After Scream 4 was released in 2011, it might have seemed like the popular Scream horror franchise had come to an end. While fans always hoped to go back to Woodsboro, California and see Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) again, it seemed like that might not be possible as more time passed and other horror films got attention. Thankfully, a new film was announced and Scream (2022) was released in January 2022 with Sidney, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and some new, younger characters.
With the fifth film's focus on requels and how to ease back into a franchise, and with the exciting news that Scream 6 will hit theaters in March 2023, what will the new movie be like? There are a few things that Scream 6 should include, and it will be interesting to see what the latest film brings.
Stick To Woodsboro... With A Time Jump
In some ways, it seems like Scream 6 could be a bad idea, as fans have gotten the chance to watch Sidney and other awesome characters for five films. What is there left to say? But, of course, Scream is such a great, solid franchise that it's hard not to want to keep watching.
The best Scream movies are set in Woodsboro, as Scream 3's focus on Hollywood isn't as fun as the other films. Scream 6 should definitely take place in Sidney's California hometown as this is what fans want to see. It's powerful that Sidney is pulled into the horrors of this tiny town and that she can't really get away from it.
Scream 6 should also have a time jump as this will give Sidney and Gale some distance from the events of the fifth film. Time jumps often serve some interesting purposes: they allow the characters to have some experiences, change a bit, and have some new hopes, dreams, and problems. If Scream 6 features a new cast of characters who are in high school, a time jump would be logical since Scream (2022) has Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) and her pals, and there should be some distance between Tara and the new kids.
Gale And Sidney At The Core Of The Film
While Scream 6 will likely feature new characters like Scream (2022) does, the movie really needs to celebrate Sidney and Gale. With Dewey's surprising Scream death, the film will have to lean on these two popular and iconic characters even more, as fans want to see how Gale and Sidney are grieving and handling this sudden and sad death.
Although Gale and Sidney are big parts of Scream (2022), the teenagers are definitely at the core of the action, and that's something that should change in the new film. Fans want to see these legacy characters in full force. It would be great if Gale and Sidney were the main focus of Scream 6 and the other characters played more of a supporting role.
Since Melissa Barrera's character Sam Carpenter connected the fifth movie to what came before, as she is Billy Loomis's (Skeet Ulrich) daughter, something similar needs ot happen in Scream 6. Maybe a teenage character could be related to Gale, or someone could have a tie to Sidney.
One Surprising Element
Scream (2022) made Billy Loomis sympathetic and Sam often sees visions of her dad, which is corny and takes away from how well-done the rest of the film is. But while this was an awkward part of the movie, it was definitely a big surprise, and Scream 6 should have some shock value.
Whether an original character comes back in some way, or Sidney or Gale have a new storyline that fans didn't expect, it does seem like Scream 6 needs to leave fans in awe of how good the latest installment in the franchise is. It might not seem like there are no surprises left, and it's true that these movies have already covered so much horror movie ground, from sequels, trilogies, reboots, and requels. But fans have faith that Scream 6 will live up to expectations. Perhaps there will be one Ghostface killer instead of two, and this new movie will break that pattern.
In an interview with Empire, Tyler Gillett said, "This movie has to be willing to risk it all in order to subvert all of those expectations. And we’re so far down the rabbit hole of Scream movies, that it’s all up for grabs at this point," according to Cinemablend. Fans do want to be stunned by the events of the latest film, and if there is a Scream 7, this will set up the exciting idea that anything really can take place in a Scream film.