Scream, the fifth installment in the horror series, revitalizes the franchise while also bringing Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley back to Woodsboro, with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette returning to their iconic roles.
However, taking center stage are a new set of characters, who must face the brutal Ghostface, the knife-wielding murderer hiding behind that terrifying white mask.
GamesRadar+ sat down with the cast of Scream to chat about the movie, and learned how the new actors were able to learn from Campbell, Cox, and Arquette.
"It wasn't concrete advice," says In the Heights' Melissa Barrera, who plays central character Sam Carpenter in the movie. "At least I didn't get any. But just watching them, just watching them work, watching them so seamlessly slip right back into those characters that they played for 25 years was fascinating and thrilling to watch. But also, all the knowledge that they bring with them of the first four movies, the stories that they told us of anecdotes that they've gone through, from when they first met in the first movie, how it was, how they didn't expect it to become such a huge hit. And just seeing their professionalism, it really was a life lesson. It was a lesson for me, I loved watching them work."
The Boys star Jack Quaid, who plays Sam's boyfriend Richie, adds: "I think Neve at one point at a dinner did say one concrete piece of advice, which was just have fun. Like, 'This is such a fun movie, and I want you guys to relish this experience as much as you can.' And that's what we needed to hear, because we shot this thing in the middle of a pandemic. We were all so lucky to be there working on something we cared about, working on something we thought was awesome. And it's a Scream movie, so I really tried to take that to heart and just try to take in every second."
As it turns out, the new cast may have a lot in common with the originals, too. "I don't remember who said it, but one of [the legacy cast] said that the energy that we have, and this excitement that this new cast is bringing on, reminds them of their energy on the first film of the franchise that they filmed," says Sonia Ammar, who plays Liv McKenzie in the movie. "And that was a really special thing because we just want to make them proud and want to make the fans of it proud, and we're just really happy to be a part of it."
Scream arrives exclusively to theaters this January 14. While you wait, check out our guide to the best horror movies of all time for the ultimate scary movie marathon.
