Movie Review: "Scream VI"; Ghostface Takes Manhattan
12/12 ForReel Score | 5/5 Stars
When I was five years old, I was wandering through the aisles of Blockbuster when I came across Scream on the shelf. The bright blue eyes on the poster were staring into my soul, demanding that I rush home and watch it immediately. My babysitter must not have realized or just didn't care that it was a horror movie because she rented it. We popped some popcorn, put the DVD in, and the one and only Drew Barrymore appeared on my screen. She's discussing her favorite horror movies with a stranger on the phone and things take a dark turn. Something about it sparked this love for slashers and murder mysteries for me at a very young age. It was Wes Craven who introduced me to the tropes and taught me how to analyze films. So of course when Scream VI hit theaters, I was there opening night for a double helping of Ghostface - that is, after spending the whole day binge-watching the previous films for the 20th time.
A year after the Woodsboro murders the Core Four, Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding) have all moved to New York City. Several online conspiracy theories have attempted to blame Sam for the attacks, changing the public's perception of her from victim to perpetrator. These theories inspire another psychopath to don the Ghostface mask and embark on yet another killing spree. (With so many spoilers already swarming online, I will do my best to go over the essence of the film without giving too much away.)
It was disheartening to hear the announcement that Neve Campbell would not be returning due to an insulting offer from Paramount. How can you have a Scream movie without Sidney Prescott? To be perfectly honest, I barely missed her. I agree with the reasoning the film gave for her absence, “Sidney deserves a happy ending”. Additionally, her absence allowed Gale (Courtney Cox) and Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) to receive more attention, even with their limited screen time. The choice felt right. The new films are the Carpenter Saga and Scream VI does a terrific job with them at the center. Writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick quickly redeem themselves for the previous film's lack of character development. They do a fantastic job fleshing out the new generation of survivors, creating compelling emotional arcs, and allowing our heroes to do something you rarely see in a horror movie, cope with their grief. Whenever the story threatens to reach soap opera levels of drama, Ghostface jumps in to remind the audience that they are indeed watching a horror film.
Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Anyone who doubted the new leads of the franchise are left surely mistaken. Compared to her performance in Scream (2022), Barrera's acting is like night and day. As she battles her inner demons, she confronts her legacy and reaches a deeper level of emotional understanding. Ortega further proves why she has become a household name. She’s beyond charismatic and steals every scene. Gooding takes the stereotypical jock role and imbues it with a level of charisma as well. And Jasmin Savoy Brown’s Mindy acts as the perfect comic relief; she’s genuinely hilarious and lives up to the Meeks name. Scream VI is honestly the funniest film of the franchise and doesn’t make the mistakes of letting the comedy impede the horror like it’s campy predecessor, Scream 3.
The kills were brutal. They even had me, a bonafide body horror superfan, gag at times. It may not be the goriest film of the franchise, but it’s indeed the most malicious. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett take the familiar and elevate it, creating the best opening sequence since the original. They utilize the two-hour runtime, delivering multiple absorbing tension-filled scenes and thrilling chase sequences. It is understandable for some viewers to have qualms with a couple of characters surviving some deadly stabbings, but fans understand that the only sure way to die in a Scream movie is to be shot in the head. It’s a staple of the franchise.
The Scream series has proven itself to be the strongest out of any horror franchise to date. Scream VI excels past being just another crowd pleaser and holds up to be the strongest film of the franchise since the 90s. Although I agree the film plays a little too safe at times, the choices feel strategic for an approaching, soon to be announced, sequel. Ghostface’s rampage through New York is something Wes Craven most undoubtedly would be proud of.
Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2| Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 2| Reviewer's Preference -2 | What does this mean?