Scream VI’s Killer Twist Was Not Part of the Original Script

This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Scream VI.

The Scream franchise has always had a strong theme of family running through its bloody veins, especially when it comes to the unmasking of its killer or killers. From the original Wes Craven movie, the Ghostface killers have always had a personal motive for their gruesome rampages, mostly being on a mission of vengeance for dead family members. For that reason it seems obvious that Scream VI would unmask a killer with some relationship to the past movies of the franchise. As it turns out though, that reveal was not always planned as it turned out.

The Scream movies have always managed to pull a twist regarding their killer revealed, even if eagle-eyed and well-seasoned horror buffs can usually work it all out in advance, and for Scream VI this turns out to be a trio of killers doing the rounds in New York in the form of the father, brother and sister of Scream (2022) killer, Ritchie Kirsch. However, according to writer Guy Busick, the full reveal was never part of the initial story pitch. He told Entertainment Weekly:

“We just knew it was going to be a family, a secret family, and they had a slightly different motive for coming after Sam. The motive of the killers in the last film is very intellectual – it’s more about an idea about toxic fans feeling that their franchise has fallen on hard times and ‘we have to get it back on track,’ and they’re taking it so far. But it’s very intellectual, it’s very esoteric, and we wanted something really primal. It had to be more personal. That’s when we found the Richie piece and we were like, ‘Oh, that’ll be fun, because it ties all the way back into our first movie together and it tells one big story.'”

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Scream VI Has Broken Records for the Long-Running Franchise

While there was a lot of trepidation about the return of Scream in 2022, as the first movie without original creator Wes Craven and coming so long after Scream 4, the box office results were enough to encourage a sixth movie to be put into production almost immediately. Now the arrival of Scream VI, which comes with the first switch in location for the horror series, has proven that there is certainly plenty of appetite for more Ghostface outings as the movie scored the highest opening weekend of the franchise.

This has already instigated talk of another Scream movie heading into theaters soon. There are still many questions to be asked in relation to the franchise continuing, such as whether Neve Campbell would return following the pay dispute that saw her depart Scream VI. There have already been plenty of theories online about where the franchise could go next, and even some suggestions that there was a fourth killer in that has not been unmasked and could become the sole assailant in a follow up. Of course, all of that is up to a large number of people to decide, and those decisions don’t always come quickly. However, with Scream VI slashing down the competition at the box office, and reviews being mostly positive, it would not be the biggest surprise to see another Scream movie announcement being made soon.