Box set coincides with long-awaited fifth installment
As the latest installment of Scream lands in theaters this winter, Varèse Sarabande revisits Marco Beltrami’s masterful scores from the horror franchise’s first four films with Scream: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks. The 4 LP set — pressed on blood-red vinyl with black smoke swirls — dedicates a full album to each film and includes two hours of unreleased material. In all retail stores June 10th, the collection is housed in a unique jacket, which folds out into a 3’ x 2’ Ghostface mask.
For fans seeking additional content, the 6 CD and digital editions, both available now, offer each film’s score in its entirety, plus more than four hours of unreleased music, previously unreleased demos, cues, and alternate takes. The CD box set is available exclusively on VareseSarabande.com and limited to 1,800 units. Both the CD and vinyl versions feature new, in-depth liner notes from film music journalist and author, Jim Lochner.
In 1996, Scream ushered in a new generation of slasher flicks—mixing self-awareness and satire with chills, gore, and plenty of plot twists. Written by Kevin Williamson (Dawson’s Creek, The Vampire Diaries) and directed by horror pioneer Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes, Swamp Thing), Scream flipped the genre on its side. As Lochner writes, “Williamson populated the film with characters who knew about other horror films, spent much of their time referencing other horror films, and even recognized they were living inside of a horror film.”
Typically, the genre featured unknown players; but, in another unorthodox move, Scream’s cast was filled with high-profile actors, including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, and Rose McGowan. While Campbell, Arquette, and Cox have remained central figures throughout the franchise, each installment has added a new roster of stars (plus plenty of unexpected cameos), including Jada Pinkett-Smith and Timothy Olyphant (Scream 2); Parker Posey and Emily Mortimer (Scream 3); and Emma Roberts and Alison Brie (Scream 4).
The original Scream — which went on to become one of the highest-grossing horror films of all-time — centers around Sidney Prescott (Campbell), a high school student in the fictional town of Woodsboro, CA, who is targeted by a masked serial killer, known as “Ghostface.” Over the following sequels, Prescott continues to face new pursuers, who all assume the Ghostface identity. Underscoring the action for the first four Scream films is an engaging score by Mario Beltrami.
Scream was not only Beltrami’s big break into Hollywood, but it also served as his introduction to the genre. “It was a little bit strange for me because…I’d never seen a horror movie,” Beltrami told Lochner. “There are a lot of references to other horror movies, which I didn’t understand at all, so I felt a little uncomfortable.” Nevertheless, Craven was impressed with Beltrami’s work and took a chance on the young composer. Scream would mark the first of seven collaborations between the two men.
While rumors of a fifth installment pervaded Hollywood for several years, it wasn’t until 2019 that the movie began to take shape. Now, on January 14th, the latest edition of Scream arrives in theaters and finds Campbell, Cox, and Arquette reprising their roles, as a new killer targets a group of teenagers in Woodsboro. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not, Southbound), the film features a new score from the Emmy-nominated composer, Brian Tyler (Crazy Rich Asians, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ready or Not).
Varèse Sarabande is pleased to partner with Paramount Pictures to release the new film’s official score. An expanded 24-track CD and digital version of Scream: Music from the Motion Picture is available now on all digital platforms, with the CD available exclusively at VareseSarabande.com. A 14-track vinyl LP in a reflective mirror board jacket will be released to physical retailers, while special pressing of the album — limited to 300 units, on clear vinyl with red smoke — can be found exclusively on VareseSarabande.com. Both vinyl variants of Scream: Music from the Motion Picture are set for release on June 10th.
