Jenna Ortega has had an incredible 2022 that has been filled with horror films. The young actor played Skye Willow in the humorous Studio 666, took on the role of smart and logical Lorraine in X, and most memorable of all, starred as Tara Carpenter in Scream (2022). Ortega will play Wednesday Adams in the upcoming Netflix series Wednesday, and while fans are excited to see the actor take on such a classic role, Ortega's Scream role has stolen the show.
Tara is a brilliant, precocious teenager who loves elevated horror films and has a tough relationship with her older sister Sam (Melissa Barerra). Tara should definitely be the main character in Scream 6 and any future movies in the franchise.
The original Scream from 1996 has one of the best horror movie openings, with Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) getting a phone call from Ghostface asking about her favorite scary movie. The fifth movie in the franchise takes that idea and makes it more relevant, with one of the killers calling Tara on her iPhone. Tara goes on a rant about elevated horror movies, which are the kind of stories that she prefers, as she wants some weighty, meaty social commentary and thoughtful characters and themes. Although horror fans know that Casey is killed and doesn't become a main character, the fact that Tara survives suggests that she could become a bigger part of the movie. Instead, she is in the hospital for much of the film and fades into the background a bit.
There are some awesome characters in Scream (2022), but while it's great that the movie focuses on a new group of teenagers in Woodsboro, California, it would be more fascinating to focus on Tara instead of Sam. Skeet Ulrich's character Billy Loomis is made sympathetic, as audiences learn that he is Sam's father and she is tormented by the fact that she was born to a killer. But while Sam is given a difficult dad and a boyfriend who ends up being one of the two Ghostfaces, as she realizes that she was wrong to trust Richie Kirsch, (Jack Quaid), Tara deserves more attention.
Scream 6 is an opportunity to tell more of Tara's story and have audiences learn more about her past and present. Since Scream 6 will be set in New York City, maybe Tara and her friends are attending college there, and she is shocked to see that her new life might not be so simple and pleasant after all. Jenna Ortega is the 2022 Scream Queen as she gives her performances her all and shows so much emotion and strength as well as vulnerability. It would be a shame not to shine a light on Ortega in the next film in the franchise.
Tara is a unique character who needs to have a major role in Scream 6. Since Tara loves elevated horror and has seen enough films to know how villains behave in most cases, she's a helpful character who can play the key role that Jamie Kennedy's character Randy Meeks once did. Tara can help the others see what the killer is thinking (or multiple killers, as is the case with the Scream franchise), and Tara can compare the different Ghostface killers from the past and come up with a game plan for survival.
Neve Campbell's Scream 6 absence will be tough, since Sidney Prescott is the franchise's final girl. But perhaps Tara Carpenter can step into Sidney's smart shoes and play this new role. After all, Tara has been through a similar trauma to Sidney, as Ghostface called Tara and attempted to end her life. Tara has stayed strong but also worked through her feelings over this terrifying ordeal, which gives her the balance of wisdom and spunk that Sidney has always had.
There are other parallels to Sidney here, as Sidney works through her feelings about her mom Maureen Prescott's sad life and tragic death and Tara thought that her sister Sam hated her and was ignoring her for a long time. With Sidney gone, Tara can be an incredibly tough and yet sweet and soft horror movie main character who audiences support every step of the way. Tara doesn't hold back on her horror movie opinions and it would be great to hear what she has to say about this new situation.
Tara isn't given enough to do in Scream (2022) as she's recovering from her wounds in the hospital and she should be given the chance to be in charge of her friend group. While the other characters are smart and cool, Tara has had to grow up fast and has even made up with her sister. Moving on from family trauma and tragedy isn't easy, and Tara is the right kind of character for the anticipated horror movie to focus on.