Dawson’s Creek’s Secret Scream Connection Is Still Mind-Bending

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A screenwriter’s ability to work in different styles is incredibly valuable, and Kevin Williamson clearly demonstrates this skill. He’s successfully written for both scary slasher films and teen dramas, proving he isn’t confined to one type of story or platform. Over a career of more than thirty years, Williamson has consistently shown his creative talent, having penned popular works like *I Know What You Did Last Summer*, *Teaching Mrs. Tingle*, *The Vampire Diaries*, and the upcoming 2025 Netflix series, *The Waterfront*.

Fans noticed that the connection between *Scream* and *Dawson’s Creek* went beyond just having the same creator. A closer look at the *Scream* franchise, from the original 1996 film to the 2022 release, reveals several surprising ties to the teen drama. *Dawson’s Creek*, which aired on the WB from 1998 to 2003, even included references to the *Scream* movies in some of its episodes.

The Scream Movies Are Connected to Dawson’s Creek

To understand both *Scream* and *Dawson’s Creek*, it’s important to know the creator behind them: Kevin Williamson. He first gained recognition as a screenwriter with the 1996 horror film *Scream*, directed by Wes Craven. *Scream* was a major success, revitalizing the slasher film genre and earning Williamson a Saturn Award for Best Writing. Just two years later, he launched his first television series, *Dawson’s Creek*, on the WB network.

Just as *Scream* launched Kevin Williamson’s career in horror, *Dawson’s Creek* did the same for him on television, leading to many more opportunities. Given how important these two shows are to his work, Williamson appears to have intentionally linked them with subtle connections.

The teen drama *Dawson’s Creek* premiered on January 20, 1998, shortly after the release of *Scream 2* on December 12, 1997. Both projects share a connection through Kevin Williamson, who wrote *Scream 2*. Joshua Jackson, who played a main character on *Dawson’s Creek*, also had a brief appearance in *Scream 2*. This cameo was included at Williamson’s request, and was mostly a playful nod to fans – a fun, but unnecessary, moment. This type of self-reference became a hallmark of Williamson’s writing style from the beginning of his career.

Released in 2000, *Scream 3* wasn’t written by creator Kevin Williamson. Instead, Ehren Kruger took the lead, building on a short, five-page outline Williamson had already started. Williamson was juggling multiple film and television projects at the time and remained involved as a producer. Because of his continued influence, the film features a connection to the teen drama *Dawson’s Creek*: Scott Foley, who played Cliff on that series, was cast as the movie’s villain, Roman Bridger, thanks to Williamson. Roman is ultimately revealed to be the killer throughout the film.

Each installment of the *Scream* franchise builds to a big reveal, and the casting of Scott Foley, known from *Dawson’s Creek*, made the reveal in *Scream 3* particularly surprising for fans of his earlier work. Viewers quickly recognized him as Roman, a role that allowed Foley to showcase his talent and expand his career beyond television. This character was a significant departure from his previous, consistent role as Cliff on *Dawson’s Creek*, where he played a high school athlete and Jen’s boyfriend during the first season in 1998.

It’s amazing how much the TV show and movies connect! Even after writing the last film in the original series, Kevin Williamson stayed involved as an executive producer on the newer ones. I heard he had a very different idea for *Scream 5* (released in 2022), wanting to center the story around Sidney Prescott and Jill Roberts. But the filmmakers ended up introducing Tara Carpenter instead. They just called it *Scream* – it was meant to be a ‘requel,’ a mix of reboot and sequel that took the story in a fresh direction. Even though he didn’t write the script this time, Williamson, as an executive producer, managed to sneak in another *Dawson’s Creek* reference – it’s cool to see those connections continue!

While recovering in the hospital, Tara is watching the eleventh episode of the first season of *Dawson’s Creek*, titled “The Scare.” Interestingly, this episode includes references to the 1996 horror film *Scream*. This isn’t a coincidence; it’s a deliberate choice. As the scene unfolds with Tara in bed, viewers can hear the voices of actors Joshua Jackson and Scott Foley. This kind of layered referencing is a hallmark of Kevin Williamson’s filmmaking style.

Dawson’s Creek Also References Scream Constantly

Between 1996 and 2003, Kevin Williamson was successful with both the original *Scream* trilogy and the six seasons of *Dawson’s Creek*. The show often subtly foreshadowed this connection. Beyond the episode “The Scare,” Williamson included several hidden references, or ‘Easter eggs.’ One clear example is Dawson’s ambition to become a filmmaker, reflected in the numerous cinema posters decorating his bedroom – including a *Scream* poster. Props originally used on the sets of *Scream* and *I Know What You Did Last Summer* were also incorporated into the design of Dawson’s bedroom.

The first episode of *Dawson’s Creek* includes a line borrowed from the movie *Scream 2*. In *Scream 2*, Debbie Salt demands, “What did you just say? Was that a negative, disparaging remark about my son? About my Billy?” after Sidney implies she thinks Debbie and Billy are both unstable. Interestingly, a similar line appears in the *Dawson’s Creek* pilot, delivered by a one-time character, cheerleader Nellie Olsen, who asks Dawson, “Did you just shoot a negative, disparaging remark my way?”

Because the *Dawson’s Creek* pilot and the *Halloween* sequel came out around the same time, it’s hard to say which show originally used the line. The line feels a bit strange in *Dawson’s Creek*, but the *Halloween* character Debbie (played by Nancy Loomis) often speaks in a similar, unusual way. This has led many fans to think *Dawson’s Creek* borrowed the line from the movie, rather than the other way around.

The Halloween episodes were a clever way for the show to highlight the connection to Kevin Williamson, the creator of *Scream*. The first season episode, “The Scare,” specifically pays homage to the franchise by recreating the iconic phone call scene. In the episode, Michelle Williams’ character, Jennifer, receives a strange phone call while at home.

She playfully claims her name is Drew Barrymore, the actress who plays Casey in the film. Interestingly, a completely accidental detail in this scene is that Cliff is on the phone with Jen, who is portrayed by Scott Foley – the same actor who played the villain Ghostface in *Scream 3*. It’s highly probable that Foley landed the role of Roman largely because of his menacing voice during that phone call in this *Dawson’s Creek* episode.

In Season 5, Episode 9 of *Dawson’s Creek*, titled “Four Scary Stories,” Jack makes a comment about a common horror trope – a killer with a hook for a hand targeting couples. This is a direct nod to the slasher films *I Know What You Did Last Summer* and *Scream 2*, both written by Kevin Williamson and released in 1997.

It’s unclear who first came up with the idea of a killer with a hook for a hand. However, Kevin Williamson’s use of this concept is what popularized it and made it a common trope in horror movies.

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2025-10-08 04:07