With Scream (2022) breathing new life into the iconic slasher franchise early last year, Paramount fast-tracked a sequel. Just 14 months later, we have Scream VI. This sequel to a requel follows the survivors as they face a brand-new threat, further exploring the history of these characters as well as the franchise itself. Scream VI is a bloody, thrilling horror movie that takes viewers on a ride from its opening sequence to the credits.
Scream VI sees the survivors of the latest massacre in Woodsboro move across the country to New York City. Unfortunately, it’s not long until they once again have front-row seats to a new streak of killings. Ghostface has made his way to The Big Apple and has his eyes set on the Carpenter sisters and the Meeks-Martin twins.
Scream VI continues the franchise tradition of putting characters first. Tara and Sam’s relationship is the highlight of the film, with the chemistry between Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barerra serving as an anchor to some emotional scenes. The same can be said for Jasmin Savoy’s Mindy and Mason Gooding’s Chad. The movie takes time to further build these characters, exploring how they’ve been impacted by the attacks they survived a year ago. It’s incredible to see these character arcs pick up where they left off as the core four is further fleshed out.
Of course, these returning characters are not alone in their latest bout with Ghostface. Scream VI adds a bunch of fresh blood to the mix. Of the supporting crew, Josh Segarra, Devyn Nekoda, and Jack Champion were some of my biggest standouts. We also get some classic members of the Scream family in Gale Weathers and Kirby Reed. It’s always fun to check in on legacy characters, and I really dug the way Gale and Kirby move the story forward in Scream VI.
The Scream series has grown increasingly brutal over the years, with the last couple of installments topping the ones that came before them. This remains the case in Scream VI, which pulls absolutely no punches in its gore and violence. There were a couple of shots that made me wince in my seat. Horror fans looking for blood will be more than happy with Scream VI’s offering.
While most of the Scream films serve as a snapshot at the current state of horror, a lot of Scream VI’s commentary comes from within. The movie spends a lot of time examining its own history and what fans have come to expect from a franchise on its sixth entry. On that note, the script deliberately sets up a lot of expectations and subverts them. While I appreciate the endless cleverness, there were a couple of choices that felt unnatural. Ones that feel like they only exists because the screenwriters knew that fans were probably expecting the opposite. They aren’t bad, per se, but it feels like the story is jumping through a lot of hoops at times.
Scream VI reaffirms the series’ place as one of the best in the horror pantheon. It’s got meaningful character moments, deeply stressful sequences, and plenty of blood to go around. Paramount has a hit on its hands, and I’d be shocked if this was the last we saw of Ghostface and our unique cast of survivors.
