"How Can Fandom Be Toxic? It's About Love!": A Look at Fandom and the Scream Franchise

Abstract

The Scream franchise is known for its ironic metanarrative and satirical treatment of the horror genre.  The franchise has maintained immense popularity since its inception in 1996.  Scream 2022, also referred to as Scream 5, continues this tradition while introducing a new layer of intertextuality by incorporating the effects of toxic fandom largely online contexts.  This paper explores how the new creative team of the 2022 film, Radio Silence Productions, brought their knowledge of fandom to the film, the inclusion of popular horror YouTube creators "Dead Meat," and this iteration of "Ghostface" killers.  The fandom's actions mirror the outcry over Star Wars:  The Last Jedi and Ghostbusters (2016), both of which are represented in the film through the in-universe franchise "Stab."  My aim is to examine what constitutes a "toxic fan" and how such a role is represented within Scream (2022) for mainstream audience, utilizing studies conducted by Morten Bay, Matt Hills, and William Proctor.