In the opening of “Scream VI,” we’re introduced to Laura Crane (Samara Weaving), a beautiful blonde professor who’s eagerly awaiting her online date at a swanky New York City restaurant. When she gets a text and then a phone call from her date, he explains how he’s become lost while trying to find the restaurant (a fairly relatable occurrence in NYC — I speak from experience), and coaxes Laura outside to try and help him find his bearings.
Once there, the man lures Laura into a dark alley, at which point his voice changes to the familiar Ghostface voice (Roger L. Jackson, returning to the role once again) before Ghostface himself emerges from the shadows and stabs Laura to death. Gloating over her dead body, Ghostface then does something even more unimaginable: he removes his mask, revealing himself to be one of Laura’s film studies students, Jason Carvey (Tony Revolori).
The scene continues, following Jason back to his dorm, pausing for a moment as Jason greets Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) on her way to a frat party. So far, it seems like the film is actually letting the audience in on Ghostface’s identity (or at least, one Ghostface — there are usually multiple killers) right in the first reel.
However, once Jason is in his dorm room, he receives a call from his partner, Greg, and it quickly becomes clear that the real Greg is already dead and Jason’s on the phone with yet another Ghostface. Sure enough, the film’s real Ghostface (or, again, one of them) pops out, stabbing Jason to death and concluding a clever rollercoaster of an opening.
