This installment really calls into question our commitment to idolatry, and even our obsession with true crime as a society. What do you think makes the Ghostface persona so enticing to those who don the mask?
Gillett: This came from talking to the previous cast, I think Neve [Campbell] told us that, “We always treated it a little bit like he’s a superhero.” I think that’s also true in the movie, that Ghostface is putting on a cape, almost. You’re a little bit otherworldly. You don’t quite play by the rules of normal people. Which is why, again, at the end of these movies, when people take off the masks, those rules shift a little bit. There’s just something so enticing about it. It’s so scary and it’s so cool. And at this point, it’s become so iconic and such a part of all of our lives.
But you feel that in the movies, too, when you’re watching them, that whoever’s doing it feels empowered by it. There’s something really cool about that. There’s also something just naturally terrifying about — and maybe there’s more of this in our lives now with social media — but the terror of anonymity, that you can behave in a different way if your identity is concealed. That, to us, is just really evergreen. Obviously in an analog sense, wearing the mask, certainly there are a lot of instances of that now in different ways. But it’s a really interesting and scary thing to continue to play with and unpack in these movies.
He’s basically the anti-Bruce Wayne, in a way. He’s got a little bit of a Bruce Wayne thing going on. He puts the mask on, he’s a new dude. And they’re both in New York technically. It’s like Bruce Wayne, move over.
Bettinelli-Olpin: Shared universe?
Yeah, right, exactly! Listen, I’m giving you so many ideas. You were right to name me as EP on the next one. Good move, guys.
“Scream 6” is in theaters now.
