Why Scream 5 Hasn’t Released A Trailer Yet, According To The Director

As far as modern film franchises go, there are few quite as significant as Scream. As such, moviegoers were thrilled when it was announced that a fifth movie was coming, with the original trio of stars returning to reprise their roles. But fans are also dying for a trailer, although Scream 5’s director explained why the slasher hasn’t revealed any footage just yet.

The new Scream movie will mark the first installment not helmed by late horror icon Wes Craven. Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are taking on the mantle, and the latter filmmaker recently explained why crafting a trailer for Scream is such a difficult task. When speaking about the franchise’s notoriously high security, he said:

That’s going to be the challenge with the trailer. There’s a lot in this movie that can get spoiled really easily. We’re so curious to see how the marketing department is going to thread the needle. Because it’s a very narrow one.

Point made. Trailers are notorious for spoiling the contents of movies, to the chagrin of fans. I’m looking at you Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. As such, it’s not going to be easy to create the marketing for the new Scream without revealing any of the movie’s kills.

Tyler Gillett’s comments to Scream news outlet Hello Sidney helps to show the pressure that comes with bringing such a beloved property back to the big screen. Fans like myself might be absolutely ravenous for any footage from the new movie, but it’s a complicated process. Although Scream is only a few months from theaters, so some footage arriving feels like an inevitability.

From the looks of things, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin seem to be right on track for Scream’s release this January. The movie wrapped principal photography back in November, so there’s presumably been no rush during the post-production process. Now the movie’s theatrical cut has been completed, so now it’s just a waiting game before marketing begins.

Not much is known about the contents of Scream 5, but the highly anticipated horror movie will feature the return of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette as Sidney,Gale, and Dewey respectively. The story will also bring us back to the infamous town of Woodsboro, and feature the return of Scream 4’s Marley Shelton as Judy Hicks.

As previously mentioned, the Scream franchise has always been known for its tight security. This allowed Wes Craven to actually surprise the public with who the killer was in each installment. That tradition will continue with the fifth movie, as the cast were given alternative versions of the script. As such, not even they’ll know who is under Ghostface’s mask.

Scream is currently set to arrive in theaters on January 14th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.