Home Interviews ‘Scream VI’: Melissa Barrera On the Audience Reaction to Sam in ‘Scream 5’

Will viewers still be “unsure” of Sam after ‘Scream VI’?

As though headlining a new installment of a beloved franchise isn’t hard enough, Melissa Barrera had to convince longtime fans that Scream 2022’s Sam Carpenter was the daughter of Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and had visions of the OG Ghostface killer. Throughout the film, Sam does what she can to keep her “inner Billy” under control, but in order to save her sister (Jenna Ortega) and her friends, she needs to tap into that Billy Loomis bloodlust and stab Richie (Jack Quaid) — stab him a lot.

In the Scream VI production notes, there’s a quote from Barrera that states, “Some people are really into her and some people are unsure because they don’t know if she’s going to turn.” That’s precisely where a character like that should be at the end of a film where she’s the hero who must embrace her serial killer father’s instincts in order to save the day. It’s a complex situation that leaves you wondering, can Sam continue to only use that bloodlust to stop Ghostface killers or does she run the risk of being too heavily influenced by her father?
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Barrera set the necessary foundation for such a character in Scream 2022, and now she absolutely soars exploring that inner turmoil further in Scream VI.

Image via Paramount

When the other Scream 2022 survivors — Tara, Chad (Mason Gooding), and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy-Brown) — relocate to New York City for college, Barrera’s Sam opts to go with them with the goal of doing whatever it takes to keep her sister safe. Sure enough, Sam’s put to the test when another Ghostface emerges and tries to eliminate the Woodsboro survivors and then some.

With the movie hitting theaters on March 10th, I got the chance to catch up with Barrera and opted to ask her about the aforementioned quote and the response to Sam. Here’s what she said when asked if that response influenced her work in Scream VI and what she’s most looking forward to folks who are “unsure” of Sam experiencing in the new movie:

“Listen, there’s nothing I can do about people’s opinions and everyone has a right to have their own opinion, so I’m just gonna keep doing my job that I love to do, and those that are in for it, cool, and those that don’t, I mean, I’m sorry. But I feel like it is what it is coming into a franchise that’s so beloved and has such a history, and the fans have such ownership of the material and the characters and all of that. And I’m just happy to get to share a little bit more of Sam in this next installment and keep playing with people that I love and keep this story going.”

Image via Paramount

As I noted in my social media reaction to the movie, Barrera is a major standout. Not only does she continue to explore the complexity of Sam’s situation in a highly tense and engaging way, but that exploration is also key to keeping things fresh and giving Scream VI (and the new films overall) a unique feel.

You can catch Barrera back on the big screen as Sam Carpenter when Scream VI hits theaters on March 10th. Also, be sure to check out the full non-spoiler portion of my conversation with Barrera and Ortega in the video at the top of this article.