This journalistic review contains spoilers of previous installments of the Scream franchise but none from Scream VI.
After the runaway success of the self-proclaimed requel (and canonically confused titled) Scream in 2022, the announcement of yet another installment in the Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson-created series was inevitable. The combination of nostalgia and desire for glossy, self-aware horror, along with a $140 million dollar turnaround on a $24 million dollar budget, meant the proverbial torch had been successfully passed down to directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. But with a bigger budget and legacy gimmicks out of the way, what could the follow-up do to stand on its own?
Taking a queue from another masked-killer franchise during its own personal point of exhaustion, Scream VI takes place in New York City.
Set a year after the events of Scream 2022, Samantha and Tara Carpenter have put Woodsboro behind them and moved to NYC. As Sam struggles with her PSTD, Tara finds it even more difficult to have a shred of normalcy under the watchful eye of her paranoid sister. But when a film professor from Tara’s university is brutally murdered, the Carpenters and fellow Woodsboro survivors, Mindy and Chad, are once again thrust into the tangled web of murder and mystery.
Since the beginning, the Scream franchise has prided itself on self-awareness. Characters quote the same horror movie lines and tropes that fans like myself have done for generations. They debate why victims on the screen are running up the stairs when they should be running out the front door. Analyzing plot holes and outlandish theories is almost a rite of passage. And most importantly, the characters know they’re in a horror movie. It’s that distinctive meta approach that made each of the films in the Scream franchise work.
Alas, this movie spends more time unabashedly writing love letters to its own franchise instead of paying homage to other horror films.
Despite Scream VI‘s wonderfully charismatic cast, there really isn’t much for them to do. Sure, they nervously answer their phones and try to unpack the mystery, but that’s really about it. Yes, there were a few minutes of interest like early on when Tara (the delightful Jenna Ortega) argues with Sam about letting her go. It’s a complex scenario rarely touched upon in horror movies. Unfortunately, it’s all but forgotten when they realize there’s a new Ghostface. The supporting cast doesn’t even get that much screen time. This includes Scream 2022 scene stealers Mindy and Chad (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding).
Although I was happy to see the return of Scream 4‘s Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), my eyes rolled back in my head like a slot machine when the reason is revealed. Even Scream stalwart Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) felt more like a contractual obligation than genuine addition. It doesn’t help matters that both characters are severely underutilized.
And sadly, that seems to be the theme throughout. Scream VI rarely does anything to justify its existence as this sixth film in the franchise. The pre-release promise of a more aggressive Ghostface and a larger playground to do his or her thing was squandered. There’s nothing distinctively NYC about the setting and adds literally nothing to the narrative. Not unlike the aforementioned Friday The 13th part VIII, the promise was made for promotional hype. No more, no less.
This leads to my biggest issue with Scream VI as a whole: It’s made up of entirely squandered potential.
Surprisingly, the opening sequence subverted my expectations in a way I never dreamed a Scream entry could do. After the initial twist, I felt like the movie was going to be different, something mature and darker. Maybe for the first time since Scream 2, I hoped the film could actually be scary. Unfortunately, the twist is dropped and ignored within seconds of being introduced. I have similar complaints for each of the murder sequences. For a city that houses nearly 9 million people, why does Scream VI feel so small and empty?
One of the only scenes with legitimate tension takes place in a subway car full of people. Not because one of the passengers may or may not be Ghostface, but because NYC’s public transit is genuinely scary.
Speaking of the unintentional lack of payoff, plot armor makes the characters virtually superhuman.
Characters are stabbed repeatedly (in very important places, mind you) yet not only live but get up and run around like athletes. I don’t want to sound nit-picky, but such details make the stakes seem even lower than they already are. Midway through the film, there’s a fun monologue from Mindy where she states the rules of a rebooted horror franchise.
“Legacy characters are pretty much canon fodder at this point!” she exclaims.
But are they? Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett had the guts (no pun intended) to kill off OG characters like Dewey Riley (David Arquette) in Scream 2022. However, that all-bets-are-off urgency must’ve been left in Woodsboro. Once each character is introduced, I pretty much called which ones in what order were to be killed and who survives.
Shockingly, I still wouldn’t call Scream VI the worst installment. In fact, I enjoyed it far more than Scream 2022.
Overly long, plagued by pacing issues, plus an atrociously ridiculous third act, Scream VI still manages to be somewhat fun. The Ghostface isn’t scary but a lot meaner. I enjoyed the cast quite a bit (especially Brown and Ortega). And I appreciate how the film doesn’t try to retcon any elements of previous installments. It’s also refreshing to see a sequel try to do something different, even if they played it a bit too safe and didn’t really stick the landing.
With all my nitpicking, I think it’s important to understand that the current crop of the franchise isn’t made for me. It’s for the younger generation. The Scream films have always targeted the current trend in horror. The climate is different than the Wes Craven era, and I think Scream VI does a good job of making that clear. For better or worse.
At 40 years old, I am no longer the target audience for Scream. I mean, the lead promotional signal for this movie is from Demi Lovato. But you know what? That’s fine! I’m sure the OG horror purists felt the same way about Scream in 1996. I still have the original 3 or 4 I enjoyed. I’m still excited horror films are being made and kids are still interested in the genre. However, 20 years from now when someone asks What’s your favorite scary movie? I’m not sure how many will say Scream VI.