Courteney Cox talks new Scream film

Courteney Cox says she could feel the presence of late director Wes Craven on the set of the new ‘Scream’ film.

She said: “You could really feel Wes’ presence on the set, there was a lot dedicated to him. He was honoured in every way.

The 57 year-old actress added “And this is not a sequel, this is a relaunch. it takes all the best stuff from ‘Scream’ and all of them.”

Cox thinks the forthcoming film is even “gorier” and “scarier” than the first movie in the franchise, 1996’s ‘Scream’.

The Friends star added: “It’s elevated, it’s new, it’s fresh. It’s, I think, gorier. It’s scarier in some ways, because nothing scares us any more.

“As the world changes everything you have to be heightened.”

And Cox admitted she knew the original first movie in the series was going to be “different” when she read in the script that heroine Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) died within 13 minutes.

She added: “I think that there was such a genre-bending format. First of all, Wes Craven is an incredible, incredible director obviously – and also he’s so funny, which I didn’t know until working with him.

“But it’s just so different. I think we knew, because when your heroine dies in the first 13 minutes of a film, you know you have something special.

“You take Drew Barrymore and you kill her off, you know it’s going be different.”

‘Scream’ Earns Rave First Reactions: ‘Brutal,’ ‘Genius’ and the ‘Best Since the Original’

“The new Scream is a BLAST & my favorite since the original. There’s some sharp writing here – a nice balance of well-crafted scares & amusing commentary on modern horror. It also pokes a lot of fun at itself, too, while remaining a bloody whodunnit & a damn good time. I’m a fan!”

Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell all return for a fifth face off against the Ghostface killer.

The official “Scream” synopsis from Paramount Pictures reads: “25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.”

Scream Trailer

The new “Scream” is the first installment of the franchise made without the involvement of horror master Craven, who died in 2015. Filmmakers Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, also known under the collective name Radio Silence, took over directing duties after earning legions of horror fans with their indie favorite “Ready or Not.”

“They actually wrote me a letter and they said they basically are directors because of [the ‘Scream’] films,” Campbell previously told Variety. “They are directors because of Wes Craven and they’re really so excited to be a part of these films and what an honor it is to do them, and that they really want to do justice to Wes and honor his legacy.”

“Scream” opens in theaters nationwide January 14. Check out a handful of first reactions for the horror sequel in the posts below.