The horror genre has been experiencing a thrilling renaissance over the last decade or so. Many of the best horror movies returned to theaters during this time, including Halloween and Scream. The latter franchise has released two new movies in quick succession, coming from the filmmakers at Radio Silence. We’ve also seen a quartet of new characters take center stage, affectionately nicknamed the Core Four during Scream VI. And Jasmin Savoy Brown recently spoke to CinemaBlend regarding how she feels about Scream fans’ reaction to that group.
By the end of 2022’s Scream, four new characters had survived, and they happen to be two sets of siblings. Namely Sam and Tara Carpenter (played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega) and Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown). As you can see in the video above, I had the privilege of speaking with the latter actress about Scream VI’s arrival on digital platforms. I asked how it felt for the Core Four to be embraced by the franchise’s passionate fandom and she explained what it’s been like from the inside. In the Yellowjackets star’s words:
The first time around, the fifth film no one knew who we were. And so I think people were curious and a few were excited but for the most part I actually think some people were skeptical. Like ‘Don’t bring anyone new up in here. We have our Gale, our Dewey, and our Sidney and we’re happy.’ Fair.
Some points were made here. The fifth Scream movie marked the franchise’s return to theaters, and also carried with it the weight of the franchise as a whole. It was the first movie since the iconic Wes Craven died, and brought back the trio of original heroes in Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. They were the ones that fans were more excited to see, rather than the newcomers that populated Woodsboro. For you fans who are unaware, almost the entire franchise is currently available with a Paramount+ subscription, with the exception being Scream 4.
But the newcomers brought it to Scream 5, and four of them were lucky enough to survive and be brought back for the most recent slasher. Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy became an instant fan-favorite character, thanks to carrying Randy’s legacy on as the resident horror nerd. Later in our same conversation, the 29 year-old actress explained how the fan reaction changed ahead of Scream VI, sharing:
And then the second time around for us, the sixth film, people were really excited to see our characters, were excited to see us, excited to see what was going to happen and what we were going to do. And were really welcoming in allowing us to kind of take the mantle, specifically Sam, Melissa. It felt really nice to be embraced in that way and welcomed back. And this really is an incredible fandom. And I feel really lucky to be a part of it.
This embrace from the fans came at a great time, as Scream VI is a story that is ultimately about the Core Four, who are forced to once again ban together as a new Ghostface killer strikes in New York City. Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott was absent entirely, with other legacy characters including Gale and Kirby, played by Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere respectively.
The Core Four miraculously managed to survive Scream VI’s ending, so they should presumably all return if/when Paramount moves forward with a seventh flick. There hasn’t been any news from the studio, but Scream VI broke records for the franchise, so it seems inevitable. Hopefully the next movie will give Mindy her very own Ghostface call.
Scream VI is now available on Digital platforms and Paramount+ and arrives on 4K Ultra HD SteelBook, on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 11. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
