The villain of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School gets teased ahead of the reboot’s return on Max. Making its debut in July 2022, the Pretty Little Liars spinoff focuses on a new group of teenage girls that begin to receive ominous threats from a masked murderer simply named A. Over the course of ten episodes, the culprit is revealed to be Archie Waters. Despite the fact that Archie is largely dealt with by the conclusion of the first season, his reign of terror may not be over. With season 2 of Original Sin being rebranded as Summer School, this Pretty Little Liars story has more twists ahead.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, which premieres May 9 on Max, co-showrunners Lindsay Calhoon Bring and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shed light on what to expect from the upcoming episodes. Bring particularly mentions new villain Bloody Rose Waters, who has a connection to Archie, and how Rose seeks to test each of the protagonists. The quote is below:

One very literal way that they cannot move forward in their lives is by being stuck in summer school when they should be having so much fun. So, we loved the idea that these girls are being tested by some psychotic, skinned, faceless woman, and then they still have to study at night because they have an exam. But we also have a villain putting them through Saw-like tests all season.

What To Know About Pretty Little Liars’ New Villain

The Fallout From Original Sin May Not Be Over

The new Pretty Little Liars installment will see the titular teens try to put the ordeal of the Archie-focused Original Sin ending behind them. That’s easier said than done when they are being haunted by Bloody Rose Waters, who at least claims to be Archie’s mother. There’s a whole mythology around the character, and her goal will be to test every member of the core group. However, her true connection to Archie remains a question mark early on in the season, as it could be that this villain is simply stealing the name Rose Waters.

That core group — Bailee Madison as Imogen, Chandler Kinney as Tabby, Zaria as Faran, Malia Pyles as Mouse, Maia Reficco as Noa, and Mallory Bechtel as Kelly — are all set to reprise their central roles in the Pretty Little Liars reboot cast. The Max Original hasn’t made a secret of its horror influences, riffing on classics of the genre such as Halloween during Original Sin. With its potential Archie twist, Summer School echoes Scream 2, in which the angry mother of Billy Loomis emerges as the key villain.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School will welcome back Annabeth Gish in the role of Dr. Sullivan. Gish played the same character in the original Pretty Little Liars series, making her the first actor to crossover into the Max reboot. Given her experience in these matters, Dr. Sullivan could help the group figure out the newest villain’s terrorizing mystery.

Source: Entertainment Weekly