‘Scream VI’ star Jenna Ortega proves she needs to direct a horror movie by sharing her ideal chase scene

When she isn’t busy strutting her stuff on the dance floor as Wednesday Addams or evading the Ghostface killer as Tara Carpenter, Jenna Ortega likes to spend her free time eating hot wings during interviews. Because who wouldn’t? And that’s exactly what she did with YouTube channel First We Feast for their Hot Ones segment, during which celebrities eat chicken wings (or cauliflower florets, in the case of vegan guests) in escalating order of sauce piquancy from mild to tongue-blasting, whilst answering a variety of questions from host Sean Evans about their personal lives, their careers, and their opinions on miscellaneous topics.

Before she started tucking in, Evans asked Ortega whether, if she ever had the opportunity, she would shoot a chase scene in a horror movie. And, more specifically, which techniques she would borrow that could elevate the scene. Proving to us all that she’s got the right idea (and should definitely be considered to direct a horror feature later down the line), Ortega gave a thorough and detailed explainer that breaks down her own interpretation of an effective chase sequence.

“For a good chase scene, that’s really difficult. I feel like you gotta have a good course, like the amount of rooms you run through. I think a good handheld shot is also really necessary for a good chase scene, because it makes it feel a lot more chaotic and [from] a bit more first-person view. I feel like it’s a bit more intense for the audience. But at least a couple of injuries, a couple of stabs here and there. And I also think a really powerful shot, and one of my favorite things to see in horror films is when you can see your heroine, your main character, then you can see the villain in the background.”

Could this be a hint at what’s to come for her Scream VI character? Tara Carpenter certainly had a time of it in Scream (2022), and plenty of ominous tweets from the official Scream Twitter account have led us to believe that things will get even tougher from here for the Carpenter sisters. We’re also seeing the return of fan-favorite Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) and even a newcomer in Ready or Not’s Samara Weaving, so Scream VI is gearing up to be a knock-out addition to the franchise. Even better, Ortega and Weaving even worked together on another horror flick a few years back, The Babysitter: Killer Queen.

On the Ortega front, Netflix’s Wednesday — starring Ortega as the lead — was recently renewed for a second season. Plus, she’ll be appearing in the crime-drama Finestkind, then in undisclosed roles for Miller’s Girl, Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall and an Untitled Trey Edward Shults film. We’re on the edge of our seat in anticipation for Ortega’s upcoming projects, and we’re only a week away from Scream VI making its theatrical debut on March 10, 2023.