Even though it's a new week, horror fans and the internet at large are still recovering from the insane Scream VI trailer that was released last Thursday. The new footage teased the possible suspects, red herrings, and thrilling Ghostface-filled horror overtaking New York City. That’s what we’ve come to expect from a Scream movie by now. However, what long-time franchise fans didn’t expect to see was a darker and more brutal take on this meta slasher universe. Now, with Scream VI coming out in March, a new promo for the trailer makes everyone the killer while raising even more questions.
The new promo featured on the official Scream Instagram page has cast members Melissa Barrera (Sam), Jenna Ortega (Tara), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy), and Mason Gooding (Chad). Counting down to the trailer. However, that’s not all as it also sees Barrera, Ortega, Brown, and Gooding alongside their fellow suspects Courteney Cox (Gale), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby), and Josh Segarra (David) doing the iconic Ghostface knife slash. It’s very reminiscent of Scream 2022’s character posters that had the entire cast holding Ghostface’s mask up as if they were the killer themselves.
While this is another fun marketing ploy from Paramount and the Scream team, this promo doesn’t just frame everybody as a suspect. It reinforces a fan-favorite character as a prime suspect. That would be Tara. Upon further inspection, everyone but Tara is holding the same silver knife. Her knife is mysteriously pitch black. As fans know by now nothing is done by accident in the Scream universe. Given that there’s one shot in the trailer that sees Tara apparently smiling menacingly at the camera, the character has a lot of explaining to do.
Now this could all just be one big red herring (it most likely is) as this would completely recontextualize the events of the fifth film, but Tara would make for a compelling Ghostface. She already has a sound motive with her sister Sam leaving her for five years before the events of Scream 2022. Even though she forgave Sam by the end of that film, what if she didn’t? What if that was all a part of her game? Every sequel Ghostface has been a new character whether it be Mrs. Loomis in Scream 2 or Jill in Scream 4. Scream VI is the first film in the franchise where more than just Sidney, Gale, or Dewey carry over from the last installment. It would be interesting to see Ghostface be a returning character. Especially since Sam and Tara’s complex relationship has a lot of unexplored trauma.
The darker setting and Batcave looking shrine of Ghostface seen in the trailer feels like it's setting up a returning character dawning the famous killer's mask. Whether it be Tara, Sam, Kirby, Gale, Mindy, Chad or none of them at all, this Ghostface is going to be the most deadly to date. Horror films set in New York just hit differently and the stakes of this franchise have never been higher. You can start your suspect list with the new trailer promo down below. Scream VI terrorizes the streets of NYC and theaters everywhere on March 10.