The horror renaissance has been going on for years now, and the genre truly shows no signs of slowing down. Some of the best horror movies returned to theaters via new sequels, including Wes Craven's Scream. The next installment will be set in New York City (the wrap photo showed a subway set), and Scream 6’s Melissa Barrera explained why facing Ghostface in the Big Apple is more “mortifying.”
The fifth Scream movie arrived back in January, directed by Ready or Not filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. That project featured the trio of original stars, but the protagonist was definitely Sam Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera. The synopsis for the sixth movie revealed that the two sets of surviving siblings would be leaving Woodsboro to move to New York, and that new setting seems to really switch up Ghostface’s attacks. Barrera recently spoke to Collider about about this process, saying:
It's, like 20 times more mortifying. It's awful. Because you also see how, in a city like New York City, everyone is kind of doing their own thing and someone is screaming for help, and no one will come to their help. No one comes to help them, you know, like, everyone's kind of like, ‘I'm not getting into that.’ So it's mortifying, because you're chased by Ghostface, but you also see humanity and how that reacts in a situation like that. Anyway, I think I've already probably said too much.
Well, sign me up. New York City has never been a location of the Scream movies, with the franchise taking place in Woodsboro or other areas of California. And it sounds like the hustle and bustle of the city is going to make Ghostface’s chases uniquely terrifying. Because while there are people everywhere, will any busy New Yorkers stop and help when the masked killer attacks? We’ll have to see when the project arrives in the spring.
Melissa Barrera’s comments about the sixth Scream movie come as she was promoting new movie Carmen at the Toronto International Film Festival. With Barrera now leading the beloved slasher property, the conversation understandably turned to Scream. And it sounds like the move from Woodboro to New York is going to create some exciting new dynamics for the franchise, and the way Ghostface goes about hunting down his victims.
As previously mentioned, Scream 6 is expected to follow the two sets of siblings that managed to survive the last movie. Namely Sam and Tara Carpenter (Melissa Barerra and Jenna Ortega) and Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin (Yellowjackets’ Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding). The movie will also feature the long-awaited return of Scream 4’s Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed, although it’s unclear how she’ll factor into the mysterious story. After all, the horror franchise is known for its tight security.
Unfortunately the upcoming Scream sequel will also be making history as the first one without Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. The iconic scream queen revealed she exited the project over a pay dispute, to the disappointment of the fans. And since David Arquette was killed off in the last movie, it looks like Courteney Cox will be the only OG cast member to appear in the sixth slasher.
Scream 6 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on March 31st, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
