Scream 6 directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett respond to controversial changes the film has made to its iconic horror villain Ghostface. Following on from the successful revival of Wes Craven’s slasher franchise with 2022’s Scream, Scream 6 is set to see the Carpenter sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) relocate to New York City after their last brush with the masked killer. Earlier this year, a new trailer offered audiences their first glimpse of the franchise’s latest big-city outing, however, one Ghostface moment would go on to spark fierce debate.
Speaking with SFX Magazine (via Digital Spy), Scream 6 directorial duo defended their decision to include a gun-toting Ghostface against suggestions it ruined the character. Claiming they “don’t want it to be safe”, Bettinelli-Olpin says the moment is a perfect example of the pair’s desire to make the movie “fun and [able] to raise eyebrows”. Gillett also adds that Ghostface’s decision to take the firearm was a natural extension of the killer’s single-minded nature:
Bettinelli-Olpin: We don’t want it to be safe. We don’t want it to be boring. We want it to be fun and to raise eyebrows. When we heard ‘Ghostface in New York and he has a shotgun’ it was like: ‘What?!’ The two feelings of ‘What are we doing?’ and ‘We have to do it!’ are often intrinsically tied and that was a perfect example of that.
Gillett: There are a tonne of fun, wonderful, classic Ghostface moments, but it’s not the pratfalling Ghostface. We love that, but for this to be scary and to achieve a level of visceral tension, we wanted to put the character more in the real world. If Ghostface is trying to get through a door, it’s going to happen! There’s no giving up. When he’s in pursuit, the pursuit doesn’t end until he’s achieved his goal.
How Scream 6’s Ghostface Is Different From His Predecessors
Despite the online backlash it has generated, it is unlikely Scream 6’s Ghostface will be using a shotgun for very long. As several keen-eyed viewers have already pointed out, the firearm simply appears to be a weapon of convenience. If the firearm’s original owner had brandished any other weapon in the trailer, Ghostface would have just as likely taken that in the shotgun’s place. Nonetheless, this Scream 6 update of Ghostface still seems destined to buck many of the trends established by those who came before him.
Previously teasing a “bolder, more brazen Ghostface”, Bettinelli-Olpin has already explained the franchise’s latest killer stands apart from his predecessors in many ways. With the film’s trailer revealing his newfound willingness to stalk and openly pursue his prey in crowded, public spaces, it would seem this new killer is far less concerned with skulking in the shadows waiting for a chance to strike. Moreover, Ortega has also gone on the record to suggest Scream 6 will feature “the most aggressive and violent version of Ghostface we’ve ever seen.”
Yet perhaps the most significant difference in Scream 6 is Ghostface’s intended victims. With original franchise star Neve Campbell dropping out of the project due to a highly publicized pay dispute, this year’s outing will be the first time since 1996 that a knife-wielding Ghostface has not come up against the ever-resilient Sidney Prescott. Whether this goes in his favor remains to be seen, but audiences will get to find out for themselves when Scream 6 arrives in theaters on March 10.
Source: SFX Magazine (via Digital Spy)
