Following the news that Scream 6 will feature four surviving characters from Scream 5, it seems the franchise may finally fix one of its biggest problems. Scream (2022) introduced a new group of teens for Ghostface to terrorize, along with bringing back familiar characters from the original 1996 film. Scream 5 saw the brutal murders of both new and old characters, including franchise stalwart Dewey Riley (David Arquette), reinforcing that nobody is ever truly safe in the meta-horror series.
The surviving newbies from Scream (2022) were its main protagonist, Sam (Melissa Barrera), her younger sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega), and Tara’s friends, Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding). Each of these characters has a connection to the original movie: Mindy and Chad are the niece and nephew of horror movie expert Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), while Sam was revealed to be the daughter of previous Ghostface Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). The actors who portray these four characters have all been confirmed to return to their roles for Scream 6, which implies that the story will continue to follow the troubled lives of these particular Woodsboro teens.
The announced return of the four surviving teens from Scream (2022) could solve a problem that the franchise has long since had in being overly dependent on its so-called “legacy characters.” The franchise has predominantly made Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) an important factor in its stories; even after she moves away from Woodsboro, she is often dragged back by her past. Yet the further away the franchise gets from the original movie, the harder it is to justify Sidney’s constant returns as the franchise’s lead character. In this way, making the survivors returning for Scream 6 the sole focus of the story would help solve this issue and end the Scream franchise’s over-reliance on the seemingly invincible Sidney and her enemy-turned-friend Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).
Scream (2022) made the return of Dewey, Gale, and Sidney part of the rules of the “requel” movie and used them sparingly as old-guard advisors to the younger characters. While it was nice to see these familiar characters again, Scream 5 rounded out their stories and brought them to what could be seen as a satisfying end. In this way, bringing back Gale and Sidney again for Scream 6 would feel like a cheap nostalgia play that wouldn’t serve either the original characters and rip the focus away from the franchise’s burgeoning new stars.
While the stories of the old characters may be played out, there is much to be explored in the stories of newer characters in Scream 6. As seen in other Scream sequels, surviving a Ghostface attack comes with its own baggage. The characters of Sam and Tara will have plenty to unpack as they try to maintain a relationship despite Sam’s parentage. Chad and Mindy also made for an entertaining duo, with Mindy, in particular, carrying on the nerdy traditions of her uncle and explaining the horror movie rules to the group.
Each of the actors who played the teens in Scream (2022) gave strong performances, and the characters have the potential to carry on the franchise without needing to lean on past characters anymore. Scream‘s latest group dynamic is charged with a youthful energy that speaks to a younger generation that the franchise is trying to reach but still follows the traditional whodunnit plot twists, which made Scream (2022) such a successful offering. As long as the four returning actors bring that same energy to Scream 6, the franchise can move forward with confidence and allow the original characters to step aside gracefully.
