We’ve reached the final chapter of our exclusive conversation with the creators of Scream: The Inside Story: Daniel Farrands (Producer, Director), Thommy Hutson (Producer, Writer), and Lito Velasco (Associate Producer). With insights gathered from our readers and the help of John Valeri, this last part delves into the challenges, inspirations, and the profound impact of Scream on the creators’ lives.

The documentary airs on Wednesday, April 6, at 8 P.M. ET / 5 P.M. Pacific on A&E BIO Channel, with multiple re-airings throughout April. If you’re in Los Angeles, don’t miss the screening on April 5 at The Bungalow Club, 7174 Melrose Ave.

11. In gathering material to use for this documentary, what was one aspect of the film that you absolutely had to have in order to make it work as a whole? 

Dan:  I think having Wes on board from the beginning was the key to getting the cooperation of everyone else.  Without him and the relationship we had forged on Never Sleep Again, I don’t think the show could have been done.  Or at least not done nearly as well.  So Wes really was the key.  And it was amazing also that Bob Weinstein, the Chairman of Dimension Films and certainly one of the most powerful and important figureheads in motion picture history, agreed to do an on-camera interview for us.  This is, as far as I know, the first time Bob has ever granted an interview for a program like this, so it showed that even the studio was behind us and how much this franchise means to Bob.  He gave us a great interview and really helped provide the context for what was going on behind the scenes when the movie was being made.

Thommy: Sleep.  🙂 

12.  Can you tell us about your relationship with Fun World?  What kind of props were they able to provide for your set(s)?

Lito: R.J. Tobert over at Fun World is an absolutely wonderful and generous guy.  He contributed a positive attitude and is always eager and willing to help spread the visage of his favorite boogeyman, Ghostface.

During pre-production, Thommy came up with the ideas of what he wanted the sets to look like, which he then relayed to me.  I created sketches of our own tribute to and return to Woodsboro to help “flesh-out” Thommy’s visions for two sets: a combination of Stu and Casey’s yards and a tribute to Woodsboro High.  But, RJ Tobert was the finishing touch: he provided us with multiple posters, masks, and costumes for our shoot.

Dan: Fun World was fantastic in that they literally sent us boxes of “Ghostface” masks and costumes to use as set dressing for our interviews.  We created an amazing set with two iconic backgrounds from the original Scream  on our soundstage.  The lighting is beautiful and my loyal DP and cameraman, Buz Wallick, did some amazing work yet again shooting the interviews.  Fun World really helped give us that extra special visual flavor by letting us have the presence of “Ghostface” felt throughout the show.  I almost wanted to scream out to Wes, “Look out!  He’s right behind you!” 

Lito:  I was kind of hoping I’d be able to get my hands on a screen-accurate version of the costume, but…I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer on that.  R.J., if you read this: let’s talk!

13. Will Scream: The Inside Story be available on DVD?  If so, what kinds of special features, if any, will be included?

Dan: We can’t make any official announcements at this time but yes, the show will have a home video release, more than likely sometime later this year.  There may be extended interviews and you will get to see some of the cut gore because it was even “too hot for TV.”   And of course lots of great four-letter words and colorful metaphors that had to be bleeped for BIO.

Lito: To echo Dan’s answer…right now all I can go on record as saying is we’re scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, April 6^th at 8pmEST/5pmPST on the Biography Channel.  Any other slips or words on my part might incur the wrath of Ghostface’s blade…and subject me to “gutting”.

14. How has Scream impacted your lives individually — enough to make you create this documentary? 

Dan:  Scream came around right as I was embarking on my own career as a filmmaker, and certainly its success opened doors for me (and people like me) to be able to sell projects in a genre we loved.  I remember that after Scream became a hit, everyone in town wanted to hear horror pitches and I suddenly felt like I was riding that wave.  I sold several projects, some of them right in a studio executive’s office, because suddenly horror was “hot” again.  Had it not been for Scream, I’m not sure some of those opportunities would have existed.

Going into this project right on the heels of our epic Nightmare on Elm Street retrospective (Never Sleep Again), there was already a familiarity with Wes and a certain level of comfort with the form.  We knew what worked from that show and what fans seemed to respond to, so even though this one was different in that it needed to fit the format of an existing documentary series for television we really tried to bring to the table as many of the cool elements from Never Sleep Again as we could.

Thommy: I was completely taken by the film and how clever, witty and scary it was.  I thought Kevin Williamson’s script was excitingly fresh and I loved Wes’ work so it was great to see him bringing such a unique screenplay to life.  As a writer, it impacted me in the way that scripts could take a look at the audience, give them a nod and wink, but in a way that felt smart, real and never hokey.  And it was just a good, clever refreshing read!

Lito: Scream means a great deal to me personally for a lot of reasons.  It was released in theaters during a somewhat difficult period in my life and I was thrilled by the fact that it was great escapist fare as well as that it featured a person I could so closely relate to in the character of Randy Meeks.  In my life, I WAS that character: a cinema and horror “geek”, somewhat aloof, always the loner pining for the dream girl.  So, this film that showcased a character that was so much like myself absolutely enchanted me.  Not to mention the film was the first in a long time to actually scare me.  As I’ve told Rodrigo before, when my two cousins and I went to see the film on opening weekend, we were the only people in the theater.  When the Casey Becker scene ended, we all slowly and simultaneously looked behind us to make sure no one was sneaking up and we were still the only ones in the theater.  To a point: we were terrified.  Scream is the only other film besides Halloween that has actually made me feel unsafe and insecure while watching it.  And for a horror aficionado like me to write that, that really says something about a film and its power.

So it was an absolute pleasure, honor, and thrill to be asked to play even a small part in what I consider to be the definitive tribute and love-letter to what I consider to be one of my favorite horror films of all-time.

And the Winners Are…

Congratulations to:

• Ryan Patrick Johnson
• @TaraVisionaria

Each winner will receive a DVD of Never Sleep Again and a signed poster. Thank you to all participants for your enthusiasm!

Related Links

• Read Part I of the Interview
• Read Part II of the Interview
• Explore All Articles About Scream: The Inside Story