The Scary Movie franchise has spent decades carving out its own unique space in pop culture, subverting the horror genre with unapologetic, laugh-out-loud parodies. With the highly anticipated return of the series in Scary Movie 6, the stakes for capturing both the horror and the humor are higher than ever. Temple of Geek recently sat down with Emmy-winning costume designer Ariyela Wald-Cohain to discuss the creative chaos, legal puzzles, and unpredictable genius required to dress one of comedy’s most iconic franchises. Reuniting to collaborate with Michael Tiddes and Marlon Wayans, building the world of Scary Movie 6 through costume, the importance of a strong crew, and more.
Reuniting with Michael Tiddes and Marlon Wayans
For Wald-Cohain, Scary Movie 6 represents more than just another horror-comedy project; it is a massive homecoming. The Scary Movie franchise was famously launched by the Wayans brothers (Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory) back in 2000, setting a gold standard for modern cinematic spoofs. Having previously worked with Marlon Wayans on projects like A Haunted House and NBC’s Marlon, Wald-Cohain is no stranger to their unique brand of comedic genius.
Q: What was the experience like reuniting with Michael Tiddes and Marlon Wayans and collaborating on Scary Movie 6?
I’ve worked with Mike and Marlon on quite a few projects already. I think it was my 6th collaboration with Marlon and 5th with Mike. You’re coming into something that’s so iconic. I was not involved with it when it started. Just jumping in and trying to preserve the iconic looks that everybody has come to grow up with and love. But then also making it current to keep the look of those characters. Unlike any other movie you come and design just by the script. We are spoofing all these other movies kind of dictated the storyline of Scary Movie. It was a really big puzzle to put these pieces together to make the story cohesive and believable.
Building the World of Scary Movie 6 Through Costume Design
World-building doesn’t just come from the script. It also is told through what a character wears. Costume Designers build worlds before single line of dialouge is spoken. Not by decorating a character but by dressing them in a way that makes the audience believe. No matter the genre, clothes speak just as loudly as words.
Q: What research or references did you take from past Scary Movie films that pays homage to the legacy characters while also allowing fans to meet them where they are now in Scary Movie 6?
To each character, I did a lot of research. Mostly basing off of Scary Movie 1 and 2, which were the Wayans brothers were involved. So it was watching the movies again, seeing what iconic looks or pieces were there. And trying to bring something back like easter eggs back into today in a more contemporary way and without being on the nose. Also, legally, we had to change things 30%. Taking those ideas and trying to realize where our characters are 20 years later. Now there are moms and adults minus Shorty cause he’s not really an adult. We also wanted to bridge the audience. It was really a dance between finding who they were, embedding the spoof movies and references, and then keeping a little bit of what they had from back then.
Q: What’s your process when it comes to building concepts boards for each character in Scary Movie 6?
My concept board wall was in front of my office in Atlanta and it was a whole wall. It was so big I needed to use the next wall. I don’t think I had so many references or boards for a movie ever. Each character has a board. Let’s just say Cindy, the reference of Laurie from Halloween. Then we had references from her past and then we had all the movies she was spoofing. I had a board for each characters for our main characters but then references from each movie we were spoofing to try and pull reference. There must’ve been almost 200 boards in front of my office.
One of the Challenging Costumes in Scary Movie 6
There are so many aspects that a costume designer has to look out for. Whether they need to buy an outfit or create one from scratch, each has its own level of challenge. That’s not something that only exists when working on a horror movie. It goes for any genre of Film or Television.
The Ghostface costume seems like a black robe you throw on, plus a mask. We knew he had to do a lot of stunts. Mike and I talked about elevating the cinematic visuals. I really wanted to give the fabric more depth and texture. We needed some sheen so it would pop at night. We were planning to do the flanges on the arm because we were spoofing Scream, and they cut their flanges. We really wanted ours to look aged and used. Still cinematic, but it still needs to look a little cheap. Cause the whole idea is that he just grabbed. We started breaking down how many robes we needed. I think we had to custom-make 28 roles. It was a challenge; it wasn’t overwhelming, but it was a lot of work and effort put into perfecting it. Getting the right fabric and right aging.
The Ultimate Takeaways are Teamwork and Networking
No costume designer does it all on their own. They have an incredible team behind them that helps bring the vision to life. When asked what she has learned throughout her journey in the industry, Wald-Cohain credits two major factors: her crew and her connections.
My own crew, my dress I designed for Teyana for the opening scene, was so fun. By the way, there’s not one piece of topstick on that dress. It was perfectly engineered. And I have to say my seamstress in Atlanta totally saved the day. The dresses were made in LA, and they came, and there were some issues. She busted her butt for two full days and figured it out. I wouldn’t have been able to get that dress on Teyana looking as amazing as it was without her. Your team is really there to help you. At the end of the day, help your work look good. So I really want to shout out my costume crew.
Finally, she left aspiring filmmakers with a vital piece of advice that she wishes someone had told her at the start of her career: never underestimate the power of networking. “Hold on to those relationships because that’s where your next job is gonna come,” Wald-Cohain advises. “People come and people go, but the people that you work with and you gel with and you think they’re good people and they’re creative, make a special effort to keep those connections even if it’s a few years in between.”
Scary Movie 6 had its biggest opening weekend in the history of the franchise and the first in the series to pass the $200 million mark. Go watch Scary Movie 6 before it leaves theaters.
