*Spoilers for the Scream franchise*
There are many behind the scenes secrets and facts that came about from this franchise, and here are only a few of my favourites.
1. Scary Movie Was The Original Title
This might be a well knows fact as it has been spoken about a lot in the past years, but Kevin Williamson, the writer of most of the Scream movies, pitched his idea under the name of Scary Movie, and it was changed in the middle of production. This could be a factor to how the Scary Movie franchise got it’s name, as the first is a parody of the first Scream film.
2. Matthew Lillard Wasn’t Supposed To Get Hit With The Phone
This might just be my favourite fact to come from the franchise, and everytime I watch it with someone, I always bring it up, even if I’ve told them before. Billy (Skeet Ulrich) accidentally hits Stu (Matthew Lillard) with a phone in the scenes where it is revealed that they are the killers, which leads to a genuine reaction from Matthew that made the final cut. The phone managed to slip out of Skeet’s hand when they were filming due to the fake blood they used, making him drop it, and eventually hit Matthew across the head with it. “You fucking hit me with the phone, dick!” is Matthew’s reaction and not Stu’s, and I’m so happy Wes Craven liked it enough to keep it in the movie.
3. Drew Barrymore Was Set To Play Sidney
Drew Barrymore, know for her portrayal of Casey Becker in the iconic opening scene to the franchise, only ended up working for less than a week, after originally being cast to play Sidney. She changed her mind just over a month before filming was set to begin, with the casting directors turning to actors such as Reese Witherspoon and Brittany Murphy, only for Neve Campbell to be cast about a week before production began. Drew decided that she’d want to play Casey instead, making her a part of the most iconic opening scene in horror movie history.
4. The Iconic Mask Was Found During Location Scouting
The mask that we now all know as Ghostface was simply a Halloween costume, and was found when Wes Craven was location scouting for where to film the movie. This means that nobody knew what they wanted the mask to look like, and we could have possibly had something completely different to what we know today.
5. The High School Scenes Were Meant To Be Shot At Another Location
The school where Scream was supposed to be filmed, Santa Rosa High School, pulled out last minute as the school board apparently didn’t like the idea of having the violent scenes filmed in their building, and they didn’t want to be associated with the overglorified violence. The filming was then moved to a near by community center, but you wouldn’t think that it wasn’t filmed in a real school. The last minute changes led to a message in the movies credits, with Wes Craven dedicating a ‘no thanks whatsoever’ section to them, which is a nice, petty touch on Wes’ behalf.
6. Ashley Greene Could Have Been Jill
Scream 4 (2011) could have looked a lot different than it did, actor wise, as Emma Roberts, who plays Sidney’s cousin, Jill, wasn’t the only one considered for the part. Before the production began, Ashley Greene, known for her role of Alice in the Twilight Sage, was offered the role, but couldn’t take it due to scheduling conflicts between the movies. I think it all worked out well though, because Emma did a fabulous job of playing Jill.
Ashley Greene 
Emma Roberts
Tea Stains and Book Spines 