Well, here we are.. back at that date.. 4.1.5.11… 10 years to the day that i post this… now of course its, 4.1.5.21…. Fans for years after Scream 3 ALWAYS talked about a fourth film, and always went to Scream and GhostFace forums (before Facebook ruined forums/message boards) and spoke with regards to a new film..
Most the time we saw topics on a film the key elements wanted were always the same names… Wes, Kevin, Neve, David and Courteney, and the score composer, Marco Beltrami… Thankfully we got what we wanted for that little checklist, but the fourth film always had mixed reactions.. Some preferring the extra footage we saw for Marnie and Jennys deaths, and others just nit-picking at the plot for whatever reason…. overall i personally was glad to see GhostFace back in action, and i wasnt giving the film top marks.. although i did enjoy it.. My current rating of films from favourite to least favourite is 2, 1, 4 ,3 …. I find no.1 to be almost unbeatable because of its unforgettable opening, but it was a slow film in regards to how it goes from one day to the next… Where as Scream 2, i found more suspensful, and always wondering what was going to happen next…
For me personally, it was the birth of Scream 4 that led me to get to know many fans over time., Nate Ragon, Meggy Blaine, Richie Suttles, Zach Cook, John Valeri, Zach Bartron, the list goes on…
It was also the project that got RJ Torbert started in Social media, and also the influence of Wes Craven who encouraged RJ to come online to Twitter..
See a short clip of the Scream 4 Premiere below..
For a while now i have known loads of Scream and GhostFace fans because we all come to the internet to show our love of the films and general topic, and whatever else that is linked.. for instance.. Filming locations… for a while now, fan ‘Zachary Cook’ has been wanting to see his favourite location, the Casey Becker house, or in real life, ‘7420 Sonoma Mountain Road’.. ever since filming commenced and completed the access has been VERY limited, (and who can blame them, as its still a family home in reality isn’t it! ) … well, now the property is up for sale.. (Got 7 Million Dollars handy?!) and Zach has been online on and off seeking information… so below here i post info from Zach himself.. he wrote his own story below, and has provided many links and even found a YouTube video showing some of us fans what the house is REALLY like!! Its really nice to finally be able to see this place again after all those years ago when AND WHERE, it made its big screen appearance! Can you believe it was only built in 1994 !!!?
The House That Eluded Me… Until Now!
By: Zachary Cook
Wes Craven was THE master of Horror. I don’t think many people would attempt to argue that point. He had a keen eye for what would make people jump, or what would make the back of your neck burn with fear. That feeling that someone is watching you is something that we all have a natural sense for, and Craven knew how to exploit that as well… with a house.
A few years ago. I attempted to raise funds for a documentary project which would have included the many different locations used in the “Scream” film series. It would have included a detailed look into each and every locations little nuances that would have never been seen otherwise. It was also planned to do the documentary in a ‘sub style’ in which we could have replicated each shot of the movie, but with just the locations as the stand today. I really wanted this to have cast and crew interviews as well, and to be narrated by Roger Jackson, the voice of GhostFace! With that said, the project failed to find the necessary funds and with the decline of the popularity of Scream and the passing of Wes Craven, it’s unlikely at this point that I will continue to pursue this project. Though, never say never.
During the time I was researching each location that was used in all the films, I found it hard to gather much info on my favorite location of all… the Casey Becker house. It’s the home used in the opening scene of the first movie where actor Drew Barrymore and crew spent the first 3 very cold nights of filming what would be the kick in the ass that slasher films needed. The location scout James Marlowe probably found a few good homes in the same area that seemed to fit the build of the script. What he may not have expected is what Wes Craven would do to them, and how he would utilize the house itself, as a character. Casey Becker was caught in this fishbowl with the killer lurking on the outside looking in, watching her every move. But it was the one location I couldn’t find any information on at all. No pictures, very dodgy satellite images and no names of the owners, even though it was the same owners since the home was built. Sure, I could have dug deeper, been a bit more annoying, but I was just trying to do what I could with my computer and the good old internet. All I really had, was the address.
About 4 years ago, the house used in the final act (the one belonging to character Stu Macher) of the film was for sale, it went in the neighborhood of about $4million USD. That might sound like a lot but considering how much land that house has, the size of it, and the fact it’s in one of the most desirable locations in Northern California, that’s actually quite cheap. Not to mention, its in an iconic slasher film for the entire final 40 minutes of the film. It was exciting to see it, to finally get pictures that were recent of the entire property, inside and out. But still, of all the locations, my favorite one still eluded me.
Prior to about 6 months ago, I had given up. Our project to film the locations had failed to be funded, Wes Craven passed away and I finally gave up collecting and sold about 80% of my entire collection, only keeping the posters and a few other things. We moved far from where we once were and that was that. Then one day, I was watching “Scream” and I was trying to explain to my girlfriend about the house in the opening scene. So I pulled up the address and did a Google search to show her where it is on the map. But then I noticed a listing on a real estate website with the same address. My heart sank as I was sure I must have mistyped the address, there was no possible way that the owners were selling the house after 20+ years of living there. Was this the moment I finally would see the Casey Becker house in more detail? My girlfriend was wondering why my jaw was on the ground as I slowly clicked the link.
As the page loaded, I saw the front of the home with a new perspective for the first time in almost 20 years since “Scream” had wrapped filming. I couldn’t even click to see the next picture that came after at first because I was so shocked. I was just trying to soak it all in and observe that first new picture probably any of us “Scream Fans” had seen ever. I quickly went back and opened up all the links I could with that house for sale to find the original Realtor person that posted it and contacted them. Out of the few replies I got from them, I was unable to gain any more info than what was already provided on the listing, but it was fine, I finally had the pictures that showed this house in so much more detail than I could have ever imagined. I right clicked and saved every single picture and kept quiet about what I’d discovered in fear that some fans may try to contact the Realtor with even more questions. Questions that I wasn’t even getting a reply to, nor was fellow “Scream Fan” Ashley Lampton of the Drewseum. (Somehow I think she knew about it before me).
Neither of us were successful in getting any solid replies so we gave up. Not long after, the listings were all removed, along with the pictures that went with them. Again, I was in the dark, thinking I got just enough of a peek into my favorite house in the series to make my life complete. The listing was somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 Million USD. (See, I told you the other house was cheap by comparison) To me, this house was worth every penny and then some. It revitalized Drew Barrymore and Wes Craven’s career and launched writer Kevin Williamson and composer Marco Beltrami into new heights. All was fine again, until now.
The house was out to haunt me some more. I was going to send the pictures I had found to my super close friend Tim Wagstaff (the man who runs this site) and let him have at it. I pulled up the address one more time to see if I could find a decent satellite image that may have been updated since I first looked all those years ago, but then, there it was. The listing was back up, except this time, with more pictures from that same photoshoot of the original listing, and, (I cant believe I’m about to type this) the drone video. I’ve never cried before just by looking at aerial drone footage of anything, but this was all it took. Someone thought it was a good idea (and it was) to take a drone and film the land and house from up above. The same thing that I wanted to do nearly 4 years ago for a failed project and a wishful dream of mine. I finally got to see the pictures and footage of the house that scared the hell out of me as a kid. In a film that helped to me become more knowledgeable in filmmaking, collecting and of all things, music. It caused me to end up here sitting outside in this 97 degree Florida sun typing this on my break while attending college at Full Sail University for a Recording Arts bachelor degree.
You might think it’s “just a house”, but to me, its more than that. Maybe it’s more than that to other people as well. I certainly think that the filmmakers, the home owners and the fans looked to the final scene house as iconic, but this one is a bit more special than that for me.
So here it is, the footage, and the pictures. Enjoy.
-Zachary Cook
We have a few links here that give you info on the house and also the realtors listings.. LINK 1 – LINK 2 – LINK 3 – LINK 4 | Youtube Video below.
