It has been nearly three decades since the first Scream movie premiered and this year, the cult classic horror franchise is getting a sequel with Scream 6 (stylised Scream VI). Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the film features Jenna Ortega, Mellissa Barrera, Hayden Panettiere, Samara Weaving, Courteney Cox and more. The upcoming instalment is about to take the story from Woodsbro to New York City. However, the surviving victims of Ghostface soon find themselves up against a new killer. Expect another thrilling, easter eggs-filled film.
In quotes shared exclusively with Filmfare, the film’s directors open up about the rules of a Scream movie and dig into the mythos of the iconic Ghostface.
Scream is a genre-bending film that changed the way Hollywood made scary movies. Over the years, the franchise has evolved but according to co-director Tyler Gillett, they all have one thing in common. He explained, “There are ingredients that just have to be present for a movie to be a Scream movie. But one of the truly exciting things creatively is that maybe the Number One rule of a Scream movie is that it has to not play by the rules!”
He added, “When you watch this franchise from film to film, you can really see Wes (Craven) and Kevin (Williamson) challenging even their understanding of not only what the movies within this franchise can be, but what a horror movie can be. They’re always conscious of subverting expectations, so they’ve created a sandbox to play in that’s limitless. There has to be some form of whodunit. And you have to have Ghostface. But within that, there is much room to play and take a risk. We are such huge Scream fans and love this thing so much, but there was also a real chance for us to put our stamp on this.”
Talking about the film’s big bad – Ghostface, Bettinelli-Olpin shared, “We’re really leaning into the mythologising of Ghostface in this one. That idea of how movies are modern-day myths, and how we self-perpetuate this idea of almost an otherworldly being from something so human. Ghostface is human, always. But there is something about that character that’s sort of mythical. It’s not someone wearing the costume – it’s something more.”
He further added, “I know some people watch these movies like, ‘This is so-and-so and that is so-and-so in the mask’ at certain points, in certain scenes. And that’s a fun way to watch them. But when you just sit down and have the experience, Ghostface is a singular character, causing mayhem and wreaking havoc. And how that has evolved into Scream VI is kind of a nod to Scream 2, which is this idea that now Ghostface has permeated our pop culture and is part of the fabric of our everyday life. That’s so interesting because that’s something we do, with people good and bad, in culture in general. So to do that with a villain and turn the dial all the way up on it, was really fun.”
Scream 6 which also features Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jack Champion, Henry Czerny and others is all set to arrive in cinemas on March 10, 2023.