Horror fans rejoiced when it was announced in late September that filming of the fifth installment of the highly successful “Scream” franchise had finally gotten underway after a four-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All hands are on deck for the shoot, including OG cast members Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette, who are reprising their roles as Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Deputy Dewey Riley, respectively. Set to be released in January 2022, per IMDB the film sees Sidney heading home to Woodsboro, where the Ghostface killings have once again resumed. Though the premise sounds a lot like that of “Scream 4,” cast and crew did not return to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where that installment was lensed. Instead, filming is taking place in Wilmington, North Carolina, and excited locals have been snapping countless pics of the production.
The franchise, one of the most beloved of the horror genre, has always veered off the beaten path when it comes to locations, with only the second and third films doing any shooting in the Los Angeles area. I’ve visited virtually all of the SoCal sites over the years, including UCLA, which was largely used to represent the fictional Windsor College in “Scream 2.”
The Daily Bruin called the school “cinema’s go-to university” and the 1997 sequel certainly made extensive use of the campus, most notably (well, to this java lover, at least!) featuring Kerckhoff Coffee House, which sits tucked away on the second floor of Kerckhoff Hall. The Tudor Gothic-style building, dedicated in 1931, and café were both named in honor of wealthy businessman William G. Kerckhoff, whose dying wish was to provide funding to the school for a student union, which the campus lacked at the time. His wife wound up donating $815,000 to the cause and, per the UCLA Alumni website, it was the “largest single gift by an individual to UCLA up to that point.” At the dedication ceremony, provost Ernest Carroll Moore said Kerckhoff Hall was to be the “center of the University’s activity. Everyone will use it, and every activity will find in it a home.” Even the activity of drinking coffee eventually made its way to the hall!
Kerckhoff Coffee House, which has the distinction of being UCLA’s first coffee shop, was established in 1975 in a sun-filled space that, per a 1980 L.A. Times article, formerly served as a ticket office. You can see an early image of it here. Not much has changed in the years since it opened, aside from the wardrobe of its patrons – though bell-bottoms are said to be making a comeback. The charming eatery, which features leaded glass windows that look straight out of a cathedral and plenty of seating, offers espresso drinks, pastries, soups, salads, sandwiches, and even sushi. While the site regularly hosts everything from improv shows to live music to poetry readings, most days you’ll find the tables bustling with students quietly poring over books or laptops, a steaming cup of joe or iced coffee in hand.
Click over to the gallery for more Dirt on Kerckhoff.
