Scream 4, his latest directorial effort, hits Blu-Ray and DVD next week. While promoting the release, the horror master recently took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with our writer Gabriel O’Friday about his films, his career and more.

Gabriel O’Friday: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, Wes. I really appreciate it.

Wes Craven: You’re welcome. Happy to do it.

GO: With the upcoming release of Scream 4 on Blu-Ray and DVD, you have really come a long way with the franchise. When you first began work on the original Scream film, did you ever envision it becoming what it is today, in the same way that A Nightmare on Elm Street took off?

WC: At first and even about halfway through Scream, I just thought it was a one-off. Typically when making a film, you just have your head down, and you are working away, and you don’t really think about sequels. You are just so focused on getting the first one right, that you really can’t afford to be thinking about anything beyond that initial goal. Then as we neared completion of the film, and then after we saw the finished product, we were really blown away. It wasn’t until most of the hard work was behind us that we realized we could have something on our hands here.

GO: When I was younger, I watched A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I couldn’t sleep for weeks for fear of Freddy Krueger coming after me in my dreams. That element really sets Freddy apart from the other slasher flick villains. How did you develop that concept of the nightmare stalking character?

WC: Well, it all goes back to a story I read in the newspaper years ago about this kid who was frightened about going to sleep, because he thought something bad was going to happen if he did. And apparently he kept himself awake for a few days, and then finally he fell asleep, and sure enough he died. The story shook me, and that story planted the seed in my mind for what would become the character of Freddy Krueger.

GO: Many of your films, including one of my favorites, New Nightmare, deal with life imitating art. In the case of Scream, the idea of horror movie “rules” and the concept of films within the film adds much more depth than the typical slasher movie. Do you usually set out to add some sort of philosophical or social commentary to your work, to give it an edge over other films of the genre?

WC: Well, the way that story line developed in terms of New Nightmare was basically the studio wanted another film after The Final Nightmare, but we couldn’t really figure out what to do. There was really no coherent story. Then I got to talking to Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp, and I realized how these films had really shaped all of our lives off of the set. That with the fact that the film industry was fighting censorship issues at the time, and the idea for that film just blossomed out of that. As far as the concept of touching on social issues in my films, I find an effective method for horror is to take very real things and to take real fears and to put a face on them in the form of the movie villains.

GO: Also in New Nightmare, playing yourself, you put forth the concept that the only way to destroy Freddy is by capturing his essence in a work of art, in other words, by making another movie about him. This strikes me as particularly interesting, because as a writer, I feel a connection to the concept of finding catharsis through placing personal demons and fears onto the printed page. Does this idea tap into your own creative process?

WC: Well, you have to put yourself in very dark place to write this sort of thing. I mean, it’s really trying to find the darkest stuff you can come up with and, as in the Scream films, having to put yourself in the place of a killer to really make it effective. And in order to do that, yes, I think you have to use your own fears in order to make it as real and as terrifying as possible.

GO: Several of your films, such as Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, have been remade in recent years. You produced Last House and The Hills Have Eyes remakes, so you were obviously on board with those projects. But how do you generally feel after the first viewing of films in which others have taken your work and put their own creative spin on it?

WC: With Last House and Hills, I think the filmmakers really did a great job, and I was very proud of what was accomplished on those. But then there is a secondary feeling in which you are concerned about the original films getting buried and losing their uniqueness.

GO: So would you say you are worried about people associating those titles with the remakes instead of the original films?

WC: Sure, that’s one possible fear, but more I think you are worried about losing the uniqueness of something that up until that point was solely associated with your work. Of course, we had much different budgets, so there will be those who compare them in that light, but I think they stand up pretty well next to each other.

GO: Ingmar Bergman seems to be an influence on your career, as Last House on the Left was based on his film, The Virgin Spring. And there are aspects of New Nightmare that are reminiscent of the identity crises faced by the lead characters in Bergman’s Persona. Specifically I mean the scene in which Langenkamp and Saxon begin to lose track of where their characters end and their actual selves begin. First of all, am I on the right track with the weight of his influence on your work, and what other filmmakers have influenced you?

WC: Yes, certainly Bergman and a lot of the European filmmakers of the 50’s were enormous influences on my career. Of course, I was forbidden by my church to see films growing up, so when I discovered Bunuel, Truffaut and Fellini among others, I was inspired to drop everything and go into film. Polanski is another director whose films had a profound effect on me early on.

GO: Just off the top of your head, what are a few of your favorite films of all time?

WC: Getting back to Polanski, Repulsion and The Tenant were two films that had a big impact on me when I first saw them. The Exorcist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are some of the really gritty horror films that impacted me. Of course before I got to know some of the guys who made these films, I thought they must be really screwed up for making movies like this. Now I suppose that’s what people think about me.

GO: Speaking of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that is a film with a lead character who is female. You cast females in empowering lead roles in films like A Nightmare on Elm Street. Would you say that was a conscious decision on your part, in which you decided beforehand, or do things just sort of work themselves out that way during the creative process?

WC: There’s a story to that. When I made Swamp Thing, my daughter was watching it with me, and I had a scene where a female character was running away, and as in all such situations in horror movies, she stumbled and fell. My daughter turned to me and said, “Dad, girls don’t always fall down.” This made me realize I had fallen into the old horror cliché of the girl running from the villain and tripping on a rock or some other debris. I didn’t really care for that, so it got me thinking about taking it in the other direction and creating some strong female characters. I certainly did that with A Nightmare on Elm Street, and then of course we got to revisit that again in the Scream films with Neve Campbell and some of the other female characters.

GO: I like that. “Girls don’t always fall down.” You should have a female character declare that in one of your films.

WC: That’s right. Sometimes the girls are the strong ones, and it’s the guys who need the girls to help them up.

GO: Wes, thanks again for your time. It’s been great talking to you today.

WC: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure.

A word from Aimee: “I want to do a horror film where I either get to kill somebody or be killed. That’s definitely on my top priorities.”

A word from Emma: “I think there are a lot of people out there who say the really low blow of “She’s just in the business because of her family”. I do it because I love to do it.”

A word from Shenae: “Do you give a shit if you look really hot every time, all the time, when somebody sees you? Do you care what people think, do you read comments online? I don’t.”

Scream 4 is typical of a sequel that comes long after the previous franchise in an attempt to bring it back. It’s got all the hallmarks of the series we love to see again and we get to catch up with all the characters, but it feels forced and uninspired.

The next generation of Woodsboro catches up with Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) on the anniversary of the original murders. Kids have erected Ghostfaces all over the city street lamps. Killings start again, but it’s the young generation that interprets the rules now.

I totally realize that I’m too old for this movie. Scream 4 is for the internet generation, and I’ve kept up as best I could, but I am simply not the person a movie about webcam and found footage is for. That’s for them. So maybe this is the Scream 1 for a new generation.

I still think the statement is too on the nose. It’s not a satire of the web generation, and they barely address what it means to the Scream formula when everybody has their own personal cell phone. The film simply identifies their habits, but that’s not a commentary. Plus, webcam boys Robbie (Erik Knudsen) and Charlie (Rory Culkin) are no Randy.

The opening sequence manages to surprise the audience and go meta. It’s not organic to any kind of storytelling, but it’s adjusting the formula to a generation built on texting and apps so it’s fun. When they talk about torture porn and Saw movies, I definitely feel like they don’t actually understand that genre like the screenwriter understood slasher movies. They just mention the talking points. Hard to know whether that’s Kevin Williamson or Ehren Kruger. And having the girls watch Shaun of the Dead? No. Just no.

It’s still a mystery, which is a strength of sorts to keep telling stories and guessing games. They’ve got 7 Saws to compete with now though. A scene in the car introducing Jill (Emma Roberts), Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) and Olivia (Marielle Jaffe) is just blatant exposition, no matter how many references they drop in the dialogue. We do get to find out who directed Stab so that’s funny.

There is an unintended meta effect about Gale (Courteney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette). When Gale and Dewey have relationship conflict, it becomes really uncomfortable to watch. They can’t help that, but it’s a powerful unintentional comment on how the media affects our viewing.

It’s weird, thinking about Scream 4 intellectually, it feels like everything is right and it should work. I just know I wasn’t connecting. I actually liked Scream 3. I liked the meta of setting it on the movie set where they’re making the movie version of the story we’re watching, and Jay and Silent Bob go on the studio tour. I also like in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back where Wes Craven is directing Scream 4 and the killer turns out to be the monkey.

I think Detention ruined me for Scream 4. That’s the new meta self-referential masterpiece, but no one else has seen it yet. Maybe I’ll appreciate Scream 4 some day, in a cultural vacuum or historical context. It took me 13 years to finally appreciate Scream 2. Next time I watch them all back to back, it may fall into place, so there’s hope.

Tortorella is up for the lead villain: a shady, Satan-worshipping cop working under Willem DaFoe‘s local police chief. Has there been a satanic police procedural yet? Maybe there’s one in development at USA. Anyway, for those of you not currently in the Koontz Klub, Odd Thomas is about a clarvoyant, small town cook named Odd (Anton Yelchin has been cast), his girlfriend (Addison Timlin) and their wacky adventures trying to sav the town from evil spirits.

Odd Thomas is looking to begin production in New Mexico later this year. (Hollywood Reporter)

So, fans rejoiced when the original writer Kevin Williamson came back for Scream 4. That joy quickly went away when it was announced that Williamson was leaving the project and the Weinsteins were bringing back Ehren Kruger of all hacks.

This pissed off the cast and fans alike and has us all worried about the turd that the film could potentially be. Now Williamson finally opens up about what went down. And by opens up, I mean, plays nice so that he doesn’t hur the box office take. From EW:

There were all these rumors that you were fired from Scream 4. What happened?
Oh, I got in a big fight with Bob. God love him. I’ve worked with the man for 16 years out of my 16-year career. We get in some fights. We’re a very dysfunctional family over there at the Weinstein Co. We got into a massive fight creatively and we hugged it out and then we moved on.

Can you allude to what the struggle was about?
Oh just, you know — I felt strongly about this and he felt strongly about that and then I did this and that wasn’t right. Everyone was second-guessing everything because everyone wanted it to be so perfect. That’s exactly what happened. The one thing that Bob and I connect on very basically, why we’ve worked successfully together for 16 years, is we’re passionate. And no one is more passionate than Bob Weinstein. And it is that passion that allows you to make a movie where he will believe in you and trust in you and it’s also that passion that can cause fights and cause struggle. For 16 years, he’s kept me gainfully employed. I love him. Yes, we got into the fight, but then the big clincher came: Contractually, I had signed on to do The Vampire Diaries [Williamson's series for The CW]. You know, the little thing called first and second position? I was in first position to do Vamprie Diaries and second position to do Scream 4. So guess what? It was a contractual thing. Warner Bros called up and they said, “Dude where are you? You have a show that’s on the air — where are you?” I did double duty as much as I could but The Vampire Diaries was also very important to me.

When did you and Bob reconcile?
Oh, I haven’t talked to him yet.

This man obviously does not have a grasp on the term “hug it out.”

Director: Wes Craven

Cast: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere

Synopsis: Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

Release Date: April 15, 2011

I think this might be the bad guy.

Pensive Dewey.

Angry Dewey.

He JUST washed those!

This would be sexier if there was cocaine on that knife.

Three women “acting.”

Anyway, the photos definitely look like shots from a Scream movie, since they have that clean Scream look that you’re familiar with if you’ve seen the movie. Also, Alison Brie is in one of them. Check ‘em out and try not to jump if the phone rings. (via Collider)

“They’re not reshoots. We had a couple test screenings and we saw two scenes where they had moments you could add to and we just saw a spectacular opportunity. Bob [Weinstein] just said to me basically, ‘You go to your dark side and I’ll give you the money!’ [Laughs] The two scenes were really good, but we saw how they could be spectacular, so we thought, let’s just go for it. They were key moments of the script, so we just decided to go back and go for the grand slam on them.”

I can’t help but be equal parts excited and nervous about this sequel. Mainly because Scream 3 was such a letdown. That was due to Ehren Kruger’s mishandling of Kevin Williamson‘s groundwork, and with Kruger stepping in to replace a departing Williamson on round four doesn’t give me a lot of hope. But the trailer has piqued my interest. There isn’t anything outwardly goofy in it. Except of course for that headset thing and the Culkin kid’s hair. (EW)

If this image haunts your nightmares, please direct all complaints to Tyler Perry. He did this I am just a conduit for his awful, awful message. Go bleach your eyes and hurry back for a decidedly less-offensive image.

Hey! It’s got a “4″ for the “A.” Other than that, it looks pretty much just like every other Scream poster, which is fine, because they’ve got a good thing going in their branding. I still think Madea looks much, much scarier. Seriously. Go back up and look at those nostrils.

I’m hoping Kristen Bell gets the axe first. Fact: did you know Kristen Bell is possibly the most annoying actress on the planet? If Ghostface slashed her smug face with a big knife, that’d be worth the $10 right there. Any observations about horror movie cliches would be icing on the leftover-from-the-90s cake.

Here are the scream-worthy stills. Click to embiggen. (Film School Rejects)

“We need our… personal space… thank you.”

Two blonde chicks. Home alone. What could possibly go wrong?

“Whoa there,” says the mustachioed officer.

Headset guy is too cool for this crew.

I’m betting that by the time she turns around, it won’t be too late.

“It’s a small role, which I was very happy to play,” Hale said. “I’m at the beginning of the movie. They literally made me sign stuff that I couldn’t say much about it but it’s very exciting. It was very exciting for me to be a part of it and meet Wes Craven who’s an absolute sweetheart. I didn’t know what to expect but it was fun.”

Hale knows the importance of that opening scene though. The very first one was Drew Barrymore.

“I know,” Hale said. “To be a part that has a cult following, to look back at Drew Barrymore’s opening scene and be like I’m a part of this. This is unreal. It’s really cool.”

Actually, the producers wanted her for a bigger role, but her ABC Family show “Pretty Little Liars” didn’t allow her enough time. You could do worse than the opening teaser though. It’s almost like the pre-titles action sequence of a Bond movie.

“It was totally last minute. I got the call, and they were like, ‘They totally want you to be a part of this movie,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely. I will do any part.’ I was actually originally supposed to do another part and would come back for Scream 5, but it didn’t work with the schedule. So I did a few scenes.”

Maybe Scream 5 is still on the table, or maybe Hale is just messing with us. “If they would have me I would absolutely be there because I know that they’re planning on doing a few more movies. I don’t know if I’ll be a part of them, but that would be awesome.”

For the kids who grew up on Freddy and Jason movies, Scream was the one that called out all the clichés. Now a whole new generation has grown up with self-referential horror and they’re starring in Scream 4.

“I’m a huge horror movie fan, but just like my generation Scream was a big deal. We grew up with it. I’m just a huge horror movie fan in general though.”

Scream 4 opens April 15.

^{"I’m not taking this call."}

SCREAM 4 can’t get enough of teasing us. Yesterday we showed you a bootlegged Scream 4 teaser from Spike TV’s "Scream Awards." Today, we have a new teaser. A better teaser. A Culkinier teaser.

This extended teaser builds on the footage we saw yesterday and presents the "new rules" of the film. The kills have got to be way more extreme, virgins are fair game (sorry Hans), and the killer should film their kills now. Which makes no sense if you don’t want to get caught. If you thought Michael Bay was pissed about those puppies, just imagine how he’ll react to someone posting a Courtney Cox snuff film. Dude’s a serious "Cougar Town" fan.

Check out the new teaser after the jump…

Do You Like Scary Movies? Extended Trailer Fo SCREAM 4!!! – Watch more horror

Good news for people who like horror movies and, or crappy bootlegs. Some guy took a video of the new teaser trailer for Scream 4 using his cellphone and posted it online for all to enjoy.

The footage was taken at Spike’s Scream Awards, which I can only assume was held in Scream City, over on Scream street. You know, in the Scream district. At any rate, it’s a little shaky, but it’s still a first look, so quit complaining. (Cinema Blend)

Cram a shaky Scream 4 trailer into your eye holes after the jump.

"Entertainment Tonight" has exclusive footage from the Scream 4 set that reveals the first look at Ghostface in action. And we’ve got an exclusive (read: not actually exclusive) look at their exclusive trailer for their exclusive look. You know how we roll. **finishes grilling cheese sandwich on an iron**

In the glimpse we see, Ghostface is doing the same things he/she usually does — wears a robe, chases around Neve Campbell, throws people off roofs. Y’know, the yoozjh.

Check out the footage after the jump. You will have to sit through some Justin Bieber first though. Apologies.

1st Look Scream 4 (Entertainment Tonight Preview) – Watch more Funny Videos

Today we have set photos from two completely unrelated films; Wes Craven‘s Scream 4 and David Koepp‘s Premium Rush. They’re just boring enough to not warrant their own posts, while simultaneously movie-related enough to warrant me having to form an opinion about them.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP…

The young cast of Scream 4 re-enacts the fountain scene from the original film that introduced the world to a young Jamie Kennedy. Does this mean we’ll soon get a hidden camera prank show starring Hayden Panettiere? That all depends on the accuracy of her Mafia guy impression.

Suspiciously absent from this picture is Emma Roberts. As far as we know she is the lead, but wouldn’t that mean she would appear in more spy photos? Could this be an elaborate ruse to throw the audience off the super-guarded material? Also, what is with that kid’s hair? (via DailyMail)

Angels In The Outfield‘s Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in David Koepp’s Premium Rush as a bike messenger racing across Manhattan with a corrupt cop in hot pursuit. I’m already bracing myself for the disappoint I’ll feel when there isn’t a scene where Joe Levitt rides his bike up the spine of a brontosaurus at the Museum Of Natural History. Missed opportunity right there. (via JustJared)

In today’s edition of No Sh*t, Sherlock News, Roger L. Jackson, the actor who provided the voice of Ghostface killer, not rapper Ghostface Killah, in the previous Scream movies is returning for Scream 4. He pushed "staring into the abyss" two months and now there’s an opening in his schedule. Jackson proclaimed in his normal voice:

“It’s a lot of fun, I love the work! It’s going to be a great horror sequel.”

So there you have it, the guy who does the voice of Ghostface says not to worry about all the rewrites and recasting that is going on with Scream 4, it’s going to be a great horror sequel. He’s elated the gang could get back together so he can continue to shake off the stink of being the voice of Skeet Ulrich. (CinemaBlend)

With Sony finally naming Andrew Garfield as the heir to the Spider-Man throne, it was shaping up to be a good week for movie reporting. Not because I’m excited by his work. I don’t even know it. I’m just excited that someone finally made a decision, and we can sail into the holiday weekend without further annoyances. But now it looks like Scream 4 is going to fill the void left by Sony’s sudden on-set of decisiveness. Zap2It has news that the Scream 4 soup has been pissed in.

It’s being reported that series creator Kevin Williamson has been released from the project and series detractor Ehren Kruger has been brought on to rework the script. Now castmembers are jumping off left and right as the script is said to have been immensely "dumbed down." As a huge fan of the first two films and a guy who wants to punch the third film in the stomach, I really hope these reports aren’t true. And if they are, I hope Kruger is able to redeem himself after the way he mishandled the conclusion to the original trilogy. Bring your A game, Ehren, like you did on The Ring. David Arquette deserves at least that much.

Scream 4‘s mission to make me take my pants off in a movie theater continues. Previous casting choices have included Hayden Panettiere, Marley Shelton, and Marielle Jaffe. Not to mention the near miss with Ashley Greene. Just this morning, "Mad Men" and "Community" actress Alison Brie has signed on to play the assistant to Neve Campbell‘s Sidney, who is described as both ambitious and jealous of her boss’s fame.

It’s also likely she’ll appear in a risque Entertainment Weekly photospread with her female co-stars, beneath the heading "Scream Queens." No word yet on if any of the girls will be kissing a little bit. (The Wrap)

Some new faces have joined the list of characters who may be the recipients or deliverers of stabbings in Scream 4. Adam Brody and Eric Knudson have joined the cast as a cop obsessed with "CSI" and an teenaged expert on horror cliches, much like Jamie Kennedy‘s character from the earlier films.

These additions come with a few subtractions. Lauren Graham and Lake Bell have both left the production. Marley Shelton is stepping into the cop role vacated by Bell. Bell tweeted earlier in the week that she’s sad to leave due to schedule conflicts, and that she knows the identity of the killer. I say we hold her down until she tells us. Or just hold her down in general. I nominate me for the job. (THR)

^{An early concept.}

Everyone is on Twitter these days. Celebrities, fake celebrities, movie humor sites, and even the manufacturer of the mask used in the Scream films. It’s only a matter of time before our younger cousins teach our grandparents how to tweet. But back to RJ Torbert of FunWorld, the creator of Scream‘s Ghostface. He recently leaked some information about the sequel on his Twitter page, and it looks like Neve Campbell isn’t the only one sporting a new look:

I expect there to be 2 diff masks, however I will say this, things changing very often – difficult to say without giving it away.

Sent out additional GHOSTFACE to the SET today, a very interesting opening scene.

Lets just say the town of Woodsboro, has an obsession. There is your hint.

Hmmm, okay let me guess. Obsession sounds liks Obsessed. Ali Larter starred in Obsessed and "Heroes" alongside Scream 4 star Hayden Panettiere. Hayden Panettiere was a child actor who turned out hot. Oh my God. I know who the killer is. Or killers are, I should say. It’s Alyssa Milano and Christine Lakin. It’s so obvious. Why didn’t I see this before?!! **smokes pipe backwards** (ShockTillYouDrop)

Scream 4‘s cast continues to grow with the news that Anthony Anderson and Marielle Jaffe have signed on to be chased around with a knife. Anderson has some experience with scary movies having showed up for a paycheck in Urban Legends: Final Cut, Scary Movie 3, and Scary Movie 4, but Jaffe is new to the genre. And most genres. The model turned actress turned my new obsession has only two film credits to her name — Percy Jackson and the upcoming Locked Away.

It’s not yet confirmed which characters they will play, but it’s believed Jaffe will portray a sexy teen while Anderson will fill the part of Black Guy Who Shout-Speaks How Black Characters In Horror Films Behave. Though in all fairness, if you watch this movie in Times Square, the guy sitting behind you will do the same thing. (EW)

_{Aniston Sucks Cox…GET IT!?!}

The Internet rumor mill is working overtime tonight, speculating that Jennifer Aniston will be joining her former "Friends" co-star, Courtney Cox, in the upcoming horror sequel, Scream 4.

According to Star Magazine, which is one step up from reading the scribblings on a bathroom wall, Aniston’s character will die early on. This follows in the tradition of the previous Scream films which have all killed off a big-name star within the first few minutes.

If the rumors prove true, it will not be the first stab at the horror genre for either actress. Cox has been a mainstay of the Scream franchise since its inception, and Aniston has been terrifying audiences for years with films such as The Break-Up and He’s Just Not That Into You. (CinemaBlend)

^{Watch out, Emma Roberts! A chubby, masked killer is in that photography studio with you!!}

Uh-oh. Looks like Scream 4 won’t be that much fun to look at afterall. Somehow or another Ashley Greene won’t be taking the lead. That role will instead go to Emma Roberts. EW has the penis-deflating news. **Slide whistle**:

Young upstart Emma Roberts is set to join the ensemble team of Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell. And while the script from Kevin Williamson is being kept under wraps, sources tell EW.com that Roberts is expected to play Jill, one of the film’s primary heroines.

Details for this project are really murky right now, so it may be possible that Greene is joining up. If so, that information is being guarded right now. All in all, I can be happy with this casting news. Sadly, it’s probably the closest we’ll ever come to seeing Julia Roberts chased with a knife.