Scream 6 will be “more gory” and more “violent” than ever, says Jenna Ortega

The sixth installment of the Scream franchise is set to begin production this summer for a planned 2023 release, and according to returning star Jenna Ortega, fans can expect a bloodbath of epic proportions in Woodsboro.

“Ghostface gets a lot more intimidating,” Ortega told Entertainment Tonight. “I just read part of the script, and it just gets more and more gory. I think that this is probably the most aggressive and violent version of Ghostface we’ve ever seen, which I think will really be fun to shoot.”

The iconic slasher series was first introduced in the 1990s by the master of murderous, masked attackers himself: Wes Craven. The gleefully gory tone of the original movies skewered popular culture’s obsession with violence (and cemented Matthew Lillard a a first-rate scene stealer). Over two decades later, the story recaptured the popular imagination after the franchise made a wildly successful return to theaters with a fifth installment in January, dethroning Sony juggernaut Spider Man: No Way Home from the top box office spot. A Scream 5 sequel was already given the greenlight by the end of the films’ first weekend in theaters.

“What I love about horror is that it’s pure entertainment, so I think that there’s a lot of pressure that’s released on set because everybody is there to just give everybody a good time,” Ortega said. “I think that you have some of the most fun, I guess ballsy experiences because you’re expressing yourself the best you possibly can to give people that rush of adrenaline.”

Ortega will be joined by fellow returning cast members Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and new faces like Dermot Mulroney. The newest film will also bring back one of the series’ classic character, with Courtney Cox returning as Gale Weathers. Scream 4 standout Hayden Panettiere will reprise her role as Ghostface survivor Kirby Reed.

“I’m not even going to try to touch on it,” Ortega told ET when asked about Panettiere’s return. “She has been one of my favorite characters in the franchise for a long time so the fact that her character gets to come back and redeem herself is really exciting.”