This Day in Horror: SCREAM Premiered
Alyse Wax
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Released in theaters on this day in 1996: Scream
Originally titled Scary Movie, Scream reinvigorated horror in the 1990s and brought back the slasher subgenre. Kevin Williamson was inspired by the Gainesville Ripper to write the film while housesitting for a friend. The Gainesville Ripper was operating in Florida in 1990. He killed eight people, often mutilating them and posing their bodies grotesquely.
Wes Craven was approached early in the process to direct, but he was working on another project and was looking to step away from horror at the time. Dimension Films approached a number of other genre directors to helm the project, including Robert Rodriguez, Danny Boyle, George Romero, and Sam Raimi, but Williamson worried that they didn’t “get it,” and feared the other directors saw his screenplay as pure comedy. Craven’s project fell through, freeing him up to direct the film, which was now titled Scream.
Drew Barrymore asked for a role in Scream, and this led to many other big names being cast, breaking the trend of having unknown actors starring in slasher films. Originally, the film was meant to be shot in Vancouver to save on costs, but Craven insisted it be shot in the States to provide that “all American” feel. Craven was almost removed from the film over this fact, but in the end, the studio agreed and the film was shot in California’s wine region.
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
