The surprising origin of Scream 6’s most subtle reference to Wes Craven has been explained by the film’s co-director. Craven is the director who helmed the first four entries in the franchise, from 1996’s Scream through 2011’s Scream 4. Scream 4 was the director’s final film, as he passed away in 2015. Seven years after he passed away, the franchise was resurrected in Scream 2022, which saw Radio Silence directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett take the directorial reins, a behind-the-scenes role they reprised for Scream 6, which is now in theaters.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Dread Central recently sat down for an interview with the filmmakers behind the slasher sequel to celebrate the opening weekend of Scream 6. They were asked about the fact that the bodega in the film was called Abe’s Snake, a reference to the pseudonym Abe Snake, which Craven used when he directed adult films in the 1970s. Bettinelli-Olpin revealed that the idea actually came from Ice Nine Kills singer Spencer Charnas, who originally made the reference on a band flyer he was asked to provide for the bodega scene, to which they said “oh, let’s steal that.” Read Bettinelli-Olpin’s full quote below:
That [idea to call the bodega “Abe’s Snake” came from] Spencer from Ice Nine Kills… There’s a little flyer for the band on the refrigerator, and we have gotten friendly with him over the last couple of years, and he sent us that to put in the scene, and he put Abe’s Snake Pit as the location of their show, and we [were] like, “Oh, let’s steal that. Let’s do that on the bodega.”
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The Scream Re-quels Take Wes Craven’s Legacy Seriously
Given how beloved Craven and the Scream franchise are to the horror community, the creators of the new branch of the franchise have been careful with the legacy of the original films. It’s true that they have taken liberties to push the series in new directions, including killing off beloved legacy character Dewey Riley (David Arquette). However, they have never forgotten to pay homage to where the series came from.
In fact, a great deal of Scream 2022 was contrived specifically to bid Wes a fond farewell from being the steward of the series. Dylan Minnette’s character Wes Hicks was named in homage to the director, but he was the center of a much larger tribute. The entire third act of the film took place at a party celebrating the character’s life with the words “For Wes” prominently displayed throughout.
Scream 6 spent less time reflecting on the franchise’s legacy in that way, instead crafting forward momentum for the new group of survivors to keep the franchise going. This is a good thing for the franchise, because a potential Scream 7 is very likely to get the green light considering the new film’s strong box office opening. However, this Abe Snake reference is one incredibly subtle way to remind audiences that Wes is never far from their mind when making new Scream projects.
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Source: Dread Central