After just over a decade, the knife-wielding terror of Ghostface is back courtesy of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, with the pair eager to return for more meta-based murder and masked mayhem. In a recent interview with Variety, Bettinelli-Olpin discusses the enjoyable experience that both he and Gillett had while making Scream, declaring that they would be “crazy” not to want to return to the slasher series for Scream 6.

“The whole experience has been such like a family experience, with the cast with the crew with the producer. Not to be corny, but it’s been a love fest, and I think we’d be crazy not to want to continue it.”

Scream, the fifth installment in the horror franchise, picks up some twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, California. A new killer emerges and dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past. Scream is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a script written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. The sequel stars Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, and Jack Quaid, alongside Marley Shelton, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell, who reprise their roles from previous installments.

The Critical Response to Scream Could Lead to a Sixth Movie

Following the same meta-approach that has made the Scream franchise so popular, both critics and audiences alike have so far responded with applause to the revival of Ghostface and his violent ways. The movie is currently sitting at an impressive 75% on Rotten Tomatoes (with audiences finding even more to love about the movie and scoring it 84%), with reviews praising Scream for its “meta edge” and concluding that the sequel succeeds “surprisingly often.”

So popular has the fifth Scream movie been in fact, that Scream 6 has already begun trending on social media, with fans of the slasher series hoping that Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will come back for more and continue to honor the legacy of Wes Craven with further sequels.

Of course, the finances will also have a huge impact on whether Scream 6 gets the green light, and thankfully the situation is looking promising there too. Scream has so far grossed over $30 million, debuting at number one, and knocking the monumental hit that is Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home off the top spot.

Whisper of more installments in the Scream franchise beyond the fifth outing have been circulating for some time, with returning star Courteney Cox describing this year’s Scram as a "new franchise" rather than a straight-up reboot or sequel. "This is the fifth one... it's not Scream 5, though," Cox explained. "This is Scream. The directors are incredible, they're making it absolutely...it's a new franchise... It's hip. It's scary. It's just a new Scream. It's not a reboot, it's not a remake, it's just a brand-new launch. I think it's gonna be fantastic."

Scream was theatrically released in the United States on January 14, 2022, by Paramount Pictures.