Scream 6 Sets Itself Up To Parody The Newest Horror Movie Trend

Warning! SPOILERS for Scream 2022.

The Scream movies are known for subverting expectations and offering clever commentary on the slasher genre, and the upcoming Scream 6 grants the franchise the perfect opportunity to parody the current trend of rushed horror sequels. Following the success of Scream 2022, another film in the popular franchise is set to begin filming in September, with viewers hoping to see the return of legacy Scream characters and recent survivors. Although sequels and reboots of horror movies are often disappointing for audiences, the meta nature of the Scream films means that they can use the failures of other franchises to their advantage.

Directed by horror veteran Wes Craven, the first Scream, released in 1996, managed to perfectly combine genuine horror and metacommentary on the slasher genre, a trend that would continue for all of its sequels. Scream isn’t the first slasher franchise to return in recent years, with a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre debuting on Netflix later this year, and the 2018 reboot of the Halloween films. However, while the first of the “re-quels” Halloween (2018) was well received, 2020’s Halloween Kills was considered rushed, tarnishing the legacy of the franchise without introducing new and intriguing plot threads. 

In comparison, while the Scream films all follow a similar formula and circle back to original final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), they avoid relying too heavily on nostalgia bait, solely using it as a tool to make self-aware jokes and introduce new killers with tongue-in-cheek motives. The characters in the Scream universe are aware of the rules and tropes that define horror movies, and they use them (or deliberate subversions of them) as the keys to their survival, usually retaining this awareness even when faced with certain death. Unlike the unbeatable figures of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers, the villain in Scream changes in every movie, with a new murderer donning the Ghostface mask before going on a killing spree. Original killers Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) partially credit horror films for inspiring them, and their resulting notoriety would drive several of their predecessors to seek out fame in similarly violent fashions. With each film, the characters become more aware of their circumstances, commenting on the expectations of a slasher sequel and mocking the antagonists for their predictability.

Scream 2022 takes this a step further by introducing a host of new characters who not only understand the rules of a horror film but also let their love of the genre consume them. The new Ghostface killers, Amber (Mikey Madison) and Richie (Jack Quaid), are driven by a desire to create the perfect sequel to the in-universe Stab films, explaining the pitfalls of franchise films as they do so. The deliberately exaggerated metacommentary demonstrates to audiences that by remaining aware of what makes a horror film successful, Scream has avoided falling victim to these very mistakes. Scream 2022 didn’t end with a setup for a sequel, leaving Scream 6’s plot an open mystery with unlimited possibilities. It’s likely that the film will take place not long after the events of Scream 2022, creating opportunities to comment on how rushed the events are, as well as how derivative the Ghostface killers have become. Scream’s strength lies in its ability to parody the slasher genre, and the expectations placed on them by fans. The critical success of Halloween (2018) and failure of Halloween Kills has proven that while sequels need to remain true to the legacy of the original film, they should still offer new plots and unique angles – something that Scream has proven to be more than capable of.

The Scream franchise has always been able to parody slasher films while remaining one in its own right, and without being ill-natured to the predecessors that inspired it. Scream 6 should continue to with this trend and use the problems of films like Halloween Kills to its advantage, taking note of what does and doesn’t work in the current flood of sequels and remakes. By turning these mistakes into comedic commentary, Scream 6can stay true to the self-aware metafiction that has made the franchise so successful.

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