Scream 6 directors address that “Ghostface with a shotgun” moment

The slasher sequel Scream 6 is scheduled to reach theatres on March 10th, and the trailer for the film (which is embedded above) features an unexpected moment in which the killer Ghostface murders a victim by shooting them with a shotgun. The killers in these movies usually hold a gun at some point in the running time, but this is the first time we’ve ever seen the masked Ghostface blasting away with a shotgun. Speaking with SFX Magazine (as reported by Digital Spy), directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who also directed the Scream movie that was released last year, addressed the shotgun moment.

Bettinelli-Olpin said, “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 added, “There are a ton of fun, wonderful, classic Ghostface moments, but it’s not the pratfalling Ghostface.” (Referencing the fact that Ghostface killers tend to be quite clumsy.)

And Bettinelli-Olpin finished up by saying, “We love (pratfalling Ghostface), 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.“

Scripted by Scream 2022 writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, this one will show us what happens when the four survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Those four survivors are the returning Scream 2022 characters played by Melissa Barrera (as Samantha Carpenter), Jenna Ortega (as Samantha’s sister Tara Carpenter), Mason Gooding (as Mindy’s brother Chad Meeks-Martin), and Jasmin Savoy Brown (as Mindy Meeks-Martin). They’re seeking to start a fresh chapter in New York City… but while the story is set in New York, the movie was filmed in Montreal.

Also in the cast are franchise regular Courteney Cox (as Gale Weathers), Scream 4 star Hayden Panettiere (as Kirby Reed), and new additions Dermot Mulroney as Detective Bailey, Samara Weaving as Laura, Tony Revolori as Jason, Liana Liberato as Quinn, Josh Segarra as Danny, Jack Champion as Ethan, and Devyn Nekoda as Anika. Henry Czerny is also in there, playing an unspecified role.

Notably missing is Neve Campbell, who was asked to reprise the role of franchise heroine Sidney Prescott in Scream 6, but passed on it due to a pay dispute.

Vanderbilt is producing Scream 6 with Paul Neinstein and William Sherak for Project X Entertainment. Original Scream screenwriter Kevin Willamson serves as executive producer alongside Chad Villella, Ron Lynch, Cathy Konrad, Marianne Maddalena, and Spyglass’s Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre.

Are you looking forward to Scream 6? What do you think of the idea of Ghostface using a shotgun? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.