When it comes to popular horror franchises, none have been as consistently good as that of the Scream series. Released in 1996, the original Scream resurrected the horror genre at a time where it was viewed as being virtually dead while simultaneously rewriting the rules of the horror genre. It's legacy spawned a total of five sequels with the latest one, Scream VI, landing in theaters as a follow-up to last year's reboot or to properly categorize it "requel". While Scream 2022 worked as a legacy sequel, it also established a new group of characters who would ultimately move the franchise forward. Thankfully Scream VI continues that trend while delivering tons of thrills and a clever premise, that makes it the series strongest installment since 1997's Scream 2.
Picking up a year after the events of Scream 2022, Scream VI has the Woodsboro survivors now relocating to New York City in an attempt at having a fresh start. However, their efforts are soon thwarted when they find themselves battling a new Ghostface killer who embarks on a bloody rampage. Despite its plot elements feeling a bit repetitive at times, the filmmakers are still able to make the overall experience feel fresh again with the switching up of the stories location from Woodsboro to New York City being a cleverly brilliant move that adds to the films level of excitement. Although Scream VI doesn't reinvent the series wheel, it makes an admirable effort to reimagine the series while abiding by the franchises rules and gimmicks. For all intents and purposes, it succeeds in doing so.
As well written and directed as Scream VI manages to be, it wouldn't be as effective without the charismatic performances given by its talented cast of rising stars. While the newest ensemble is strong, it's the work that Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega deliver which ultimately carries the film. Barrera showcases strength once again as the series new final girl, Sam Carpenter, whose the illegitimate daughter of Billy Loomis. Barrera is compelling in showing her characters attempt to move past the Woodsboro murders, but finds herself being targeted by internet conspiracy theorists who foolishly believe she's the mastermind behind the previous murders. Jenna Ortega is equally strong as Sam's half-sister Tara, who desperately wants to move on with her life but finds herself being drawn back to the Woodsboro murders due to her association with Sam. Courtney Cox returns as Gale Weathers and once again demonstrates that she never misses a beat in playing the fame-seeking reporter, who wants to help the new Woodsboro survivors defeat Ghostface. The rest of the cast churn in terrific performances including Mason Gooding as survivor Chad whose romantically interested in Tara, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Chad's twin sister and survivor Mindy, who conveniently advises the group on the rules of the requel, Jack Champion as Chad's roommate Ethan Landry, Liana Liberato as Sam and Tara's roommate Quinn Bailey, whose also the daughter of detective Wayne Bailey played by Dermot Mulroney.
Returning to the directors chair are previous Scream directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillette who continue to impress with generating solid suspense. The change of the stories setting to New York City is a bold move which increases the films unpredictability, while allowing for some pretty impressive sequences of terror to originate like the films opening scene involving a dark alley, a nailbiting sequence involving characters crawling across a ladder to a nearby building with nothing below them except the ground, or an intense train sequence where the audience is kept at the edge of their seat guessing when Ghostface will pop out. Along with the films level of terror being upped this time around, the same can be said regarding the films level of gore with horror fans getting a full variety of kills here from numerous stabbings, slayings, and blood spurts. The soundtrack by Brian Tyler and Sven Faulconer is effective in increasing the films level of suspense while inserting clever throwbacks to Marco Beltrami's work in the Wes Craven directed Scream films.
As far as the story goes, Scream VI feels like a natural progression after the events of Woodsboro with the new survivors attempting to rebuild their lives. What really makes this sequel work is how much development is given towards building up these new characters with their interactions making them a worthy sympathetic group. It's hard to not find these characters enjoyable nor want them to survive Ghostface despite knowing some will undoubtedly be killed off throughout the story. The sibling relationship between Sam and Tara works as being the heart of the story. Sam's character is given an interesting twist regarding her feelings towards killing the previous Ghostface killers, which sets the stage for an explosive revelation in the third film with Tara taking notice of her sister's questionable behavior through key subtle moments. The identity of Ghostface is kept well hidden up until the films climax with the ultimate reveal being thoroughly shocking. The script throws out numerous Easter Eggs to longtime fans of the series with old faces making surprise returns such as Scream IV survivor Kirby Reed (Played by Hayden Panettiere) who is now a special agent in the Atlanta FBI office, along with the return of legacy survivor Gale Weathers who once again helps unmask the identity of the killer. Despite Neve Campbell's character Sidney Prescott not being present here, the audience doesn't dwell on her absence as the story at hand will undoubtedly keep them busy and wanting more.
What could've ended up being a horror film series that's dwindling when it comes to quality is essentially pulling a Mission Impossible in terms of the series gradually improving in regards of quality. With some truly creative setpieces, a brilliant change up in scenery, characters whom fans can get behind, and a brutality that's unmatched with previous sequel entries, Scream VI is a rare horror sequel that improves upon its predecessor while scaring up a good time.
Final Verdict: A must see for fans of the series.
Images Courtesy Of Paramount Pictures
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