'A' was just training wheels for the Pretty Little Liars.

'Teen Wolf' Season 5: Who Really Attacked Sheriff Stilinski? Cody Christian Drops Major Teaser

There's a new big bad in town, and they won't be fooling around. This particular villain won't exist merely to bat his prey around. Instead, the unknown entity will be itching to exercise his trigger finger.

"It's definitely life or death, and it's smarter and edgier and deadlier," Lucy Hale (Aria) told MTV. "The stakes are definitely a lot higher. It's not 'I'm going to expose your secrets.' It's 'I'm going to kill you if you don't give me what I want.'"

'Pretty Little Liars' Season 6: Goodbye Haleb; Ashley Benson Dishes On Hanna's New Love

Aria, Hanna (Ashley Benson), Emily (Shay Mitchell), Spencer (Troian Bellisario), and Alison (Sasha Pieterse) never thought they would long for their high school days. As their new foe seeks revenge for someone else's death, however, a life with 'A' will seem like halcyon days. Over the course of the next season and a half, viewers can expect bodies to drop. In a departure from Pretty Little Lairs' earlier years, it appears the dead will actually stay dead.

"This season is deadly," Pieterse said, according to MTV. "Charlotte and her games look like child's play in comparison."

Catch the season 6B premiere when Pretty Little Liars returns to ABC Family/Freeform on July 12.

Follow Vanessa Frith on Twitter and Tumblr

Tags
Pretty little liars, Television, ABC Family, Freeform