I am obsessed with Scream. It’s my favorite film franchise and the 1996 original is my second favorite movie of all time. I am also obsessed with my bangs. (They’re in my face front and center 24/7. Can you blame me?) I’m not an easy scare, but given what I just mentioned, it should probably come as no surprise that the Scream franchise element that gives me the most nightmares is Courteney Cox’s baby banks in Scream 3.
But if anyone can rock a hairstyle like that, it’s Cox. No, it’s not my favorite Gale look and I don’t ever want my bangs cut that short, but Cox managed to make the look iconic. There was nonstop cheering and enthusiasm at a Scream marathon I attended last summer, but when Cox appeared on screen for the first time in Scream 3, you can bet the baby bangs got an especially big applause.
With the new Scream movie now in theaters nationwide, I got the chance to chat with Cox, Neve Campbell and Scream newcomer Melissa Barrera. Given the interest in Gale’s bold style changes from film to film and the fact that those Scream 3 bangs still haunt my dreams, I had to ask Cox if she could rank Gale’s five hairstyles — and she did.
“Well, I thought that four was kind of bland, but I had to change from three. I mean, I had to just do something so I could not feel horrible about myself. I would say the best look probably was the bright orange lipstick and the blonde hair, which I don’t look good blond. But I think the worst was three and four was a little boring to be honest, but I didn’t take that many chances in the relaunch either. I should have. I wore a bright red suit! But she then became — I live in New York, I got a little more sophisticated. Although, that was really the fun part; what color and what am I gonna do?”
What about Gale’s bob with red highlights from Scream 2 you ask? Don’t you worry! Barrera had you covered on that one. After Cox wrapped up her ranking, Barrera added, “My personal favorite is two,” and you know what? I’m mighty close to agreeing with her!
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Even though there’s a charm to the extreme nature of those super short bangs, Scream 3’s look is at the bottom of my list. The styles in Scream 4 and 5 are fairly similar, but I’ll give the new film the edge because Cox is right, that bright red suit feels so Gale and pops big time, giving the entire look, including the hair, a big boost. As for the original Scream and Scream 2, I’m one of many who put that 1996 film on a pedestal and consider it untouchable so the original look earns my top spot, but the Scream 2 bob isn’t far behind!
Eager to hear more from Cox, Campbell and Barrera on the new Scream movie and some details from past films? Check out our full conversation at the top of this article!