Ice Nine Kills and Mckenna Grace Are “Twisting the Knife” With a Killer Collaboration
“Twisting the Knife is our tribute to Wes Craven and the Scream franchise, which means so much to us. Scream is baked into the DNA of who I am and of Ice Nine Kills—my love of horror, comedy, and the collision between the two. I was already obsessed with Halloween and Friday the 13th, but Scream was the first I saw in theaters. Hearing the killer talk about horror movies, in that distinctively pop-culture-savvy Kevin Williamson way, blew my mind.”
—Spencer Charnas
Ice Nine Kills have built an art form out of bringing horror and heavy music together, and “Twisting the Knife,” featuring Mckenna Grace, feels right at home in their world, and is slashing its way to the top of the charts. Created for Scream 7, the track delivers the combination of melody, metal and theatricality that has become the band’s calling card, while Grace brings a striking additional voice to the mix. A longtime Ice Nine Kills fan herself, she steps comfortably into heavier territory, adding another dimension to a song inspired by the tension, dark humor and self-aware spirit of the Scream franchise. There are even musical echoes of Marco Beltrami’s atmospheric Scream scores woven into the track, filtered through the band’s own unmistakable style.
The accompanying video takes that connection even further, turning “Twisting the Knife” into another chapter of Ice Nine Kills’ ongoing cinematic universe. Roger L. Jackson returns as the voice of Ghostface, while Scream veteran David Arquette appears as himself, continuing a storyline that began with “A Work of Art,” moved through “The Great Unknown” and “The Laugh Track,” and led to “Twisting the Knife.” And the story isn’t over yet—it has already continued with “Play Dead.” It’s the kind of elaborate visual storytelling Ice Nine Kills does particularly well: part music video, part horror short and completely committed to the concept. For Grace, who also appears in Scream 7, the collaboration creates a natural bridge between her work as an actor and her growing career as a singer-songwriter. The result is a song and visual that don’t simply reference the Scream universe—they have some genuine fun becoming part of it.
Led by frontman Spencer Charnas, Ice Nine Kills have spent two decades developing a distinctive corner of modern heavy music where metal, melody and horror culture collide. Albums The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood helped establish the band’s cinematic approach, while songs including “A Grave Mistake,” “Hip to Be Scared,” “The American Nightmare,” “A Work of Art” and “The Laugh Track” have continued to expand their horror-inspired catalog. Mckenna Grace brings her own storytelling instincts to the collaboration, balancing an acclaimed acting career with music that moves between alt-pop, indie pop and pop-punk. With “Twisting the Knife,” those two creative worlds meet in exactly the kind of place Ice Nine Kills understands best: somewhere between the stage, the screen and a very sharp blade.
For more information on Ice Nine Kills and “Twisting the Knife,” visit IceNineKills.com.
