Scream VI filmmakers take us behind the scenes of 'shocking' first kill

Warning: This post contains spoilers about Scream VI.

Scream VI directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin admit to being a tad taken aback when they read the script for the just-released slasher sequel, especially by the opening sequence, which had been concocted by screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.

"Obviously, it was the first thing we read when we read the script," says Gillett. "There is a standard that's been set by these movies that the opening, as its own little contained short film, has to achieve something really specific, and set the tone for the rest of the movie, and also has to live up to what exists as the openings in the lineage of this franchise. This one for us was the most surprising and shocking."

Philippe Bossé/Paramount Pictures Ghostface in 'Scream VI.'

In the sequence, Australian actress Samara Weaving plays Laura, an associate professor of film studies who teaches a course in 20th-century slashers. Weaving's character is lured into a Manhattan alleyway and stabbed to death by Ghostface. In a seeming break with Scream tradition, we almost immediately learn that the killer is one of Laura's students, portrayed by The Grand Budapest Hotel actor Tony Revolori, although the character is, in turn, murdered by another Ghostface.

"It just felt like, oh, we are going to take some chances with this," says Gillett. "And if the audience is onboard, then they are going to be on board for the rest of the movie. At the end of the day, I think that's the goal of the opening. How far can you push it? How far can you push the guard rails and hopefully set up a wild set of expectations for the audience with the movie moving forwards."

Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin had previously worked with Weaving on the 2019 horror-comedy hit Ready or Not.

"We've been trying to work with Samara since Ready or Not," says Gillett. "We knew that she'd be incredible as Laura, so that was an easy choice to make."

"We love her so much," says Bettinelli-Olpin. "It was so lovely to have her come and hang out; it was like old times. One of my favorite things is that she asked, "Do you guys mind if I use the Australian accent?" We're like, no, that would be great. We were talking to her at some point while we were shooting, and she said that this character is the closest she's ever played to herself, where it's kind of dorky and nerdy. She brought so much because she's only in the movie for five minutes, and she has to do so much in those five minutes; you have to fall in love with her. You have to get scared when she goes into the alley. It takes like a real f---ing pro like Samara to be able to do that."

According to the directors, the casting of Revolori was also an easy decision to make.

"There was never any other option other than Tony either," says Gillett. "He's one of those characters that, with just the slightest adjustment in his expression, what is a friendly face can become something really sinister. He's really good at walking that line."

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