Scream: What Was Scene 118?

scream

By Callum Murray

Published May 15, 2024

The Scream franchise has been going strong for nearly thirty years, with six successful entries, and Scream 7 is due to begin filming sometime in 2024. The original Scream was released in 1996, and featured some memorable sequences that have become the stuff of horror movie legend. In the original film, there is one particular sequence that became known as Scene 118. It clocks in at 42 minutes, and it was a particularly grueling experience for the up-and-coming young cast during shooting.

Scream went on to revitalize the slasher sub-genre, and launched the careers of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy, and many others. But the events that took place while filming Scene 118 will live long in the memory of the cast and production crew.

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What Was Scene 118?

Scene 118 was the final sequence of Scream, and it all took place at Stu Macher's house at 261 Turner Lane in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California. The 42-minute sequence all took place in and around the house, and it was a complex one to shoot. The cast and crew ending up wearing t-shirts saying 'I survived Scene 118' when they eventually wrapped production on it.

It took 21 days to film the extra-long scene as the filmmakers only shot at night, because the final party scene took place after dark. The practicalities of shooting the party scene were so complex that it drove some of the creatives to breaking point. Scene 118 took so long to film as it featured the majority of the death scenes as well as the longest chase scene in the movie.

What Happened in the Final Sequence?

There's a curfew in place in the sleepy town of Woodsboro due to the Ghostface killer being on the loose after the brutal murders of Casey Becker and Steven Orth. Stu Macher takes the opportunity to host a party at his luxury farmhouse for his group of friends, including final girl Sidney Prescott, her best friend Tatum Riley, movie geek Randy Meeks, and Sidney's boyfriend, Billy Loomis, among other guests. They all get drunk and watch the legendary slasher movie, Halloween, with Randy famously educating the group on the rules of how to successfully survive a horror movie:

Rule #1: Never have sex.
Rule #2: Never drink or do drugs.
Rule #3: Never ever say, “I’ll be right back.”

Elsewhere, Tatum Riley is famously killed by Ghostface when she gets trapped in the cat flap in the garage, and Sidney loses her virginity to Billy before Ghostface interrupts and hunts her down. A long chase scene takes place around the house, before she escapes out of a window and the killer resumes his chase around the grounds of the property.

Dewey and Gale go in search of Neil's car, and are nearly knocked down by drunk drivers who have left the party to go in search of Principal Himbry's dead body hanging from the goalposts at Woodsboro High. Dewey and Gale share an intimate kiss, but they are interrupted when Gale spots Neil's abandoned car. They head back to the house, and Dewey is brutally stabbed in the back, as Ghostface closes in on Sidney.

Billy and Stu are unmasked as the killers behind the Ghostface mask. Billy reveals that he killed Sidney's mother, Maureen, a year earlier after discovering she was having an affair with his father, leading to his own mother abandoning him. Sidney ends up dropping a television on Stu Macher's head, and during a fight with Billy, Gale arrives to shoot him. But he comes back for one final scare, and Sidney shoots him in the head. The movie ends with a wide shot of Stu Macher's house, as the sun comes up, and Gale goes live with breaking news of the horror at 261 Turner Lane.

Where Was the Final Sequence Filmed?

The filming of the now-legendary Scene 118 in Scream took place in a small town called Tomales in California. The town is around 70 miles from San Francisco, and has a population of just 196 people. Stu Macher's house at 261 Turner Lane is actually the Spring Hill Estate, located on the outskirts of the town. It is privately owned, and today is often used as a wedding venue.

Fans of Scream can actually tour the iconic house. Visits take place at select times during the year, and they are hosted by a YouTuber called Dane Petrali, along with his sidekick, Franco Caramelino (aka Macher Ghost) dressed up in the famous Ghostface mask and robe, ready to creep up on unsuspecting members of the touring group.

All the other Scream filming locations are relatively close by. The town of Healdsburg features many iconic locations, including the fountain where the group gather to discuss the murders and the police station in the fictional town of Woodsboro. Scream also filmed in other locations around the famous wine country, like Sonoma and Santa Rosa. But the most famous location of all is the one in Tomales, California, where Scene 118 took place.