Jasmin Savoy Brown on Scream VI slice'n up the Big Apple
Glenn Cochrane
STACK Senior Editor
Once considered to be just another entry into the teen slasher genre, Scream has proven to be one of the most enduring franchises of them all.
After a 12-year gap between the fourth and fifth instalments, the series made a triumphant return in 2022 - and now, Scream VI has become the highest-grossing entry at the US domestic box office. While honouring the legacy of series creator, the late Wes Craven (who passed away in 2015), the film also takes the franchise to new horizons.
Speaking with STACK, actress Jasmin Savoy Brown reflects on the movie’s success, attributing much of it to the New York setting.
“I think going to New York gave the franchise the opportunity for a lot more intense scares,” she enthuses. “New York City has millions of people in it, so it multiplies the chances of running into Ghostface by so much. Who could be Ghostface? Where could he be hiding? And because of that, the kills are more intense, the chase scenes are intense, and we definitely felt that. “And,” she adds, “we were really excited to explore the character of New York.”
One of the movie’s most divisive aspects, the absence of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, is also one of its advantages. Although Campbell’s character has been integral to every chapter of the series so far, the actress’s decision to step aside has given the story a new energy, allowing other characters to shine - notably Courteney Cox, who has become the series’ matriarch.
“I love Courteney,” says the greener actress, without hesitation. “She’s really fun. We didn’t really spend much time with her on the fifth film, but on this one she had us over for dinners, she was checking in on us. And actually,” she adds, with a sense of honour, “she was one of the first people I told about the person I was dating. She really had a front row seat to the beginning of that relationship. It’s really nice, because she’s been able to offer advice, and we’ve gotten close.”
There are few franchises that can not only reach a sixth instalment but have it be the highest earning of the lot.
“It’s insane! I think I’m always surprised when something does well,” Savoy Brown admits with self-deprecating amusement. “But also, I’m not surprised, either. Because it’s a really great film, and so much love went into it, from top to bottom. We had the most hardworking and incredible crew.”
Given her chilling role in the runaway hit TV series Yellowjackets, most fans will be shocked to learn that she’s not a die-hard fan of the genre.
“Not really,” she admits when asked whether she’s a horror type of person. “I appreciate a couple of horror movies, but images stay in my head, and so I try to watch things like musicals and comedies.”
Scream time!
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