Neve Campbell Doubts We’ll Get More ‘Scream’ Movies Without Wes Craven

A string of slashers in the ’80s reduced the subgenre of horror films to be nothing more than films which exploited sex and violence, a stigma which Scream helped shatter in 1996. The film showed a smarter and funnier side of what could be accomplished with a familiar “masked killer” structure, inspiring three sequels and a TV series. Neve Campbell starred in all four films and, with director Wes Craven having passed away, doubts we’ll get another film.

“Well, ya know, I think it would be challenging… Wes Craven passed away… he was the reason those movies were so good,” Campbell shared with Kinowetter during a recent interview. “I mean, obviously Kevin Williamson wrote brilliant scripts. But ya know, Wes was the heart of the thing. He was what kept the dynamic consistence. I think it would be difficult to work with another director.”

While these comments sound pretty definitive that Campbell, nor anyone, would star in a Scream sequel, she noted, “But ya never know.”

A sequel to the film was rushed into production and was released in 1997, while Scream 3 hit theaters in 2000. After more than a decade of waiting, Scream 4 hit theaters in 2011, with Craven and Williamson having collaborated to deliver each installment.

Campbell might appreciate what the filmmakers accomplished with the series and enjoyed the success, though she recently confirmed that an unexpected result of the series was only being offered parts in horror movies, inspiring her to take a break from films.

“I needed a minute. In my 20s, it all hit so fast and so big that it was a little overwhelming,” Campbell shared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “Wonderful, obviously, and I’m very grateful for it, but it got to a level, also, where the kinds of things that I was being offered were not the things I wanted to do. I was constantly being offered horror films, because I was known for horror films, or bad romantic comedies.”

Not only did Campbell star in Scream in 1996, but The Craft also hit theaters that year, in which she starred as a high school student who finds companionship with a coven of classmates, marking another impressive horror film in her career.

“I just wasn’t interested in the scripts and I was feeling a bit unhappy with the things that were coming to me and I was feeling a little bored of the whole thing and I thought, ‘I want a change,’” Campbell noted of her decision to shy away from the spotlight.

Audiences might not be expecting a new film in the franchise to debut, but a third season of the Scream TV series has already been filmed, with no release date confirmed.

Do you think the film franchise should get another installment? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T YouTube, kinowetter]