Editor’s note: More than two decades after audiences first met the characters of the Scary Movie franchise, costume designer Ariyela Wald-Cohain faced the challenge of bringing them into a new era while preserving the elements fans remember. In an interview with HorrorBuzz’s Alix Kingray, the veteran designer discusses collaborating with director Michael Tiddes and the Wayans team, reimagining Ghostface’s signature robe, and balancing nostalgia with fresh visual storytelling in Scary Movie 6.
Alix: Prior to designing for the Scary Movie reboot, you costume designed both Insidious: Chapter 3 and Sinister 2. What draws you to this horror space?
Ariyela: I designed the costumes for Insidious 3 which was a blast. I designed the reshoots for Sinister because I had an existing relationship with the director. I’ve always loved the magic of filmmaking and storytelling, and horror is a genre that really allows you to play in that space between reality and fantasy.
What I love most is creating a world that asks the audience to suspend their disbelief while still feeling grounded enough for them to connect emotionally with the characters. The costumes help build that balance supporting the atmosphere and visual language of the film while keeping the story relatable and human.
Alix: What was your collaborative process like working with director Michael Tiddes? What did those early design conversations look like between you two?
Ariyela: This was my fifth collaboration with Mike Tiddes, and at this point we have a great shorthand. Mike trusts me, which allows our conversations to stay focused on the creative. One of many reasons he is wonderful to work with is because he makes decisions quickly and really understands the needs and process of the costume department.
One of our first conversations on Scary Movie 6 was about the legacy characters. We were meeting these iconic characters more than 20 years after audiences last saw them, so the question became: who are they now? How have they evolved, and how do we introduce new characters while still paying homage to the originals?
Mike was also focused on elevating the cinematic feel of the film. We talked a lot about creating a visual world that could connect with multiple generations at the same time: honoring the nostalgia that longtime fans have for the franchise while making it feel fresh and relevant for a new audience.
We spent the first few weeks redesigning Ghostface’s robe. Our goal was to preserve the nostalgia and instant recognizability of the iconic silhouette while giving it a more lived-in, substantial, and cinematic feel. We wanted it to feel like a real garment that existed in the world of the film rather than simply a costume, adding texture, weight, and history while still honoring the original design audiences know and love.
A surprising amount of the process came down to proportions. We spent weeks refining the shape and scale of the hood, the length and volume of the sleeves, the draped sleeve details, and the relationship between the hood and the mask. Even small adjustments to the hood-to-mask ratio could dramatically change the character’s presence on screen.
Fabric selection was equally important. We tested numerous options before landing on one that had just the right amount of sheen and texture. We needed a fabric that would catch light in dark environments, create dimension on camera, and move in a cinematic way. The robe had to feel eerie and iconic when standing still, but also come alive in motion, becoming part of the character’s visual storytelling.
Alix: Can you share with us a bit more about your creative process when designing for a film like Scary Movie 6? How do you balance paying homage to the earlier films in the franchise, while also bringing your own unique style and interpretation to the characters?
Ariyela: The creative process for Scary Movie 6 really started with asking a simple question: who are these characters now? We are meeting many of these iconic characters more than 20 years after audiences last saw them, so before I could think about clothing, I had to think about their journeys. Have they evolved? Have they completely unraveled after decades of surviving horror movies? Or, in some cases, have they stayed exactly the same?
Balancing homage with originality was at the heart of every design decision. Audiences have a strong emotional connection to these characters, so it was important to preserve the visual DNA that made them instantly recognizable. At the same time, we didn’t want the costumes to feel like replicas or nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. The goal was to evolve the characters in a way that felt authentic to where they would realistically be today.
What made Scary Movie 6 especially unique is that the characters are constantly dropping into worlds inspired by other films. Every costume had to work on multiple levels at once. We needed audiences to instantly recognize the horror reference being parodied, sometimes within seconds, while still making the costume feel true to the character wearing it. Shorty still had to feel like Shorty,only now he seems to have an elevated taste for fashion, Ray still had to feel like Ray, even when they suddenly found themselves inside a completely different horror universe.
My own style tends to be grounded in character and storytelling. I always start with who the person is emotionally and build outward from there. Whether it’s an elaborate parody costume or a simple everyday look, I want the audience to believe the character is wearing the clothes, not the other way around. On Scary Movie 6, that approach helped us honor the legacy of the franchise while creating a fresh visual language that feels cinematic, contemporary, and connected to a new generation of viewers.
Alix: You’ve previously worked with Marlon Wayans on his own series, Marlon. What has it been like to continue this working relationship and design for him on a project with such a different tone and story?
Ariyela: Scary Movie 6 was my sixth collaboration with Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez, which has made this creative partnership especially rewarding. Over the years we’ve worked together on A Haunted House, A Haunted House 2, Fifty Shades of Black, Naked, Marlon on NBC, and now Scary Movie 6.
Marlon is one of those rare people who lights up a room the moment he walks in. He’s incredibly focused on his craft, unbelievably funny, and genuinely kind-hearted. Working in comedy is always an adventure because the material is constantly evolving. Some of the best ideas happen at the last minute, which means you have to be nimble, creative, and ready for anything.
Rick is an equally wonderful collaborator. He truly appreciates all the work that happens behind the scenes and understands what it takes to bring these worlds to life. That level of trust and respect makes a huge difference.
The Wayans projects are always challenging, but in the best possible way. There’s a spirit of collaboration, creativity, and fun that runs through everything they do, and I feel incredibly lucky to have built such a long-standing relationship with both Marlon and Rick.
Alix: Can you walk us through your favorite piece or costume from Scary Movie 6 and explain the intention and details that went into each design choice?
Ariyela: One of my favorite costumes in Scary Movie 6 has to be Shorty’s weed tracksuit. The first time audiences see Shorty again, he walks onto the school quad wearing a blue tracksuit inspired by the iconic Gucci monogram aesthetic: but with a Scary Movie twist.
To create it, we custom-made and hand-applied over 450 weed-leaf patches across the entire suit, turning it into this over-the-top, instantly readable expression of who Shorty is. It was one of those designs that felt ridiculous, specific, and completely right for the character all at the same time.
I pitched the idea to Marlon during our very first fitting, and he immediately loved it. Seeing him embrace the concept right away gave us the confidence to push it even further. It’s a great example of the kind of collaboration that makes these films so much fun, taking a character audiences already know and finding a visual joke that feels both fresh and completely true to them.
Alix: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your work?
Ariyela: Another fun costume was a couture dress I designed for Teyana Taylor who appears at the very beginning of the film. It was one of those looks that was incredibly fun to create and bring to life.
I had an absolute blast working on Scary Movie 6. The creativity, the comedy, and the sheer scale of the project made it a truly memorable experience. Most importantly, I was lucky enough to have an amazing costume team beside me every step of the way. The work you see on screen is always the result of a talented group of people working countless hours behind the scenes, and I couldn’t have done it without them.
