Scream 6's Cast Introduces A Unique Problem For Ghostface

BY RICHIE HOWLE (Original Link HERE)

Scream 6 has one of the largest returning casts in the franchise, which creates a unique problem for the next Ghostface killers. Scream 2022 released to overwhelmingly positive reviews and over $30 million on its opening weekend, which led Scream 2022 to dethrone the monumental Spider-Man: No Way Home at the box office. Following Scream 2022's box office success, a follow-up seemed inevitable. Scream 6 was announced just three weeks after Scream 2022's release, with Courteney Cox the first to sign on to return.

Scream 2022 saw some of the series' least successful killers, leaving four of the new cast still breathing alongside several legacy characters. Soon after Scream 2022 was released, actors Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown also joined Scream 6's cast, having appeared as Tara, Sam, Chad, and Mindy, respectively. Fans were then treated to another surprise announcement that Hayden Panettiere's Kirby Reed was also returning for Scream 6 despite her seemingly dying in Scream 4 predecessor.

Such a huge ensemble of Ghostface survivors poses the next line of Scream's Ghostface killers a unique problem. Throughout the Scream series, the main three characters, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Cox), and Dewey Riley (David Arquette), have learned from their previous experiences. The trio has become more effective at fighting Ghostface with each film, with Sidney killing nearly half of the Ghostface killers herself. Bringing back so many characters not only introduces the future Ghostface killers to victims that are experienced in surviving but, given the constant cycle of Ghostface killers in Woodsboro, these survivors will always be preparing for the next time.

Mellissa Barrera's Sam has already proven to be an effective killer, dispatching her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) with the same ferocity as Sidney did in 1996's Scream. Brown is the series replacement for Randy Meeks, who had rules for surviving that she understood, implemented, and will likely continue to use and develop as well. With a cast of characters that are experienced in the horror movie tropes the series thrives off of and characters with first-hand experience, the upcoming killers will likely be outmatched in Scream 6.

The Ghostface killers in Scream 2022 may have had the best motivations yet in the series, but they had trouble finishing off many of their victims, including Tara, who was the first opening scene victim to survive. Scream 6's returning characters include four of the newest cast, which testifies to the sloppiness of the most recent killers, with each one being stabbed at least once and all surviving. Whereas the cast of Scream 2022 was mostly figuring out the rules and the twists around the Ghostface killers, the legacy characters already knew. This is perfectly demonstrated in Amber's (Mikey Madison) attempt to mislead Gale and Sidney towards the end of the film. Neither character was convinced, and Amber's attempt ended with her nearly getting shot. Dewey also called that Richie was the killer the very first time he met him, demonstrating the power of knowledge. Scream 6's Ghostface killers will need to lean away from the obvious tropes and think of new ways to get to their prey if they are to succeed.

Scream 6 is set to be the most ambitious entry yet, with a stunning cast and hopefully a solid budget. While it's unclear if Neve Campbell will return for what may be the last Scream film, one thing is certain, Ghostface needs to improve. The killers will need to be training and improving much like the survivors, making the perfect killer, Stu Macher, who's left out of Scream 2022 and confirmed to still be alive. Matthew Lillard's Stu Macher return is perfect, as he is versed in the world of killing and has been out of the picture long enough to conjure up the perfect plan. Scream 6 is currently due to hit screens in 2023 and should help to whittle down the amount of returning characters should the future killers learn from previous Ghostface errors and stab a few more times.