Like the film franchise itself, MTV’s Scream series tends to divide and conquer. Many viewers appreciated the melding of jump-scares and gore with cryptic clues and teenage drama the show perpetuated. Others weren’t as taken with Scream’s formula or its alterations to the classic Ghostface mask.

However, audience response was clearly enough to warrant the network order another season of the horror series. Thanks to MTV's push for scripted series, fans are now gearing up for the sequel, if you will, set to roll out this May.

Today, MTV released a new trailer (watch it above), featuring Emma Duval’s (Willa Fitzgerald) return to Lakewood. It opens with a recap of the first season’s reveal (SPOILER warning for those who need to catch up). After spending time recuperating out of town, our heroine returns to her hopefully peaceful community of Lakewood. She’s welcomed back by a gaggle of her remaining friends, imploring them to treat her normally and “not start acting weird” towards her. Obviously, the ruse of normalcy doesn’t last long.

Scream Season 2 Trailer: Welcome Back Horror Fans

Soon after her arrival, the menacing phone-voice begins tormenting last season’s red-herring/ accomplice, Audrey (Bex-Taylor Klaus), to her genuine surprise. As suspicions seem to mount against the co-conspirator, she goes from hunter to hunted, warning Noah (John Karna) “that movie’s over, roll the f---ing credits.” Noah’s research has also uncovered that legendary spree killer Brandon James had a brother named Troy. And, as events reveal a new killer stalking Lakewood, Noah conducts the customary postmodern dialogue, a la Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) from the Scream trilogy, saying: “were starting act two.” The final scene from the trailer teases Emma wearing the redesigned mask, twisting her words into the telephonic voice modulator.

Although the first season of Scream had its detractions, it also strung together a decent mystery plot and kept the general spirit of the films alive. The second season will hopefully raise the stakes and continue upping the ante for both the characters and the viewers. And with the trailer giving us a sneak peek at some of the new cast members, there will be plenty of potential suspects and victims to stoke the fires for another season of whodunits.

As fans of the film series (and horror lore) understand, the sequel always means a larger body count and more inventive deaths. Hopefully, unlike Scream 2’s convoluted plot which yielded an unsatisfying payout, Scream’s second season will use shows like Dexter and Hannibal as exemplars and build upon the pre-existing tension without sacrificing the characterization that made the first season enjoyable.

Scream season 2 will premiere on MTV at 10/9c on Tuesday, May 31, 2016.

Source: MTV