In a week, from now, screenwriter Kevin Williamson releases his latest project to the world. The Following, a TV series starring Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy and Nico Tortorella (Scream 4) gives continuity to Williamson’s serial killer fixation in pop culture and media that he started in 1996, with Scream.

Since it was announced, we were sticked to the idea that the plot of the show was what Scream 5 should have been – if KW and The Weinstein Company didn’t had so many creative diferences. Sadly we won’t be able to watch what Kevin Williamson imagined to the silver screen – with the original cast and Wes Craven directing – but still, we’ll be happy to taste all of his wickedness on the small screen.

Scream references

Even knowing that The Following has a major inspiration on Silence of the Lambs (1991), Williamson carries a trademark of being very self-referential. The Scream saga will be influential to the show. For sure.

Here are a few connections:

– One of the locations of The Following was Agnes Scott College, aka Scream 2’s Windsor College. By the time Williamson was scouting for places to shoot the show, he tweeted Wes Craven.

– Adam Canto’s character name is Billy…

– Some killers of the cult will be using masks.

– “The FBI estimates there are currently over 300 active serial killers in the United States. What would happen if these killers had a way of communicating and connecting with each other? What if they were able to work together and form alliances across the country?“ – The plot makes us reminisce Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf) and her quotes…

– Sarah Fuller (Maggie Grace) is a famous victim, a survivor, very much in the molds of Sidney Prescott. Wandering if she is tough, and unkillable, as our favourite heroin…

The Following premieres on Monday, January 21, at 9/8c, on Fox.