The sixth addition to the Scream franchise is slashing its way into theaters March 10, 2023, and the full-length official trailer was released early Thursday morning to see what the next version of Ghostface has to bring to the table.
Here’s our breakdown of the Scream VI trailer.
Ghostface Takes a Stab Shot at the Big Apple
The trailer opens with a nightmare of a night in New York City. At a local market, a long line has formed. Patrons are patiently waiting their turn to pay for their items and return home to put away their haul in a likely tiny kitchen. Suddenly, two young women bust through the door frantically crying and yelling for help. You might be angry that these two ladies have interrupted your evening plans, you might interject to tell them to get to the back of the line — but when Ghostface follows soon after, the groceries and line etiquette can be forgotten.
Looking like they may be using the Buck 119 rather than the classic Buck 120 hunting knife (same design, shorter blade), Ghostface wastes no time in putting the blade to use by stabbing a patron. The man behind the counter quickly shoots the murderer with a shotgun, but Ghostfaces have been wearing firearm protection since Roman Bridger in Scream 3 … so they quickly get up, take the shotgun, use it to shoot the owner, and return their attention to hunting Sam and Tara.
People are going to be mad that Ghostface used a gun while wearing the mask, but the situation quite literally called for it. And while I can understand that change is hard and it may be upsetting to see the killer with the mask on using a gun, what I can’t understand are those who are upset about the gun use in totality.
On an unrelated note, please enjoy a gallery of some of my favorite shots of the previous killers.
There’s No Running from Yourself, Sam
Or from Ghostface, either.
One of the most controversial decisions from last year’s Scream, the fifth franchise installment, is making one of the film’s final girls — Sam — the secret daughter of half the original Ghostface team — Billy Loomis. Regardless of how some fans feel about the decision, having a serial killer mastermind for a father is sure to leave anyone with a darkness inside of them, which Sam specifically points out in the trailer.
As she speaks about the darkness in her following her, her sister, and their surviving friends to New York City, the trailer shows her bloody hands holding a weathered, bloody Ghostface mask mixed with cuts of Ghostface stalking a home. If they want to survive to the end of this run, they’re going to need help from others who have been in the situation before.
Kirby’s Return
Of course fans are still upset that original franchise final girl Neve Campbell would not be returning to her roll as Sidney Prescott for Scream VI … but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other survivors to bring into the mix. In addition to the continued appearance of Gale Weathers (which we’ll get into more later …), a fan-favorite from Scream 4 has returned: Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed.
Though the last time we saw her in the franchise she was bleeding and assumed dead, Scream (2022) confirmed Kirby survived her Ghostface attack with a small easter egg featured on YouTube — a video interview with the survivor.
“We share a certain history.”
This Ghostface is a Very Big Fan …
With last year’s Scream Ghostfaces sharing a profound and murder-inducing love for the in-universe Stab franchise, it only makes sense that this pattern of obsession continues — this time with whomever is behind the mask taking on an obsession with the real-life murders and murderers.
The evidence of this is a shrine to Ghostfaces of the past and the victims, with an honestly impressive and baffling amount of items from the past murders, including all nine of the original robes with Billy Loomis at the center. Other … collectibles? evidence? … shown in the shrine are various costumes from survivors and killers (Jill’s third act flannel, Tatum Riley’s Scream (1996) outfit, a Stab cut card, the television that electrocuted Stu Macher, sketches of Kirby and Ghostface, amongst many others.
We can’t possibly be alone in our curiosity about where these items were procured. It’s screaming officer-of-the-law gone wrong to me considering the majority of these items should be in police evidence lockers in California and Ohio.
Ring Ring
It’s not a Scream movie without anonymous phone calls, and Gale Weathers is getting her first Ghostface call this time around as the oldest Ghostface survivor. Being terrorized in her own home, Gale faces off against this new Ghostface, even taking a page from her late-husband’s book and attempting to shoot the murderer in the head — though it doesn’t work.
“You know you’re like the tenth guy to try this, right? It never works out for the dipshit in the mask.”
“Maybe, but there’s never been one like me, Gale. I’m something…different.”
This Ghostface is Different
And I don’t just mean because they’re wearing Doc Martens Combs II for the first time (though kudos for excellent taste).
Let’s face it: past Ghostfaces have been clumsy and have made mistakes that have ultimately lead their plans to go awry. This Ghostface, however, is eerily proficient, and in such a short amount of time it seems they may have some history of combat training. Again … signs are pointing to law enforcement gone wrong. In an interview with Syfy Wire, long-time franchise writer Kevin Williamson mentioned the overall air of reinvention for the upcoming installment.
“It doesn’t feel like ‘Part 6,’ it feels like you’re watching this big, huge, fresh reinvention. I love, love, love, love it. I’ve watched the movie with a big smile on my face. I think it’s everything and more. And going to New York was awesome. The movie feels new, it feels fresh, it feels like a new movie.”
What isn’t different about this Ghostface is their willingness to absolutely terrorize children and young adults, which really in this franchise is the most important thing. Consistency.
Mind the Gap
Several quick clips are shown before the end of the trailer — Sam bloody and holding a gun taunting her would-be killer on the phone, a projector showing creepy black-and-white images, and franchise newcomers Tony Revolori, Samara Weaving, and Henry Czerny.
Following these clips and going back to the teaser trailer footage, the official trailer closes out with an extended look at the subway scene. Hidden amongst a crowd of fellow mask-wearers (hinting that the film perhaps takes place around Halloween), the true Ghostface lurks and attacks another survivor — Mindy.
Watch the full trailer below, and stay tuned for updates.
