Entertainment

How Will The 'Scream' TV Series Be Different?

by Kaitlin Reilly

MTV already dipped its toe in horror with shows like Teen Wolf and Eye Candy, but it's the network's latest series that's trying its hardest to terrify you. A television show based on the 1996 iconic horror flick Scream is coming to MTV this June, and it's got a lot to live up to. Scream wasn't just another slasher flick to come out of the '90s — it paved the way for the self-referential horror movie and blended the blackest of comedy with real scares. Scream has truly earned its spot in the list of very important horror movies in the genre (despite a few forgettable sequels) so it's easy to see why MTV would want to pick up the slasher flick. Since MTV can't simply remake Scream as a TV series, how will this version be different from the films? It turns out that the answer to that is "very" — for better or for worse.

That's not to say absolutely everything is different about this new version. A new trailer for MTV's Scream premiered at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, and it starts off fairly similarly to the original film — a lone girl (Bella Thorne) is hanging out at home when an unseen serial killer enters her home, throws some guy's dismembered head in the pool, and murders her. The mechanics are different, but not all that much has changed from when Drew Barrymore had Thorne's part in the film. So what is vastly different? Here's what we know:

Ghostface Isn't Around

The TV series didn't secure the rights to the iconic Ghostface mask for the pilot, so we won't see it when the series premieres on June 30. There's a chance that the TV series may use the mask at another point in the series, but as of now, the killer (or, more likely, killers) won't wear the famous mask during the murders.

A Friendship Is At The Center Of The Story

The lead of the series, pretty introvert Emma feels guilty over drifting apart from her best friend, Audrey, a filmmaker and bi-curious daughter of a pastor. Friendship wasn't a major theme in the original series (at least, not in the first film, which is good, considering most of Sidney's friends end up dead) but the bond between these two girls could hold an important role in the new TV series.

The Characters Have Modern Day Issues

Sidney Prescott had a ton of problems, and she couldn't even tweet about them until Scream 4. Website Bleeding Cool allegedly got a hold of the pilot script, which seems to match the trailer introduced by MTV at the Movie Awards. The site dishes on some of the key points of the pilot, which include attempting to call 911 via Siri and having an illicit video uploaded on the internet against your will.

It's Not Set In Woodsboro

According to Bloody Disgusting, the new series won't be set in Woodsboro, the town where the original Scream films took place. Whether the TV show will take place in the same universe as Woodsboro is an entirely different story — the TV show could later reference the crimes that occurred in the famous town, and the killers in the series might have been inspired by the work of the Ghostface killers.

Sidney Isn't Involved

If you wanted to know what happened to the beloved Sidney Prescott, you won't find out in the TV series — or, at least, not in the pilot episode. Neve Campbell isn't slated to appear on the TV show (at least, not yet) and her character is referenced in the first episode of the series.

Check out the trailer for the new Scream series below.

Images: MTV; Giphy (6)