NEW CITY, NEW RULES

GHOSTFACE IS IN TOWN WITH A FEW DAYS TO KILL... THE DIRECTORS AND PRODUCER OF SCREAM VI DISCUSS HOW THEY'RE CHANGING THE SLASHER GAME

- WILL SALMON

THERE ARE CERTAIN RULES THAT ONE must abide by in order to reboot a horror franchise. If your series has been away for a long time, or perhaps fallen out of favour, then you must begin again with a “requel” – a film that strips things back and returns to first principles.

This will look, in some ways, like a straight up remake of the first film – it may even use the same title, without a number or subtitle. It will reference iconic moments from the original and bring back key “legacy characters” (one of whom will die, to let audiences know that nobody is safe) while also introducing a new generation of young protagonists.

The purpose of the requel is to remind audiences why they loved a franchise in the first place, but if successful, it will also pave the way for a new series of adventures.

The sequel to the requel, now that’s where things get really interesting. Traditionally this will be bigger, bolder and take more risks. The Force Awakens was followed up by Rian Johnson’s brilliant but divisive The Last Jedi, while Halloween (2018) was succeeded by the brutal (and bone-headed) Halloween Kills. The sequel to the requel is risky, but if done well, it can also be highly rewarding.

CITY OF DEATH

And so to Scream VI. Directors Tyler Gillet and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin resurrected Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s post-modern horror franchise in fine style last year with Scream 5 (or rather Scream, as it was simply styled). The film followed (and made good fun of ) the rules of the requel to a T, with a glowing critical response and box office success.