Melissa Barrera reveals what she hopes will happen in Scream 6, saying the upcoming slasher could explore her character Sam's darker side. Earlier this year, the fifth installment in the iconic horror series - simply titled Scream - brought life back to the long-running saga with a fresh premise and an intriguing cast of newcomers. The new Scream was the first box office hit of 2022, earning $137.5 million worldwide and positive reviews from fans and critics. As a result, work has already begun on a Scream 6, which will bring back new directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Production is slated to begin this summer.
Most details about Scream 6 are still being kept under wraps, including what the story will be and who will be a part of it. However, it seems likely that it will revisit the surviving characters from the 2022 film, which includes Barrera's Sam Carpenter. The de facto Sidney Prescott of the new generation, Sam found herself confronting both a Ghostface and her past in Scream, and her ties to the original characters made her someone to watch. As Scream revealed fairly early on, Sam is actually the illegitimate daughter of original Ghostface Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), who has long been her biggest demon.
With Sam still alive and in a vastly different place than where she began, Scream 6 has some major potential when it comes to where it could take her character. In an interview with Comic Book Movie in honor of the Scream home release, Barrera opened up about her wishes for the sequel. Barrera couldn't completely confirm her return, but she did say it would be "amazing" and that she has ideas for what could happen with Sam. She said:
"I don't know, I feel like there's so much that could happen with Sam. Without giving any spoilers, but with how the movie ends and this side of her that she embraces at the end of this movie. I feel like there's so much to explore with her and it could be a very interesting journey as an actor to explore that duality of the character and her embracing a little bit of the dark side. I don't know. It's exciting!"
Spoilers ahead for the 2022 Scream ending: Sam comes away victorious in the final battle against the two Ghostfaces, but the win comes with a whole lot of violence. Egged on by the visions she sees of Billy, Sam is the one to take out one of the Ghostface killers, stabbing them over and over. That's what Barrera was hinting at when she alluded to the darker side of Sam's character; now that she's dipped her toes into violence, what does that mean for her going forward? That could be a particularly interesting arc for Scream 6, and it would differentiate her even more from fellow final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell).
It also seems likely that Scream 6 could answer the question of who Sam's mom is. The 2022 movie left her identity a big question mark, only mentioning her in relation to Sam and her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega). If Scream 6 is going all in on Sam's ever-twisting characterization, it stands to reason that it will also go back to her past. There are many possibilities about where this sequel where go, and only time will tell which direction the creative team chooses to go in.
Source: Comic Book Movie