While scary movies are thriving right now, some of the best horror movies are in the rear view. Chief among them the first two Scream movies, directed by late filmmaker Wes Craven. The first sequel came out back in 1997, and featured an all-star cast including Jerry O'Connell. And he recently took to social media to explain his cringe-worthy singing in Derek's musical number.
Scream is one of the best horror franchises, with new movies still being made today (and streaming with a Paramount+ subscription). The first two installments continue to be fan favorites, although Jerry O'Connell's vocal stylings as his character belted out "I Think I Love You" to Sidney have left something to be desired. Over on Twitter the actor/host explained how he approached that sequence, offering:
Hand up, a lot of people do not like the cafeteria/singing scene. I tried to do it in a natural manner and did not take a singing lesson. I was very nervous and people probably feel that come through. I am not a singer. I take full responsibility.
Well, at least the Stand By Me actor has a good sense of humor about this sequence. And his perspective does help to offer some much-needed context; he wasn't trying to sound good. Instead, he thought it would be more endearing if Derek sounded bad. After all, the character wasn't a trained singer, he was a college student and frat bro.
O'Connell offered this BTS tidbit in response to a tweet that praised Scream 2 as a great horror sequel. Derek was a red herring for the identity of Ghostface, and ended up being brutally murdered in front of Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott in the final battle. He's just one of a few Scream boyfriends who didn't end up being the killer.
I have to wonder if Derek will end up referenced in the franchise's next installment. What we know about Scream 7 is limited, but it'll seemingly focus on Sidney Prescott's trauma and history in the franchise. A number of dead characters have been confirmed to somehow return including Matthew Lillard's Stu Macher, David Arquette's Dewey Riley, and Scott Foley's Roman Bridger. In the Scream 7 trailer Sidney's daughter Tatum was shown wearing her jacket from Scream 2, so Derek being name dropped definitely seems possible.
Luckily for fans of the long-running franchise, our questions should be answered shortly. Scream 7 is nearly upon us, and the studio has been good about promoting the film without giving away any spoilers. So if Jerry O'Connell is either seen or referenced it'll be a big surprise.
All will be revealed when Scream 7 hits theaters on February 27th as part of the 2026 movie release list. As for Jerry O'Connell, he can be seen in the upcoming series S.W.A.T. Exiles.
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