Summary
TheScreamfranchise looks to be back on track with the announcement that Neve Campbell is returning forScream 7, with the surprising news that Kevin Williamson will be directing the upcoming sequel. Williamson is primarily known as a writer, and penned the originalScream, and alsoScream 2andScream 4. He’s also created and written extensively for television with hit series likeDawson’s Creek, The Vampire DiariesandThe Following. But he’s only ever directed one feature film, and it was an underrated gem from the late 90s.
Teaching Mrs. Tinglewas released in 1999 and was written and directed by Kevin Williamson.It starred Katie Holmes, Helen Mirren, Marissa Couglin, Barry Watson and Jeffrey Tambor. Williamson, who was a hot property after the success ofScreamandScream 2, was keen to establish himself as a director in Hollywood alongside his writing projects. It wasn’t the success he was hoping for, and he never directed again after that. Critics weren’t positive about the movie either, but it deserves another look as it showcases the very best of Williamson’s abilities, giving fans optimism about the direction ofScream 7.
What is Teaching Mrs. Tingle about?
Teaching Mrs. Tingleis the story of a teenage girl called Leigh Ann (Holmes), who is willing to do absolutely anything to become Valedictorian at her high school in a small California town, even if it means killing the teacher that is standing in her way: the mean-spirited Mrs. Tingle (Mirren). She enlists the help of her friends, Jo Lynn (Couglin) and Luke (Watson) to visit Mrs. Tingle at her home after her grade in history class is downgraded by Mrs. Tingle due to a minor historical inaccuracy.
Luke Churner had made a copy of Tingle’s final exam and offered it to Leigh Ann, which she refused to accept, but he’d put it in her bag and Tingle discovers the copy and threatens to expel her. The teenagers end up holding Mrs. Tingle hostage at her home, as they attempt to reason with her and explain the misunderstanding, but she’s having none of it. As the stand-off continues, they must impersonate Mrs. Tingle, by calling in sick and explaining her absence.
What happened during production of the film?
Production on Kevin Williamson’s directorial debut began in April 1998, with a budget of $14 million. It was shot in the Los Angeles area and wrapped filming in July 1998. The fictional Grandsboro High School was shot on location at Rose City High School in Pasadena and Culver City High School in Culver City. Exterior shots of Mrs Tingle’s were filmed at a Victorian-style residence in Pasadena.
The movie was originally set to be calledKilling Mrs. Tingle, but the Columbine High school massacre led to an uproar over the title, and a conversation about violence in the media, and the movie was renamed Teaching Mrs Tingle and pushed back. Interestingly, Scream 3 was also affected by the massacre, when Kevin Williamson’s original story for the sequel had to be totally reworked after it featured a plot involving a cult of Ghostface’s terrorizing students in a high school. Ehren Kruger ended up writing the screenplay for Scream 3, as Williamson was busy directingTeaching Mrs Tingle.
What did the fans and critics think of teaching Mrs. Tingle?
Teaching Mrs. Tinglehas an approval rating of 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 69 reviews, with an average score of 4/10. Metacritic were equally scathing of Williamson’s directorial debut, scoring it at 35 out of 100 based on 32 reviews by critics.Roger Ebertgave the movie the thumbs down with a rating of one and a half stars, branding it a “misguided teen thriller”, but he was complimentary about Helen Mirren’s performance as Mrs. Tingle.
To add toTeaching Mrs. Tingle’s problems, it bombed at the box office upon its release, only making $3.3 million domestically in its opening weekend, and debuting at number 10 at the North American box office. During its second week, the film slipped to number 15 and made only $2,344,298. Overall,Teaching Mrs, Tinglegrossed $8,951,935 at the domestic box office, failing to make a return on the $14 million budget.
However, in the intervening years, the movie has built a cult following, with many fans discovering it on DVD and streaming services, and appreciating the dark humor and nostalgia for 90s high school teen dramas. Helen Mirren’s performance is very good, and her career has gone from strength to strength since the release of the movie, with many fans of her work stumbling across her role in the movie. It also has all the quirky and smart dialogue that Kevin Williamson was known for in the 90s.
Scream
The Scream movie and TV franchise began with the release of the first film in 1996. Directed by horror master Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the deconstruction of slasher movies was an instant cultural, critical, and financial hit. Neve Campbell, who plays ongoing final girl Sidney Prescott, has become a horror icon in her own right, along with Ghostface, the only horror villain whose identity is always changing. Nearly three decades later, the Scream franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
