Scream VI review

SCREAM VI: 

GHOSTFACE TAKES MANHATTAN IN FUN SIXTH SCREAM OUTING! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Ghostface is back in Scream VI

 

            In the tradition of other beloved horror franchises such as Friday the 13^th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan and…The Muppets Take Manhattan, Ghostface gets his chance to stab his way through the Big Apple in Scream VI, the latest installment of the Scream franchise and first not to feature Neve Campbell or the Sidney Prescott character. I’ve already given my brief thoughts on the earlier entries in my Scream (2022) review so if you want to read my opinions on them, I’d suggest going back to that review from last year. 

            However, I will at least give a brief summary of my thoughts on the last film which I enjoyed quite a bit. It isn’t a horror game-changer like the 1996 original or its 1997 sequel (Though I did call it the best film since Scream 2), but the 2022 film did a good job poking fun at legacy sequel tropes even right down to just calling the movie, Screaminstead of Scream 5, bringing back the original cast members and introducing a series of new characters to get attached to, and I thought the idea of one of the main characters being the daughter of Billy Loomis (The killer from the original film) was very interesting. 

            I guess it makes sense to continue the series with the new cast given that the last one was a hit with both critics and audiences. That’s where Scream VI comes in with Melissa Barrera (Vida, In the Heights, Keep Breathing), Jenna Ortega (Stuck in the Middle, X, Wednesday), Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers, Yellowjackets, Spider-Man: Miles Morales), and Mason Gooding (Booksmart, Love, Victor, Fall) reprising their roles as well as Courtney Cox (Friends, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dirt) returning from the earlier films as Gale Weathers and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not) back in the directors’ chairs. 

            So, what are my honest thoughts on the thrilling sixth chapter of the long-running horror franchise? It’s good! 

            I don’t think it’s one of the best Scream films or even on par with the 2022 movie as the plot hits (or rather “stabs”) similar beats as earlier entries, but thanks to a location change, tons of inventive scenes, likable protagonists, and clever meta humor, it still makes for a bloody fun time. While it would have been nice to see Neve Campbell return again, this film much like Creed III last week proves that a long-running franchise can still survive even without the original lead. 

            The film follows Sam Carpenter (Barrera) and her half-sister Tara (Ortega) now living in New York City with their friends Mindy (Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Gooding) after surviving the most recent Woodsboro killing spree. But when a new Ghostface killer emerges and targets them once again, the four survivors team up with talk show host/author/survivor of the original killings Gale Weathers (Cox), survivor of the 2011 Woodsboro murders and FBI agent Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere-Joe Somebody, Heroes, Nashville reprising her role from Scream 4), and Detective Wayne Bailey (My Best Friend’s Wedding, About Schmidt, Zodiac) to figure out who the new killer is and take him/her down for good. 

            The film also stars Jack Champion (Avatar: The Way of Water) as Chad’s roommate Ethan, Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible, Clear and Present Danger, Ready or Not) as Sam’s therapist Dr. Christopher Stone, Liana Liberato (Trespass, The Best of Me, Light as a Feather) as Sam and Tara’s roommate Quinn, Devyn Nekoda (Backstage) as Mindy’s girlfriend Anika, Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Dope, Spider-Man franchise) as Jason, Josh Segarra (Arrow, Orange is the New Black, She-Hulk Attorney at Law) as Sam’s boyfriend Danny, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Bill and Ted Face the Music, Babylon) as Laura, and Roger L. Jackson (The Powerpuff Girls) reprising his role as the voice of Ghostface. 

            Overall, Scream VI may not be the boldest of the films, but fans of the series will likely have a good time with it (I certainly did). The big movie satire here is of franchise trends and the subversion of audience expectations as well as some clever commentary on true crime culture as there’s been a movement of people blaming Sam for the recent Woodsboro murders from the last film due to her being the daughter of Billy Loomis and that the actual killers took the fault for them. 

             The true crime culture element is what helps this film elevate the series to the next level especially after the last film dealt with internet culture so logically, this is the next big step for the franchise. It makes sense given how stubborn people can be and they’ll often point fingers at each other and form conspiracies surrounding events and who actually caused it. 

            This movie has some of the best sequences I’ve seen in any of the Scream films and this iteration of Ghostface is really intimidating as he’s gone from a bumbling serial killer to a threatening, near-indestructible force that will kill you brutally if you stand in his way. From an intense escape from a mini-mart where Ghostface uses a gun to shoot Sam and Tara to the suspense-filled subway sequence shown in the trailers with a perfect blend of tension and fake-outs and even a new take on the classic Scream movie opening kill. 

            Barrera and Taylor are once again very likable as the leads Sam and Tara, and I also found myself getting invested in their friends’ subplots as well as the other side characters. Despite there being a serial killer on the loose, the characters will at times take a break and just talk and it’s never boring, you enjoy watching and listening to this group of people interact with one another which makes them feel more human and not just stock characters there to die. 

            Where the movie starts to somewhat lose me is when Ghostface is revealed as it is very reminiscent of the twist in Scream 2. Honestly, I didn’t know where it was going for the most part, but then when the big reveal happened I was like “Oh, this is just like what happened in Scream 2”…well, at least it led to a fun climax so I can’t be too disappointed. 

            Scream VI may not be one of the best Scream films, but it does plenty of new things with the series’ genre-defying formula and elevates the storyline further as well as delivering plenty of exhilarating sequences. I eagerly await Scream VII, maybe that’ll be the movie where Ghostface goes into outer space just like Jason Voorhees, Pinhead, and the Leprechaun. 

            This is the part where I tease that my next review will be for the Adam Driver sci-fi thriller, 65 so I will see you all then!