There’s lots of love about Scream VI, but trust me when I tell you, The Core Four will grab hold of your heart and send stress soaring as Ghostface threatens to tear the group apart.

The sixth installment of the franchise picks up soon after the events of Scream 2022. When Tara (Jenna Ortega), Chad (Mason Gooding), and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) make the move to New York City for college, Melissa Barrera’s Sam relocates with them so that she can do whatever it takes to keep her sister and friends safe. When a new Ghostface killer emerges and threatens to kill off the Scream 2022 survivors one by one, one of their greatest weapons winds up being their familial bond. Cheesy, yes, but the film earns it, especially because of the earnestness with which Chad creates “The Core Four” and the heart he puts into fighting to keep it together.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY
Gooding’s work as Chad Meeks-Martin in Scream 2022 was on point. He rocked unforgettable scene presence and stellar chemistry with his on-screen twin, Brown, but the heart and warmth he shows off in Scream VI is on another level.

Image via Paramount

With the new movie hitting theaters this weekend, I got the chance to chat with Gooding and Brown so opted to ask Gooding what he thinks makes Chad in particular the glue that binds and if he ever realized the character had that quality back when making Scream 2022. Here’s what he said:

“I think it’s why he enjoys a sport like football. I think he’s just a team player. I think something admirable about Chad is how willing to cooperate and listen to the women in his life [he is] and sort of allow that to guide him in, I guess in this case, navigating a murderer. But for Chad specifically, I think he enjoys being a part of a family and something greater. It’s why he loves his sister so much, but it’s also why he tries to bring in and be there for the people he cares about.”

One of Scream VI’s greatest assets is the emphasis it puts on family — whether it’s the family you’re born into or the one you create along the way. Expertly crafted attack and kill scenes can be exhilarating, but when they’re backed by a deep attachment to characters you desperately want to see live, the tension spikes, and “The Core Four” plays a major role in keeping that tension sky-high from start to finish.

You can feel the power of The Core Four for yourself when Scream VI makes its way into theaters on Friday, March 10th. Be sure to check out the full non-spoiler portion of my conversation with Gooding and Brown in the video at the top of this article, and you can also watch the non-spoiler half of my interview with Ortega and Barrera below: