MTV’s Scream series will have a “darker” mask possibly made of flesh

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

A few weeks back we told you about the reports suggesting that MTV’s Scream TV series wouldn’t be using the iconic Ghostface mask from the film franchise. It was perplexing to say the least; what’s Scream without Ghostface and some kind of familiarity? MTV’s executive vice president Mina Lefevre has finally released more information about the great mask debate and it won’t leave you satisfied.

While the series won’t use the design owned by Fun World that was used in all four movies, they will offer up something newly created for the upcoming adaptation. EW explains the new mask while similarly inspired by the Edvard Munch painting it will have a more "organic feel."

"It’s a darker, almost more grounded, evolved version of the mask. It’s something we’re constantly talking about. How did that mask become that mask? What’s its purpose? How did it evolve? If the Scream movie mask was the more plastic version, for a lack of a better description, this one is a more organic looking and frankly darker version."

That sounds like a show that didn’t want to pay for the rights to the mask doesn’t it? Lefevre is also adamant that the show will keep to the spirit of the films:

"Scream was incredibly iconic, but we wanted to reinvent that for TV while of course keeping all the main elements that made it so iconic, including a mask, but also the soapy teen stories, pop culture humor, the scares and the killer. We’re tonally walking that line, yet delivering the scares in a significant way. The mask was a big discussion creatively. We wanted to get a nod and a wink to what the original was, but we definitely wanted to make it more on par with what horror is now, which is darker."

I could be wrong but I don’t think we went to the SCREAM movies for soapy teen stories. Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven’s films are great fun and I really do see how it might work as a TV series, but it doesn’t sound like those involved are paying much attention to the outcry. They are going for the younger crowd who maybe missed out on these movies, a move we’ve teen all too often. If they are trying to create something new and fresh why call it Scream or imply any form of connection at all?

What’s your take on this ongoing saga, do you have any faith in the project?