Solving this mystery is going to be murder …
Scream’s original tagline may hold the key to its crossover success. Released in December of 1996, the film—infamously, and prematurely, pronounced DOA at the box office by Variety—went on to earn $173 million globally, climbing the charts from week to week based on word of mouth and repeated viewings. Written by newcomer Kevin Williamson (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Dawson’s Creek) and directed by genre titan Wes Craven (Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.), it revitalized the slasher genre by virtue of its hip cast and sharp melding of horror and humor, all wrapped up in the framework of a whodunit. The movie also introduced an iconic new villain into the annals of horror: Ghostface—the masked and cloaked figure behind which anybody could be hiding, for any reason.
Nearly thirty years later, award-winning journalist (and Scream enthusiast) Ashley Cullins offers readers an unprecedented look into the making of the self-referential franchise in Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror (Plume; August 19, 2025). Based on more than eighty interviews with on-screen and behind-the-scenes talent as well as genre academics and experts, the book—narrated in its audio version by Ghostface voice actor Roger L. Jackson—offers a comprehensive history of the films, from their conception and beleaguered production to their critical and commercial reception and sustained cultural impact.
Your Favorite Scary Movie also boasts an exclusive, spoiler-free overview of Scream 7 based on the author’s set visit. Slated for release on February 27, 2026, the film reunites OG Final Girl Neve Campbell (who opted out of 2023’s Scream 6) with fellow cast veteran Courteney Cox; the two will be joined by a slate of familiar faces and fresh blood to ensure multi-generational appeal. Additionally, Kevin Williamson—who executive produced the last two installments—assumes directorial duties, bringing the franchise full circle by revisiting Campbell’s Sidney Prescott as an adult woman with a family of her own to protect from the horrors she knows all too well.
Now, in true meta fashion. Ashley Cullins deconstructs the making of her making of …
John B. Valeri: The Scream films aren’t simply a slasher franchise but meta mysteries in which anybody can be under the Ghostface mask, for any reason. What do you believe is the importance of the whodunit aspect of the stories and how does this widen the movies’ appeal? Also, tell us about the real-life crime that inspired Kevin Williamson to write the first film.
Ashley Cullins: Scream is more grounded than a lot of other horror franchises. It’s not a monster hunting you, or a stranger that picked you at random, it’s someone who knows you and wants to make you suffer for a very personal reason. That happens all the time in real life, just without the costume. The whodunit aspect, courtesy of the Ghostface persona, adds an intellectual challenge to the experience and creates a deeper level of fear because people are innately uncomfortable with the unknown. The blend of mystery and horror and comedy, and the feeling of not knowing which of those to expect in any given scene, makes this franchise appealing to fans of any of those genres. (Unless they’re squeamish, of course.)
There were several things that influenced Kevin Williamson when he was writing Scream, and one of them was a true crime case. There was a serial killer in Florida named Danny Rolling, who they dubbed the Gainesville Ripper. It’s very gruesome, so I’ll spare you the details. Williamson saw the story on the news while he was housesitting. He was spooked because of a window that he didn’t remember leaving open and called a friend, and was walking around the house holding a kitchen knife while he checked to make sure there wasn’t an intruder hiding somewhere. His friend starts teasing him, whispering “kill kill kill kill” into the phone. It’s a reference to Friday the 13th, which led to a conversation about horror movies and that set off a lightbulb for Williamson that he could write a story that would deconstruct horror movies. He also incorporated that little detail into Scream 2 in the scene where Cici Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is on the phone with a friend before she’s attacked in her sorority house.
JBV: You are a self-professed fan of the films (me, too – obsessively!) with the bonafides of a journalist. What was your approach to tempering your affection for the subject with critical objectivity? Has your relationship with the movies changed as a result of this deep dive into their making?
AC: I love Scream. I wouldn’t have taken on a project like this if I didn’t, and there was no point hiding that. That doesn’t mean I didn’t ask hard questions. People have called this a love letter, and I’d agree that it is, but I don’t feel like I sugarcoated anything.
Without going off on too much of a tangent, I think there’s an inherent problem with the expectation that journalists have to stifle their opinions and emotions in order to do their jobs fairly. I’d argue it’s the opposite: You have to be acutely aware of areas where you might have bias and react accordingly in order to make sure your work reflects the truth. That’s one of the reasons why I made a point to talk to people outside the franchise, horror experts and academics, to find out what people who don’t have an attachment to Scream think about it.
So, to answer your question, I didn’t temper my affection for the subject.
I definitely have a deeper appreciation for the amount of work that went into these films, and I was blown away by how genuinely friendly and kind everyone was, which makes me even more fond of the franchise. My relationship with horror as a whole absolutely changed. I thought I didn’t care for most horror as an adult and only loved Scream because I’d been a fan since I was a teenager. Through the course of working on this I realized there are only a few subgenres that aren’t my cup of tea – and that people who make horror are the kindest people on the planet. You have to really understand people in order to scare them, and they work out all their demons through their art. So, I’ve been more open to watching things I wouldn’t have a few years ago because of that.
JBV: You had unprecedented access to both the on-screen and behind-the-scenes personalities involved in the making of these movies – seven films over the course of thirty years. How did you endeavor to balance such an abundance of content with context? Also, what was your process like in trying to reconcile memories that may have been in conflict (or lost altogether) to get the most factually accurate story?
AC: Every story I write – regardless of how long it is – I start with the most interesting interview quotes and use those to form the narrative flow. Then I create the connective tissue that ties everything together, which weaves in things like context and analysis.
With three decades of memories and events you’re never going to be able to include every detail, so I encouraged people to focus on the things that were most meaningful to them. My hope was that would make this feel more like a human story with real emotion than a collection of bar trivia facts. So, I started by compiling the best quotes and puzzling them together and built from there.
For the most part people’s memories aligned. There were a few points — the original DP being fired on Scream and the supposed script leaks on Scream 2 in particular – where some were diametrically opposed. Instead of playing judge and jury, I acknowledged the disparity and laid out their recollections to give readers the full picture.
JBV: This book will appeal to both casual fans and Scream enthusiasts alike. What makes this the definitive account of the franchise thus far? Also, please share what you found most surprising in conducting your research — and what you think might most surprise readers.
AC: Well, first and foremost, I couldn’t have done this without the people who worked on the franchise being incredibly generous with their time. I spent many, many hours talking with people – most of them on Zoom – and I ended up with about 750,000 words of interview transcripts. This is truly their story.
Readers might be surprised by how emotional parts of the story are. It runs the full spectrum of joy and anger and heartbreak. The chapter about Wes Craven’s legacy might also surprise people, especially if they’re not familiar with his upbringing.
JBV: A recurrent theme throughout the book is the respect and reverence people hold for the late Wes Craven. What did he bring to the filmmaking process that was so unique (particularly in regard to the stereotype of a “horror” director)? Also, tell us about how his quiet stewardship grounded 1-4 despite the productions’ many challenges, from incomplete (or leaked) scripts to studio interference.
AC: Like I just mentioned, there’s an entire chapter on Wes Craven between the sections on Scream 4 and 5. He is truly fascinating and the admiration people have for him is remarkable. One of the things that set him apart was a keen interest in psychology and the human experience, which was reflected in his work and his interactions with those around him. The other is that he didn’t need to be the loudest in the room to command attention and respect. The combination of those two things made him a director, and a person, that people genuinely wanted to do their best work for.
JBV: One of the biggest challenges in revitalizing a beloved franchise is honoring legacy while also bringing a sense of originality and unpredictability. What was the sense you got from the creative team behind 5-6 as to how they confronted this issue? In what ways have those films proved divisive among fans in a way that is unique to the franchise thus far?
AC: Everyone involved in creating the new movies is a true fan of the original — and that’s by design. There’s a balancing act of putting an original spin on a film while acknowledging that you’re telling a story in a universe that someone else created.
Scream 5 and 6 do feel different from the earlier films – but the entire world feels different than it did in 1996 or 2011. The meta-aspect of the films, and their commentary on current culture, is one of the things that keeps them grounded. You can’t expect them to not change with the times. Some people feel like they changed too much, but ask 10 fans to rank the movies and you may very well get 10 different results.
For what it’s worth, I really love Scream 6. It’s up there with Scream 2 for me, just below the original.
JBV: Kevin Williamson (screenwriter on 1,2 & 4) has an understandably conflicted relationship with the franchise. How have the new films liberated him from old grievances? Also, what of Wes Craven’s mentorship does he appear to be calling on in assuming directorial duties for the newest installment(s)?
AC: You can’t unlive the past, but I do think that being part of 5 and 6 brought him to a happier place with the franchise in the present. Though it’s bittersweet because Wes isn’t here. Williamson getting more creatively involved and directing Scream 7 feels like a homecoming, and I wouldn’t be even a little bit surprised if this movie reminds fans of Cravens’.
JBV: You had the opportunity to visit the set of the forthcoming Scream 7. (I am so jealous!) Without moving into spoiler territory, what were your general impressions of the energy and enthusiasm (not to mention secrecy!) surrounding the project? Also, given your interviews with the cast and crew, how do you expect this film might bridge the gap between the older generation of fans and new?
AC: I would never spoil! I could write an entire manifesto on how even the most mundane decisions are part of the art itself and should be left secret for as long as the filmmakers want them to be. The energy was awesome, for lack of a less obnoxious word. Night shoots can be grueling, but people seemed genuinely happy to be there. The crew couldn’t have been nicer, and I never felt like people were holding back or watching what they said around me. This is in the book, but I’ll say it here too: I imagine it’s what a Wes Craven set felt like.
As for bridging the gap, there’s a pretty solid balance of returning cast members and people who are new to the franchise. It’s a Sidney story, so I don’t think I need to say much more than that to explain why longtime fans will be excited.
The new cast members have starred in both generation-agnostic and younger-skewing projects — Joel McHale, Anna Camp, Isabel May and McKenna Grace, to name a few — so I think there’s plenty to appeal to new fans. Plus, even though it’s the seventh film in a franchise, these are all standalone murder mysteries. As with the Hercule Poirot series of Agatha Christie novels, which anyone who loves Scream should read if they haven’t, the nods to past events or in-references aren’t enough to keep you from being able to follow the plot.
