Will the recent “Scream VI” online leaks ruin the film, or is it all propaganda?
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Will the recent “Scream VI” online leaks ruin the film, or is it all propaganda? by Stephen Ford
The latest installment in arguably the greatest slasher franchise of all time, “Scream VI”, prepares for its big screen debut on March 10, 2023. Based on the success of its predecessor, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet have returned for a second go, and have seemingly reinvented the infamous Ghostface killer.
But with the alleged ending scene of the film being leaked on Twitter just ahead of its release, revealing who the killer is, fans are now asking if it’s fake. And if not, how will this affect the surprise, “guess who” element that has been a dominant aspect across all of the films? While I am no fan of spoilers in any capacity, my curiosity got the best of me and I now know who the alleged killers are in the new film. That won’t stop me from going to the theaters to experience the ride, but that may not be true for the rest of the die-hard fans out there.
Jenna Ortega of Netflix’s “Wednesday,” returns for “Scream VI” and has been quoted saying that the new Ghostface will be “the most aggressive and violent Ghostface we’ve ever seen.” Even in the recent trailers, Ghostface himself says, “There’s never been one like me” and “I’m something different.” This ultimately raises the stakes for who could possibly be behind the mask.
Looking back, we have already seen the killers stalk the main character Sidney (played by Neve Campbell) as many different characters. Ultimately, the killers have been unmasked to be her boyfriend, friend, half-brother, cousin and even unknown fans of hers throughout the decades since its onset. Considering that Campbell has officially announced her departure from the film due to unfair payment offers last year, which direction can they take the killer in now?
Super fans of franchise have already voiced serious frustration over the last several months due to Campbell’s leaving the film, after already being written in. However more recently, fans are now in an uproar due to a leak of the final scene posted on twitter. Spoiler Alert. The leaks have revealed that a family member of one of the original killers, posing as a detective, alongside a new character as his accomplice, will be the new killer. Or are they?
Back in the late 90’s, legendary director Wes Craven, who directed “Scream” until its fourth installment, was worried that the plot of “Scream 2” could possibly be leaked and spoiled before its release. Therefore he leaked several versions of fake scripts to skew the narrative.
Additionally “Scream” (2022) leaked alternate scenes and filmed alternate endings, to make it more obscure who the killer was. Guessing the killer has become an iconic trait, and makes the movie experience fun and thrilling. Is it possible that Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillet have leaked a false ending to throw everyone off? I sure hope so. In the age of social media, AI and cloud hacking, I would imagine that it would be much more difficult to spoil a film with a budget of 35 million. Never once have I, nor many hardcore Scream-heads, had a clue to who the killer was in each film due to incredible writing and plot twists. If the leaks are real, “Scream VI” will have failed miserably for this fact alone.
For over a decade, original “Scream” killer Stu Macher, played by Matthew Lillard, has been rumored and demanded for a return to the franchise. He himself has said that he was originally written into the script for “Scream 3.” And on a poster for the latest film, depicting a city train station route that in whole creates a ghostface mask, each station is named after a pivotal character in the story. Stu Macher’s name is featured as well. How iconic would it be if the ending leaks were indeed staged, and Lillard returns as the killer? I can tell you that I would be all the way here for it. After all, could being electrocuted by a TV really kill someone, or could he be written back into action?
Little about the plot of “Scream VI” has been released, other than a huge location change to New York, and the return of some newer characters. How the film will deal with the absence of Campbell leaves much to scrutiny. Also, trailers have shown new dimension to Ghostface. For one, unalike any films before, he is shown attacking in broad daylight and in public areas with onlookers there to capture it. He also uses a shotgun in a seemingly gag-worthy kill-scene, making him most likely the first to bring a knife to a gunfight and win.
Fans online have already begun making compare and contrast videos spotting subtle discrepancies in trailer stills, which leaves hope for alternate scenes and endings. The franchise totals well over 700 million in sales worldwide, and the original was the highest grossing slasher film of all time until 2018’s “Halloween.” Whether the recent leak will help or hurt the film won’t be known until the movie comes out. But one thing is for sure: “Scream VI” either way, will definitely be a scary success.
