Scream" title, it's clear that the upcoming endeavor won't merely replicate the formula that came before it. The new Scream is slated to hit theaters on January 14, 2022.

"A lot of it came from the script, where the entry point is accessible to everybody," Gillett shared with Hello Sidney in regards to finding the balance of a new approach and older influences. "This isn't a movie that you need to have seen 27 other movies to understand […] But, your experience will be extremely heightened the more knowledge you have of those previous four. We have a ton of Easter eggs. It wouldn't be a Scream movie if it wasn't self-referential and didn't talk about, you know, where the genre is at in a kind of pop-culture sense."

All four original films were directed by Craven, with the concept being adapted into a TV series for MTV beginning in 2015. Scream: The TV Series earned two seasons and was then rebooted as a six-episode limited series.

Despite the many ways in which the upcoming Scream is tasked with honoring Craven's legacy, Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original film, Scream 2, and Scream 4, pointed out that the upcoming film does take some original approaches to the concept.

"I had been really apprehensive about doing one of these films without Wes," the writer noted during a virtual reunion last year. "The directors actually sent me a letter when the offer was sent and said the reason they are directors is because of Wes. So they're even so honored to even be asked to make this film, and that they're such huge fans of him and the films themselves, and of the cast, and that they really wanted to honor his voice, which I really, really believe they did."

He added, "What I love about the new Scream is that it does take a fresh approach. It's this beautiful sort of fresh new movie, but it also has this nostalgic factor that runs through it. That to me was a perfect blend of how to do the next Scream. So that was what I was most excited about. I'm blown away by the directors, and I was really nervous because nobody is Wes Craven. I was really hesitant to even jump on board and be a part of it, and boy am I glad I did because I think it's going to make Wes proud."

The new Scream is slated to hit theaters on January 14, 2022.

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