Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Courteney Cox, Hayden Panettiere
Intro:
… a fun and bloody new entry of a franchise whose resurrection seems to have been a pretty good idea after all.
Last year’s Scream reboot/sequel (or “requel”) was a big hit, both critically and financially. This probably shouldn’t have been a huge surprise, the film from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not) managed to remind everyone what was so great about the Scream series while adding enough new wrinkles to the formula to feel relatively fresh. Thanks to the aforementioned bulging bag of box office dosh, Scream VI was quickly rushed into production for a release this year. Well, now the time of Ghostface’s return is upon us and you know what? It’s a pretty decent addition to the franchise, although not without flaws.
Scream VI takes a number of its plot cues from Scream 2 (1997) and moves the action to college, in New York City no less, where the survivors of Scream (2022) – Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding) – are attempting to move on with their lives. This proves to be easier said than done and once the Ghostface killings start up again, it’s on for young and old.
Scream VI has three major points of difference to other Scream movies. Firstly, there’s no appearance from Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott character, allegedly due to contract disputes. Secondly, the action is much more intense, featuring some of the franchise’s most kinetic and brutal slayings. Thirdly, the New York setting adds grimy subways, city streets and broken down old cinemas to the aesthetic palette, and the result is a fiercely vibrant flick with genuinely memorable moments.
On the downside, the script feels a little rushed, with much of the meta movie commentary feeling phoned-in and, really, surplus to requirements. Also, the third act reveal isn’t as satisfying as one might have hoped, and doesn’t really tie into the older, meaner Ghostface conceit in any meaningful way. Sure, you’ll probably be surprised, but it lacks the punch of Scream or even Scream (2022).
Still, you’ve got superb performances from the “core four”, with Ortega and Barrera both doing lovely work, and some truly well-executed executions in a fun and bloody new entry of a franchise whose resurrection seems to have been a pretty good idea after all. And hell, compared to the last major horror franchise sequel set in New York City, Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Scream VI is a huge step up.
