The Scream Franchise’s home has always been the quaint, blood-soaked streets of the fictional town of Woodsboro. The town has been the centerpiece for all five installments within the horror franchise and even if Sidney leaves, she is always drawn back to confront a new Ghostface. The meta slasher has consistently portrayed the same costume that the killer wears throughout the franchise, however, the man or woman behind the mask is always a new face. In every film, the killer’s advantage is their uncanny ability to hide in plain sight, which is what made the 1996 Scream as iconic as it was. However, Scream 2022 introduced the idea that Ghostface didn’t have to be a Woodsboro native, but rather two toxic fans of the Stab franchise.
Ghostface’s ability to be familiar with the terrain that is his hunting grounds is what makes him so elusive. When photos of the Scream 6 set emerged online, fans were in for a shock to see that Ghostface would be moving to New York City. This came within mere weeks after the franchise’s leading final girl, Neve Campbell announced she would not be returning for the next installment due to a salary dispute. There is a lot of controversy surrounding if Campbell’s absence will hurt the meta slasher, however, some believe that moving out of Woodsboro will gut the franchise completely. What is it about Woodsboro that keeps fans wanting more?
Small Town USA
The dynamic of Woodsboro, a seemingly small town in California, has always been a wonder in the Scream Franchise. The first film flawlessly perfected the art of the cold open when shockingly killing Casey Becker, who was played by big name celebrity Drew Barrymore, within the first ten minutes of the movie. The town itself seems to be relatively small when analyzing what we are shown in the choice of filming locations. Scream 1996 shows a point of view shot of a small town square, ultimately alluding to the overall size of the town. The only aspect of Woodsboro that seems to hold any distance is where Casey, Sidney, and Stu's houses are all located, all of which being secluded, rural neighborhoods. From the looks of it, Woodsboro embodies everything that a typical "small town USA" holds closest to heart.
Booming cities offer convenience, but small towns offer community. Woodsboro is portrayed as a town where everyone knows everyone's name. The death of Sidney's mother, Maureen Prescott, was most likely the most shocking thing to ever happen in Woodsboro, and her affair with Cotton Weary (played by Liev Schreiber) was no secret either. In Scream 4, Craven delves into the pride the younger generation has over the fictional Stab Franchise being based on their small town.
Natives Never Leave
Scream is arguably one of the most picked-apart franchises in the horror genre. The films have always prided themselves in being ultra meta, meaning that they are overly self-aware. Part of the appeal of the franchise is the Woodsboro natives that fans hold so dear, and the fact of the matter is: these Woodsboro natives never truly leave the town. Unlike its predecessor, Scream 2 attempted to flip the script of the sequel and take the characters out of Woodsboro. The second installment to the franchise finds the group on a college campus, and is the only film within the series to truly leave Woodsboro behind.
A mere three years after the release of Scream 2, Scream 3 hit theaters and the cast returns to Woodsboro in the most unique way. Dewy, played by David Arquette, finds himself working security on the set of one of the Stab films, and murders are beginning yet again. The group finds themselves thrown together to unmask another Ghostface, but this time Woodsboro is the main attraction. The climax of the film finds itself on the set of Stab, which has refocused the franchise on Stu's (played by Matthew Lillard) house. It isn't until Scream 4 that the franchise returns to Woodsboro in full swing, following the return of Sidney (played by Campbell) returning home as part of her book tour.
Leaving Trauma Behind
With any horror film, one of the biggest questions that faces the Final Girl, or any survivor, is the big thought of "Now what?" Sidney has left Woodsboro countless times, however, murder always seems to find her. Scream 5 showed viewers that leaving without confronting the killer isn't always the best play because, in the universe of Scream, it is always someone you know. Closely after it was announced that Campbell wouldn't be returning to the franchise due to a low salary offer, news broke that Ghostface would be switching up his stomping grounds and moving to New York. It is up for debate whether Ghostface's cross-country move will hurt the franchise, however, it will leave room for explanation that allows for Kirby's (played by Hayden Panettiere) long-awaited return.
According to Screen Rant, the franchise exiting Woodsboro allows the return of an original killer. After having a television set fall onto his head, Stu Macher is presumed dead by fans. For years, there was a rumor that Lillard was supposed return in Scream 3 as one of the killers, but after Columbine the idea was ultimately trashed. Lillard confirmed this theory in an interview with Vulture, revealing that Stu may very well be alive and well. Moving to a city so big that nobody would every recognize him, may invite the return of Lillard as Stu. Woodsboro is the heart and the home of the Scream Franchise and no matter where the film takes place, the small town that started it all will always have a magnetic grip on all who wear the mask.