‘I Hated It’: KNB’s Howard Berger Says Nobody Believed ‘Scream’ Would Work

Today, it’s hard to imagine horror without Scream.

Wes Craven’s 1996 classic didn’t just become a box office smash, it revitalized the slasher genre, launched one of horror’s biggest franchises, and inspired countless films that followed.

But according to legendary KNB EFX Group co-founder Howard Berger, almost nobody expected that to happen.

Speaking on the Too Reel Pod, Berger admitted he initially hated Kevin Williamson’s screenplay, believing it recycled ideas that had already been done.

“I didn’t believe in the script when I read it,” Berger said. “I felt like a lot of the gags had already been done and created. It just felt kind of like a rip-off.”

As it turns out, Berger wasn’t alone. He recalled that the mood surrounding the production was surprisingly pessimistic, with many people involved expecting the film to disappoint.

“Even production, you know, producers, were saying, ‘This film is not gonna be good,'” Berger recalled.

Perhaps even more surprising, Berger claimed Wes Craven himself wasn’t entirely confident either. According to Berger, the director confided his concerns during production after the disappointing reception to Vampire in Brooklyn.

“Even Wes… he said that to me one night because Vampire in Brooklyn had just come out and bombed,” Berger said.

Everything changed once the film was completed.

Berger said seeing the finished movie completely changed his opinion, calling it one of the rare occasions where every piece of the filmmaking process elevated material he initially doubted.

“I went to see it, and I was like, ‘Holy shit, this movie turned out so good! I really dig this movie,'” Berger said. “Somehow it all came together.”