Wes Craven’s Scream rejuvenated the flailing slasher genre when it first premiered in the late ‘90s. But now, more than 25 years later, it continues to prove itself as one of the most creative and essential horror franchises. Scream has found tremendous success in its self-aware deconstruction of slasher movies, which has helped horror as a whole evolve into a smarter genre. Legacy sequels to beloved classic franchises have become the new normal—especially for horror films—but 2022’s Scream surpassed the audience’s expectations.

RELATED: 10 Times The New Scream Was The Best Sequel In The Series

Many have heralded the fifth entry in the Scream series as the strongest sequel and on par with the original. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a sixth entry in the horror franchise has just been announced for 2023. Oddly, Scream has never felt like it’s in better hands, but fans are already anxious for certain events to occur and characters to appear in Scream 6.

10 Sam Struggles With Her Dark Roots

Movies Scream 5 Sam Dewey Riley

Melissa Barrera's Sam Carpenter is positioned as the new lead in this modern Scream franchise, but her story quickly grows more compelling after it's revealed that she's the illegitimate daughter of Billy Loomis. Sam is haunted by visions of Billy throughout Scream as he tries to convince her they're not so dissimilar. 2022's Scream ends with Sam asserting agency over her situation, albeit in an especially vicious manner. One of the most exciting areas to explore in future Scream movies is Sam's ongoing mental state and if she's at risk of becoming more like her biological father.

9 The Return Of Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed

Kirby Reed shocked as the knife plunges into her in Scream 4

Scream 4 has been reclaimed as one of the stronger entries in the series and is very ahead of its time with its commentary on social media fame. Hayden Panettiere's Kirby Reed was one of the more popular characters in Scream 4 and her fate is left somewhat ambiguous by the movie's end. Fans were hopeful that Kirby might return in 2022's Scream, which doesn't exactly happen, yet the character's survival is at least confirmed through some clever YouTube Easter eggs. After this tease, it'd be incredibly satisfying to properly bring Kirby back into the fray in Scream 6.

8 More Footage From The Previous Stab Sequels

Movies Scream Stab Shower Scene

The Scream franchise prides itself on its ability to hold a meta mirror up to horror cinema, but there’s an extra level of reflexivity that’s present courtesy of the fictional “Stab” films that exist in the Scream universe.

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2022’s Scream confirms that there are now eight movies in the “Stab” franchise, but it’s largely footage from the original movie that gets featured. There’s so much to pull from with these sequels, especially since it’s set up that “Stab 5” involves time travel. Audiences are eager to get a taste of this meta madness.

7 Samara Weaving Gets To Face Off Against Ghostface

Samara Weaving's Grace Gets Ready To Turn The Tables In Ready Or Not

Samara Weaving is a phenomenal actress who’s slowly emerged as one of this decade’s most exciting scream queens after stunning performances in horror content like Mayhem, The Babysitter, Ash vs Evil Dead, and Radio Silence’s Ready or Not. Samara Weaving’s preexisting relationship with Scream’s directing duo had many hopeful that she’d show up in the 2022 sequel. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevented Weaving’s involvement, but now there’s the opportunity for her to have an even larger role in Scream 6. Samara Weaving would be the perfect choice for the upcoming movie’s opening kill.

6 An Evolution Of Its Critique Of The Horror Genre

Movies Scream 2022 Stab 8 Chrome Ghostface

The Scream movies are legitimately frightening and entertaining, but another reason they’re so beloved by genre fans is because of the way they critically deconstruct horror. The Scream movies have tackled the rules of slashers and the contrivances of sequels and trilogies, as well as the abundance of toothless horror remakes and reboots. 2022’s Scream specifically narrows in on the trend of “legacy sequels” and “requels,” while it also pokes fun at “elevated horror” and toxic fandom. Hopefully, Scream 6 will be able to push these prescient themes even further and say something new.

5 Dewey Riley Receives A Proper Tribute

Movies Scream 5 Dewey Header

Each new entry in the Scream franchise introduces many new characters (and potential suspects), but the core trio that’s helped take down Ghostface through all five films are Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley.

RELATED: 10 Ways Sidney Prescott Has Changed Since The Original Scream

2022’s Scream intentionally disrupts this status quo and takes out one of its “legacy characters” to prove that this sequel actually has stakes. It’s a bittersweet finish for David Arquette’s Dewey, but Gale implies that she wants to properly tell his story through her next book. Providing closure on this front as Gale finishes Dewey’s narrative would be very fulfilling.

4 Parker Posey’s Jennifer Jolie Gets Her Big Close-Up

Parker Posey's Jennifer Jolie mimics Courtney Cox's Gale in Scream 3

Scream 3 is often considered the weakest entry in the series, largely because of its shift away from brutal violence in exchange for broader humor. These comedic impulses don’t always work, but Parker Posey’s Jennifer Jolie finds the perfect tone for her performance, and it’s one of the movie’s highlights. Jennifer Jolie plays Gale Weathers in the “Stab” franchise, and her death in Scream 3 is one of the more tragic losses. Jennifer Jolie may be dead, but Scream 6 could cleverly bring Posey back through “Stab 2” footage. It’d be a delight to see some of Gale’s best moments from Scream 2 reinterpreted through Jennifer Jolie’s “Stab” performance.

3 Further Distancing Itself From Legacy Characters

Movies Scream 5 Syd Gale

2022’s Scream is a radical change of pace since it takes a significant amount of time until any familiar faces from the Scream series show up, and even then they play more supporting roles that help pass the torch over to the next generation of characters. 2022’s Scream ends on a cathartic note for Sidney and Gale where it feels like they might finally be able to move past the many tragedies of Woodsboro. With four figures from 2022’s Scream still alive at the end, there’s even less of a reason to put these legacy characters through more trauma.

2 A New Twist On The Ghostface Reveal

Ghostface holding a bloody knife in Scream

There are countless slasher films where a vicious killer in a mask causes mayhem, but the Scream movies, while violent, bear a lot more in common with mystery whodunnits. There is so much pressure put on the identity of Ghostface in each Scream movie and whether it’s a satisfying reveal that makes sense. The majority of the Scream films have turned to a “double killer” approach that allows this pair of lunatics to optimize their carnage. Scream fans have gotten progressively savvy to this twist and hopefully Scream 6 can do something different in this regard.

1 Justice For Stu Macher

Stu Macher from Scream points a gun off screen smiling maniacally.

2022’s Scream cleverly relitigates the franchise’s past as it builds a new future for itself. There’s a heavy focus on the original Woodsboro murders and the movie repeatedly reminds the audience that it was a joint effort by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher. Stu’s contributions get dismissed several times in 2022’s Scream, which briefly makes it seem as if the movie’s climax will involve justice for this forgotten character. Scream 3’s original plan was to bring back Stu in a shocking manner. It looks like Scream has moved past this premise, but it’d be nice if the new movie still finds a way to touch on Stu’s legacy.

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