Scream 6 Interview: Directors on Past Kills They Want to Top

It isn’t easy topping past attack and kill scenes in the Scream franchise, but that’s what directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett set out to do in a certain respect. Scream VI sees the “Core Four,” Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Chad (Mason Gooding), and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy-Brown), in New York City instead of Woodsboro. As all Scream fans know, a new movie means new rules, but the Scream VI rules get an especially big twist courtesy of that big city location. The Scream VI production notes put a heavy emphasis on the filmmakers’ goal of adding some action to the franchise and upping the intensity of the set pieces in the process. At one point, Barrera even says, “We were terrified shooting this because it’s more violent and feels more intense than last time. The writers definitely took it to another level.” But what exactly does taking it to another level mean? What specific past kills and attack scenes were Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett trying to top? I asked them