Scream is having a brand-new resurgence in pop culture, but the Wes Craven original single-handedly revived the horror-slasher genre in the 1990s when the films first came out.
Apart from Ghostface, Neve Campbell, along with Courtney Cox, was the mainstay in all of them. Well, things changed for Campbell with the latest in the franchise that was released earlier this year.
Despite Campbell’s absence as Sidney Prescott in the sixth instalment of the iconic horror franchise, she holds the film in high regard. The actor recently shared her thoughts on Scream VI during a panel discussion at Monster-Mania Con 57 in Oaks, Pennsylvania.
Campbell, known as the ‘Scream’ Queen for her portrayal of Sidney in all but one of the films, revealed, “[I hadn’t] watched it until two weeks ago. It took me a minute… I don’t know why. But I actually… I thought they did a really good job.”
It was revealed in 2022 that Campbell would not be reprising her iconic role because she was not being paid her due. “As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise,” explained Campbell as per Deadline Hollywood. “It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years,” she continued.
At the panel discussion, Campbell clarified that she felt no animosity towards the film or the cast and crew who worked hard on Scream VI, “You know, I think the cast are really powerful, wonderful actors, and I don’t wish these movies ill-will, you know? I wanted the movie to be good. It’s not like I’m sitting in my house going, ‘I hope it sucks, I hope it doesn’t do well,’ you know? I care about all the people involved. There’s someone at the top who only thinks about money, and that’s their prerogative. But for the rest of them, everybody else, I care about these movies being good. And I care about that for you guys, too. I know you guys love these films. So, I thought they did a great job.”
Scream VI, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, brought a fresh take to the franchise even though it is not quite at par with the originals directed by Craven. The absence of Sidney Prescott, coupled with the killing off of Dewey in the previous film, marked a shift in the series, but the audience’s response and box office numbers indicate that the spirit of Scream remains alive and well.
