The latest installment of the long-running slasher horror franchise, Scream VI, is set to arrive in theaters this Friday. With an 81% Rotten Tomatoes approval score, it is evident many critics find the film impressive.
If this holds true for the fans as well, it should be an easy decision for Paramount Pictures to order more installments, which the film's directors are definitely hoping so.
During an interview with Deadline at the film’s premiere on Monday, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, one-half of the film’s directing duo Radio Silence, revealed that they hope Paramount Pictures will give its go-ahead to Scream VII. He further stated that "We [Radio Silence] want to be watching Scream movies whether we’re involved or not for the rest of our lives." Bettinelli-Olpin’s partner, Tyler Gillett, echoed this sentiment and expressed their happiness that the franchise is back on the big screen following its decade-long absence.
Contrary to popular belief, Scream VI isn't the first film in the series set outside of the fictional town of Woodsboro, giving Ghostface the largest playground ever and a real-life city in New York.
The creator, Kevin Williamson, told Deadline that he originally had reservations about how the writers, James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, would make changing the film’s setting work, especially since the new setting would be New York City. Ultimately, they made a believer out of him and proved that the Big Apple can be very scary, too.
In his words, "Well, they figured it out, they knew exactly how to do it. I didn’t realize how scary New York City can be and then you go back and say, ‘Well, I used to live here.’ And there’s so many times you walk down the street and there’s nobody there. And you get on the subway and there’s one or two people, and you’re unnerved. It’s scary to think how scary New York City can be because I used to live here … but I think they milked it and they managed to figure out how to make it really scary."
With a runtime of 123 minutes, Scream VI has the longest runtime of any Scream movie yet, which should let it live up to the gore-filled promise by the lead star, Melissa Barrera.
Unfortunately, Scream VI is the first film in the franchise without Neve Campbell. The 49-year-old Ontario native, who had played the long-time series lead, Sydney Prescott, since the first film, passed on the studio's offer to reprise her role.
She felt their wage offer did not reflect the value she adds to the franchise. Notwithstanding her absence, Paramount Pictures seems to have a lot of belief in the film, as evidenced by its aggressive marketing strategy, including hiring people to pose as Ghostface in many American cities.
Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Henry Czerny, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, and Courteney Cox will reprise their roles from the film’s last installment, Scream 5, which debuted just last year. Hayden Panettiere also reprises her role as tomboy film geek Kirby Reed from Scream 4 while Jack Champion, Josh Segarra, Samara Weaving, Dermot Mulroney, Liana Liberato, and Tony Revolori will make their first appearances in the franchise.
Scream VI will arrive in theaters across the United States on Friday, March 10.
