The Scream Mask's Story Is A Hell Of A Lot Like Another Horror Franchise
When MTV debuts Scream later this month, it will mark the latest big screen horror film to get a small screen reimagining. We recently got a peek at what the new killer’s mask will look like in all of its plain white glory, and new details have surfaced regarding its origins, which makes it sound quite a bit like another monstrous horror franchise: Friday the 13th. No machetes have been seen yet, though.
In an interview full of new and intriguing tidbits about this new approach to Scream and its masked murderer, co-showrunner Jill Blotevogel revealed to THR that the origin story of this villain – whose name is apparently Brandon James – matches up with that of Jason Voorhees, although she’s obviously not going to be the one to say that.
We all know that Jason was a deformed youngin who was left to drown by some rude-ass camp counselors, and that he later went on many murderous rampages over several decades. Brandon James is called a “bullying victim,” and I’m pretty sure the ultimate form of bullying is “being left to die.” It’s not exactly a carbon copy or anything, but the motivations behind this killer are indeed far more comparable to Jason than that of any of the killers in the Scream films. Although one of the inciting incidents for the first film’s killers involved the absence of one of their mothers. It’s all related!
As far as the differences go, Jason's mask had nothing to do with an operation, and this new Scream killer actually has a (hopefully deep) mythology within the town where the show is set, as some characters are trying to figure out if a new series of murders is connected to those of 20 years previous. Blotevogel went on about how they wanted the mask to fit into this world without replicating the store-bought gimmick of the films.
I have no idea what she means by “many ways,” or how a mask can be used with technology, unless part of his plan is murdering people through a live Periscope stream. But maybe that’s what’s driving his look in the new trailer, which is similar to the first one but feels a little more punchy. Check it out below, and notice how the visuals get all digitized whenever the killer is show. It’s probably just a way to distort it so we can’t take screenshots, but still.
Scream will debut on MTV on Tuesday, June 30 at 10 p.m. I wonder if that Friday the 13th TV series will be anything like Scream 3 should it come into being.
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Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.