Scream: The TV Series wasn’t the first of its kind; the slasher-whodunit format was previously used to great effect in Harper’s Island (2009). As it so happens, Jill E. Blotevogel worked on both series as a producer. These two similar shows each racked up impressive body counts; however, Blotevogel didn’t want to replicate Harper’s Island’s marketing ploy. “You knew, in every episode, that someone was going to die. […] That’s an exciting promise, but in a way, you’re waiting to find out who’s going to die in the next episode,” she said.

Whereas in Scream, one of its strengths was the unpredictability of victimhood. “We want to keep people off-balance, so that they don’t know necessarily when, if or how someone might die,” Blotevogel added.

The New Faces of Scream: The TV Series

Folks new to Scream may hate to be spoiled here, but MTV wasn’t exactly tight-lipped about Bella Thorne’s lack of longevity in the show. They went so far as to announce her character was the opening victim before the first episode even aired. And although Nina Patterson’s death doesn’t have remotely the same punch as that of Drew Barrymore’s character in the original movie, the series still wanted its own Casey Becker moment. That feeling of shock from witnessing the biggest name in the cast getting menaced and gutted in under ten minutes.

Older viewers would have little to no familiarity with Thorne’s work prior to Scream, yet the then-current MTV crowd probably knew her from Shake It Up. For them, it had to have been surreal to watch a former Disney Channel starlet get Ghostfaced. Meanwhile, Willa Fitzgerald, who played protagonist Emma Duvall, became more recognized after the show ended. From Reacher to The Fall of the House of Usher to Strange Darling, Fitzgerald’s star only rose after tangling with Ghostface.

Speaking of Ghostface, it’s best to get the mask business out of the way. That one small but huge change from the movies has haunted this show from the get-go. Even though there is a ghostly white mask strapped to the killer’s mug, it’s definitely not the one everyone associates with Ghostface. It’s been said that the show couldn’t initially secure the rights to the iconic “Father Death” costume (designed by Fun World), hence the creation of this new one.

Perhaps more than anything else in the series, that switcheroo is the biggest deterrent for new viewers. Borrowing the title leads to the understandable expectation that the classic Ghostface would be included. Aesthetically speaking, at least. On the other hand, going with a new mask denotes, as well as emphasizes, the separation of continuities.

In some fairness, the series’ mask is effective in its own right. This design, having more of a human quality to its facial features, adds a certain bit of creepiness that the traditional Ghostface veneer lacked. It’s like staring into a blurry, warped mirror, trying to make sense of the reflection. Plus, anyone who saw this thing staring back at them in the dark would naturally be just as frightened, if not more so.

That ample opportunity to remake the 1996 movie is never actually taken in the series. There are bits and pieces that are inspired, but otherwise, the movie events don’t factor into the show. Regardless, the two properties have the same setup: a suburb is rocked by the killing of a local girl. Yet once the shock of Nina’s brutal murder has subsided, and other folks start to die, it’s clear that the Lakewood cast is on their own in their survival, apart from resident horror geek Noah Foster (John Karna). His readily available knowledge of the genre, as deep cutting as it can be, is about as helpful as it is now in the newer Scream movies. Knowing the ins and outs of tropes and trends ultimately can’t stop a madman.

Where the series mirrors the movies most is the killer (or killers, to be more exact). Motivations vary throughout the whole franchise, but the show took cues from its big-screen counterparts when explaining the whys of this Ghostface. There is that red herring of sorts, namely the local lore of Brandon James, that obscures the investigation. In true Scream fashion, though, no detail is irrelevant or goes unused. Everything traces back to the beginning, particularly the Brandon James underplot. Unfortunately, this storyline, along with the original cast, was abandoned after Season Two.

Season Three Resurrects the Series with a Reboot

Despite having a strong second season, plus an amusing Halloween special, Scream slipped into production limbo. The show had been renewed for a third installment in 2016, but matters behind the scenes prevented anything from surfacing until 2019. By then, those in charge were gone; producers Blotevogel and Jaime Paglia were already replaced by Michael Gans and Richard Register in Season Two.

In addition, the Harvey Weinstein scandal played a part in the delay, seeing as how Weinstein was a former executive producer. Yet after the legalities and whatnot were all sorted, the third and final season premiered. Rather than sticking to a weekly schedule, those remaining six episodes were spread out over three consecutive days. The show had also made the lateral move from MTV to VH1. So, needless to say, there were a lot of changes made, including a whole new cast of would-be victims.

With new producers at the helm, including Queen Latifah, the last season was a complete reboot. To underline that reset, the backdrop went from the insidious suburbs to the gritty inner city. Keke Palmer was among that roster of fresh young fodder (a.k.a. the Deadfast Club), and the new killer had not a thing to do with the one(s) in prior seasons. On that note, the Ghostface mask was looking like its old self again, and the series had managed to recruit Roger L. Jackson. These positives, of course, could not withstand the tide of negative reviews for Scream: Resurrection. Not long after that, this attempt at turning the show into a seasonal anthology was over.

At one point in the premiere of Scream, the character of Noah proclaims: “You can’t do a slasher movie as a TV series.” He then goes on to say how “slasher movies burn bright and fast” and how “TV needs to stretch things out.” Immediately these statements came across as the show being down on itself before it had really begun. In hindsight, though, this was more of a challenge—not only to itself, but to everyone watching.

Was this a successful attempt at bringing the slasher subgenre to the small screen? Yes and no. There are stumbles along the way that the show can’t always recover from; the uneven pacing and excess of teen drama both come to mind. On the other end, when it’s focused on gruesome thrills and plot twists, the series is pretty damn entertaining. Had things gone differently for subsequent seasons, the fans would have finally gotten that meta story.

Under a different title, this show might have been granted more clemency. The turnout would have likely also been smaller, had that been the case. Even so, when met on its own terms, and accepting what it is rather than what it isn’t, this Scream is a solid stab at serializing the slasher movie.

The post Ghostface Experimented with Small Screen Terror in ‘Scream: The TV Series’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After wrapping up January with a revisit of M. Night Shyamalan’s career resuscitator Split (listen) and getting locked in a movie theater with the cast of Popcorn (listen), we’re kicking off February with a look at one of the lesser-loved Michael Crichton film adaptations in Barry Levinson‘s dull mess Sphere (1998) 

In Sphere, psychologist Norman Goodman (Dustin Hoffman) is contacted by the U.S. government following the discovery of a spacecraft of seemingly alien origin that has been sitting at the bottom of the ocean for 300 years. Using a report that Norman half-assed during the Bush administration, the government brings in marine biologist Beth Halperin (Sharon Stone), mathematician Harry Adams (Samuel L. Jackson) and astrophysicist Ted Fielding (Liev Schreiber) to join Norman’s team.

Upon entering the ship, they discover a giant, golden sphere that causes unexplainable things to happen on the ocean floor, leading the crew on a fight for survival as more and more of them begin to die.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and RSS.

Episode 372: Sphere (1998)

Watch out for those jellyfish and be nice to Jerry the alien, because we’re talking Barry Levinson’s misguided 1998 adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel Sphere!

Join us as we try to figure out just what went wrong with this thing. From the lackluster direction to the hectic editing to the uneven performances (Sharon Stone innocent), it’s hard to find one single reason for Sphere‘s badness. Hell, we can’t even determine when we turn on the film, as the first chunk of it is pretty damn engaging!

Plus: criticisms of the film’s overuse of title cards (seriously, why?!), comparisons to Annihilation, and wondering why we never see the giant squid.

Cross out Sphere!

Coming Up Next: We’re going a bit further back in the ’90s to look at the little-seen straight-to-VHS Drew Barrymore chiller Doppelganger (1993)!

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 456 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Hannibal Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2, Whistle, The Strangers: Chapter 3, Saim Raimi’s Send Help, a new audio commentary on 10 Cloverfield Lane and our continuing coverage of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House (2018) on the Requel tier.

The post What the Hell Happened to ‘Sphere’? [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This one doesn’t yet have a release date, but you’ll find some first-look footage in the video below. The cast for End of the Road includes Queen Latifah and Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges.

“After losing her job, recently widowed Brenda drives her family cross-country to start a new life. In the New Mexico desert, cut off from help, they must learn to fight back when they become the targets of a mysterious killer.”

Beau Bridges, Mychala Faith Lee, Shaun Dixon, and Frances Lee McCain also star.

Millicent Shelton directed the thriller, written by Christopher J. Moore and David Loughery.

Producers include Tracey E. Edmonds, Mark Burg, and Brad Kaplan. Executive producers are Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, Ben Pugh, Erica Steinberg, and Daniel Jason Heffner.

The post Netflix Thriller ‘End of the Road’ Puts Queen Latifah and Ludacris Up Against a Killer; First Look appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Today brings more details, as we’ve learned that Tyga (below) and C.J. Wallace have joined the cast as series regulars. Additionally, the new season has been slated to premiere in March 2018 as a three-night event on MTV.

The season revolves around Deion Elliot, a local star running back whose tragic past comes back to haunt him at the worst time, threatening his hard-earned plans for his future — and the lives of his unlikely group of friends.

Tyga is set to play the role of Jamal, Deion’s older step-brother. Though they share blood, their worldviews couldn’t be more different. Jamal is a hustler by nature, willing to work any angle to make ends meet for those he considers family. But when Jamal’s ambitions don’t line up with Deion’s, it forces them to decide exactly how they fit into each other’s lives.

C.J. Wallace will take on the role of Amir, a good kid whose strict parents expect him to keep clean during high school, stay away from girls and ultimately find his place within the family business. But when events make him the unexpected target of a killer, Amir finds himself in over his head and his world view challenged.

Queen Latifah, Shakim Conpere and Yaneley Arty will serve as Executive Producers for Flavor Unit Entertainment. Brett Matthews (“Vampire Diaries,” “Supernatural”) has joined as Showrunner and Executive Producer. Harvey and Bob Weinstein continue to serve as Executive Producers under the Dimension TV umbrella.

Additional Executive Producers are Wes Craven, Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Marianne Maddalena and Cathy Konrad. Matthew Signer & Keith Levine are producers.

The post MTV’s “Scream” Reboot Gets Cast, Details and Premiere Date appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

THR confirms today that none of the cast members from the previous two seasons will be coming back for the six-episode third season of “Scream,” which just nabbed Brett Matthews (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Supernatural”) as its new showrunner. Additionally, Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere and Yaneley Arty have come aboard as executive producers via Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment banner.

The new season will feature a new cast, storyline and location, and THR notes that it will be “less white” and “more inclusive” than what we’ve seen from the series so far. They write, “the series looks to put a new spin on a proved concept that has not been embraced on the small screen.”

Harvey and Bob Weinstein remain on board as executive producers via Dimension TV, as will Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Marianne Maddalena and Cathy Conrad. Matthew Singer and Keith Levine produce.

The post MTV’s “Scream” Being Rebooted With Queen Latifah appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here’s a bit of left field casting as Variety reports that Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard (Iron Man) and Peter Fonda (pictured; Ghost Rider, Easy Rider) are set to star in the indie thriller House of Bodies, which is just starting production on Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere’s Miami-based soundstage Flavor Unit Studios.

“Story follows Kyle, a deaf child who enjoys chatting online with Nicole (Latifah), a relay operator at a telephone service for the hearing-impaired. Kyle’s fascination with the macabre leads him to explore the House of Bodies, a voyeur website based out of the former home of a serial killer named Henry Lee Bishop (Fonda), who is now on Death Row.

When police discover a string of grisly copycat murders, a detective (Howard) must race to uncover the mystery. Meanwhile, Kyle strikes up an unlikely friendship with Kelli, a new performer at the House of Bodies who’s forced to rely on him for survival as the killings hit closer to home.”

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