NEVE CAMPBELL
THEN:
Years ago I had heard of the series “Party of Five” but couldn’t tell you much about it. However, one thing I am aware of is the surprisingly impressive cast – most of them went on and continued to work. You have Jennifer Love Hewitt and Matthew Fox who both did quite well continuing find steady employment on television. You have Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf – although I do question what he has been up to. Yet what about the pretty but slightly pouty girl next door Neve Campbell? Well one thing is for sure and that is this lovely actress gave horror fans a brand new icon, along with a clever screenwriter and an iconic director, and helped revitalize the slasher film in 1996 with SCREAM.
While we all know Ms. Campbell as Sydney Prescott – more on that later – a few years before the massive flick, the actress appeared in her first horror film. In 1993’s THE DARK, she starred opposite some character actor heavyweights including Stephen McHattie and Brion James. From the looks of it, her role in this demented looking film appears to be quite small. Yet with a few other genre-esque credits including a TV-movie called “The Forget-Me-Not Murders” in 1994, and the kid friendly series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” for one episode that same year, it seems that horror fans were waiting patiently for a new kind of scream queen to brighten our hearts.
When she started working on “Party of Five” in 1994, the actress still seemed very intent on making movies. And then, 1996 happened for her in a big way. First came the cool little witch flick THE CRAFT featuring a fun performance from the actress. And then, something huge happened. A slasher flick made a ton of dough and helped launch Neve Campbell into brand new territory. SCREAM was a massive hit, and she is fantastic as the much put upon Sydney Prescott. As much as the opening sequence with Drew Barrymore blew everybody away, you still couldn’t take away how terrific Campbell was. This was the slasher final girl many a horror fan had been waiting for, and she took that crown and ran with it.
Following the success of SCREAM, this popular flick soon found itself in what we like to call a trilogy – at least at that time. And thankfully, Neve was back and just as strong and confidant as before. While SCREAM 2 (1997) was a blast with a couple of thrillingly intense sequences, the follow-up to it wasn’t nearly as effective. SCREAM 3 opened in a brand new decade, in the year 2000, and while many appreciate it’s heavily Hollywood meta storyline, it wasn’t nearly as horrifically fun as the first two films. That said, Neve was always a great watch and more than game to kick some Ghostface ass when necessary. In fact, I for one think a big part of the success of the SCREAM franchise is this lovely actress who was the girl we all wanted to save.
Clearly trying to change her tune a bit, in 1998 she took on some sexy material with WILD THINGS. Sure it may have been Denise Richards who really lit up a few fires, and gave a rise to guy’s pants everywhere, but you can’t deny the two had chemistry when things needed to get hot. This is one of those flicks that I loved when I first witnessed it, yet you can’t help but wonder if it would hold up all these years later. After all, sometimes it is cooler to simply remember how ultra-sexy a flick was then go back and realize that the flame wasn’t all that bright.
Aside from a couple of light thrillers including LOST JUNCTION in 2003 and WHEN WILL I BE LOVED in 2004, Ms. Campbell seemingly had no interest in returning to horror. And then it happened, something that horror fans had hoped but didn’t think possible. Sidney Prescott returned in SCREAM 4. The 2011 sequel played on the idea that Prescott (Campbell) had tried to rid herself of the horrific goings on, but that old Ghostface Killer kept bringing her back in. While this third sequel didn’t necessarily live up to the first two, I personally thought it was an improvement over 3 and I was more than happy to see Campbell return. Is this the end of Sidney’s story? It’s a safe bet it is, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see a return happen, especially with the upcoming television series.
NOW:
After SCREAM 4, the actress appeared in an independent feature called THE GLASS MAN in 2011, a historical television drama called “Titanic: Blood and Steel” in 2012 and a Lifetime TV-movie called “An Amish Murder” in 2013. With guest appearances on shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Mad Men” it’s great to see this charming talent continue to work. According to the seemingly not-so-reliable IMDB we can next see her in a flick called WALTER scheduled for a 2014 release, as well as BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS which is an animated feature currently in production.
One of the most important aspects of her life appears to be her charity work for Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada and The Tourette’s Syndrome Association. This is something that she became personally involved in when her brother was diagnosed in 1989 and she continues to stay involved raising awareness. So not only is she an awesome sis, she also happens to be one of the best damn scream queen’s this side of Jamie Lee Curtis. Will she ever return as Sydney Prescott? I’d be game. Hell, I’d love to see her do another horror flick period. Either way, it’s great to see this talented actress continue to work and bring a smile to my face. More Neve Campbell on the big screen please!!