Scream: everything we know about the upcoming horror movie

It's time to bolt your door and bone up on your horror movie knowledge, because the mocking Ghostface killer returns in the forthcoming Scream.

It's a continuation of the hit horror franchise initiated by the late Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson. The original Scream revitalised the horror genre with its witty panache, drawing explicit attention to the conventions of horror movies even while in the midst of stalk and slash carnage.

The new Scream movie is set to hit us in early 2022, so scroll down to find out more.

What is the storyline of Scream?

TBC at the moment. The notorious Ghostface killer has returned, but the exact details of the plot are under wraps. One imagines that Sidney Prescott's (Neve Campbell) tortured backstory will come back to haunt her once again. Judging from the new trailer (scroll down to watch it), Sidney becomes an unexpected mentor to a new generation of victims in their battle against Ghostface. Fortunately, she has two distinct advantages: i) she's Sidney Prescott and ii) she has back-up...

Where does the new Scream movie fit in the series timeline?

This is the fifth Scream movie overall, following Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011).

Who is directing the new Scream movie?

Scream comes from the directors of the terrific Ready or Not, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, after Craven passed away in 2015. That movie showcased a similar level of winking awareness to Scream, deconstructing just as many horror tropes as it rolled out.

The film focused on a naive young bride (Samara Weaving) who is about to be inducted into a rich yet mysterious new family. However, she's soon lured into a deadly, bloodthirsty game of hide and seek where she reveals a hitherto unseen, tenacious side to herself. The film's blend of wince-inducing gore and gallows humour saw it awarded with critical kudos and box office gold, so hopes are high that Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett can repeat the trick for Scream.

Who has written the script for the new Scream movie?

It's not Kevin Williamson this time. The script comes from James Vanderbilt who penned David Fincher's methodical, masterful police procedural thriller Zodiac (2007).

Who stars in the new Scream movie?

Nostalgics rejoice. In addition to Neve Campbell, David Arquette (Dewey), Courteney Cox (Gail Weathers), Roger L. Jackson (voice of Ghostface) and Marley Shelton (Deputy Judy Hicks) all return, and they're joined by Melissa Barrera (In the Heights), Jenna Ortega (You), Jack Quaid (The Boys), Mason Gooding (Booksmart), Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers), Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why), Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), singer Sonia Ben Ammar and Kyle Gallner (Red State).

Who is scoring the new Scream movie?

Original series composer Marco Beltrami is giving way to Ready or Not composer Brian Tyler. We're waiting to see if Tyler will deploy Beltrami's familiar musical motifs from the series, including the haunting vocal piece 'Sidney's Theme'.

Are there any behind-the-scenes photos of Scream?

There are, indeed, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. Check out the return of Campbell, Arquette and Cox in the following shots, plus the reveal of a certain dreaded masked killer.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Entertainment Weekly (@entertainmentweekly)

Is there a Scream poster?

Here it is, in all its spine-tingling glory.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scream (@screammovies)

Have we got our first look at the new victims/suspects?

Again, we can thank Entertainment Weekly for these first-look stills.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scream (@screammovies)

What have the filmmakers said about the new Scream movie?

Gillett has talked about pushing the boundaries in the new Scream film, in a bid to match the creative carnage of the first four entries.

“That’s one of the things we've really forced ourselves to dig in on every day," Gillett told Collider. "From page to even the moment you're on set and you're crafting that specific beat, we've been really hard on ourselves with designing things that feel fresh and original and in some ways maybe pay homage. But it's a challenge because there are so many iconic and amazing kills in this franchise. I think for us, ultimately, what matters the most is that you love those characters and that you feel for those characters. So, whatever form or fashion that peril takes, it feels like it really matters because it's hard to watch. It's hard to watch people you love go through some traumatic experience.”

Bettinelli-Olpin added: “We also talk a lot about how, when you think back at all of the great ones from the first four movies, the ones that you remember having very specific identity to them, like the garage door, you know what I mean? Oh, they're in the sound booth. There's the very clean, clear, simple identities to them. And so we made sure that all of the kills in this movie were like, how would we define them in a way that you go, ‘Oh, that's what that one is and here's why it works,’ on top of all the character stuff Tyler was mentioning.”