From sleepy Woodsboro to the college quad, we’ve seen Ghostface murder teenagers for almost three decades now. But in the franchise’s latest chapter, Scream VI eschews that small-town feel for the bustle of The Big Apple. Following a brief teaser and poster reveal (both themed to the New York subway system), a new trailer shows a brutal Ghostface rampaging through a bodega and countless Ghostfaces riding the subway on Halloween.
With a cast that includes Jenna Ortega (fresh from her viral Wednesday dance), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Yellowjackets), and Jack Champion (Spider in Avatar: The Way of Water), Scream VI is aiming the franchise at a Gen-Z audience. But the movie isn’t entirely focused on the TikTok generation. Patron saint of 2000s girls Hayden Panettiere reprises her role as Kirby Reed, one of the few survivors of Scream 4, and Courtney Cox once again brings Gale Weathers into action, thankfully without those tragic Scream 3 bangs.
Neve Campbell won’t return as Sidney Prescott, as contract negotiations with Paramount stalled, but there’s still a delightful mix of nostalgia and new material in the trailer.
After five movies poking fun at horror movie tropes, the franchise is now full of its own. With franchises come superfans, and with superfans come Halloween costumes, copycats, and shrines. In one notable shot, we see all the previous Ghostface costumes preserved.
Much like how Scream 2 harnessed the cliches of horror sequels and 2022’s Scream riffed on the stereotypes of a soft reboot (or “requel”), it looks like Scream VI will capitalize on the franchise’s pop cultural status. This is a world where “What’s your favorite scary movie?” has become less of a threatening question and more of a catchphrase.
Scream VI is bridging the gap between “novelty horror movie romp” and “tentpole of the horror movie industry” that the franchise has toyed with for years. It’s about time that attitude fully sank in, and now we can finally see what horror stans look like in the Scream world.
Scream VI premieres in theatres March 31, 2023.
