Everything To Know About The Fifth & Latest Scream Installment

In 1996, Wes Craven’s Scream revitalized the slasher genre through its satirical use of horror tropes established in films like Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980). The film subverted audience expectations by openly discussing the genre’s many cliches and attempting to challenge them via moves like killing off the film’s most high-profile star, Drew Barrymore, in its first scene. The highest-grossing horror film until 2018’s Halloween revival, Scream spawned four commercially successful and critically acclaimed sequels, each including the original film’s stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette.

Ten years after Scream 4 and 25 years since the original, the trio of actors is back for a fifth installment of the franchise, simply titled Scream. Here’s everything to know about the film, including its plot, cast, release date, and trailer.

Scream (2022) Cast

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, aka the duo behind 2019’s Ready or Not, the forthcoming Scream will mark the series’ first installment to not be directed by Wes Craven, who died in 2015. Serving as the executive producer is the original film’s screenwriter, Kevin Williamson (Dawson’s Creek). In addition to Campbell, Cox, and Arquette returning as Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley, respectively, Roger L. Jackson will once again provide Ghostface’s voice, and Marley Shelton will reprise the role of Judy Hicks, who first appeared in Scream 4.

The slasher film will also welcome several new faces into the franchise, including Melissa Barrera (In The Heights) as Samantha Carpenter, Jenna Ortega (You) as Tara, Jack Quaid (The Boys) as Richie, Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why) as Wes, Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers) as Mindy, model Sonia Ben Ammar as Liv, Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) as Amber, Mason Gooding (Booksmart) as Chad, and Kyle Gallner (Jennifer’s Body) as Vince.

Thanks to a recent behind-the-scenes video posted to Barrera’s Instagram Story, fans also believe Heather Matarazzo (The Princess Diaries) will return as Martha Meeks, who appeared in Scream 3. Martha is the brother of Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), a friend of Sidney’s whose impeccable horror film knowledge helps break down the ongoing murders in Scream (1996) and Scream 2, though he was murdered in the latter film.

Campbell recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the decision to return to the franchise following Craven’s passing. “I genuinely was in two minds. The idea of making these films without Wes Craven seemed challenging to me. I loved the man very much,” she said. “But Matt and Tyler wrote me a letter, speaking of their appreciation and great respect for Wes Craven, and speaking of the fact that the very reason that they are directors today was because of these movies and because of Wes, and that meant a great deal to me.”

Scream (2022) Plot

Like its four predecessors, Scream (2022) is set in fictional Woodsboro, California. This time around, a new killer picks up the Ghostface mask and sets out to terrorize a group of teenagers in order to uncover secrets from the town’s horrific history. According to the film’s trailer, Samantha Carpenter (Barrera) is Ghostface’s latest main target, as Sidney warns her, “I’ve been through this, a lot. This is your life now, which means that whoever this is is going to keep coming for you.”

As for the future of the Scream franchise, Williamson told Us Weekly on Oct. 12: “I would love for it to live on forever because I love knowing that this universe is turning and Scream is in it.” He continued, “I love that they keep making Halloween because that is the movie — Scream is an homage to Halloween, and I hope they never stopped making Halloween movies. I hope they never stop.”

Scream (2022) Trailer & Release Date

On Oct. 12, Paramount Pictures revealed the first official trailer for Scream (2022). As expected, the clip sees Ghostface taunting new character Samantha Carpenter (Barrera) via an anonymous phone call. Alongside the trailer’s release, Paramount revealed that the film would be released in theaters on Jan. 14, 2022.