Still Screaming: An Online Conference Celebrating 30 Years of Scream

2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Wes Craven’s Scream (1996), which has had a profound impact on horror films and the slasher subgenre specifically. In the past three decades, Scream has become a franchise of seven films and a television series (2015-16, 2019). Scream has also expanded beyond the screen, reverberating throughout the popular culture landscape and serving as the foundation for a game, collectible figures, multiple Ghostface mask variations, and an entire collection of merchandise at Spirit Halloween (and elsewhere). 

Proposals are invited for a one-day online conference celebrating Scream on Tuesday, November 24th, 2026. 

Possible topics include (but are not limited to): 

• Scream and slasher conventions 

• Scream films as part of individual horror cycles (i.e. ‘90s horror, millennial horror) 

• Sidney Prescott and the maturation of the Final Girl 

• Variation, reworking, and subversion of the Final Girl figure (i.e. Jill in Scream 4, Tara and Samantha in Scream 5 and Scream 6, Tatum Evans in Scream 7) 

• Role of evolving technologies (i.e. caller ID, cell phones, AI) in Scream films 

• Themes of fame and notoriety within the Scream films 

• Narrative construction and epistemology (i.e Stab franchise; role and process of adaptation in Scream 3; Sidney’s autobiology Out of Darkness in Scream 4)

• Characters’ perceptions of and responses to trauma in Scream films 

• Spoofs of the Scream franchise (i.e. Scary Movie franchise, Shriek if You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th) 

• Scream merchandising (i.e. mask variations, collectibles, apparel) 

• Scream and music (i.e. Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand,” character themes, Ice Nine Kills)

• The return (and loveability) of Matthew Lillard 

• Family dynamics, secrets, and generational trauma in Scream films 

• Scream at horror cons, fright fests, and other fan events 

Individual presentations will be 15-20 minutes. Proposals should be 250-300 words and accompanied by a brief (~100) word bio. Proposals are due to aburger@culver.edu by August 15th, with notification of acceptance by September 15th. 

Contact Dr. Alissa Burger (aburger@culver.edu) with any questions.