A more vicious Ghostface targets Scream V survivors in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett’s tense and nasty 2023 follow-up, Scream VI.
Hello, Sidney, remember me? Bob here, I recently posted a review for Scream V, ported from City of Geek. Now, we return with Scream VI. This one, however, isn’t ported but new, in preparation for Scream VII! (and check out Felix’s reviews of V and VI!
In 2022, Scream (or “V” here on out) reawakened a dormant franchise. Okay, it had a TV show, but we’re talking movies. It quickly and easily became my favorite of the sequels. While I have rewatched Scream V, I’ve not gone back to 2023’s Scream VI since the original watch, so I can’t say if it truly holds up; but my initial impression was it topped the previous year’s entry, earning my second spot in rankings (1, 6, 5, 2, 3, 4; BTW).
Returning writers James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick apparently had their script for Scream VI in the bag by the time V was released, allowing for the quick year and some turn around between entries. With returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (collectively known as Radio Silence), they pick up right where they left off with a wonderful reckless abandon in building from Scream V to a leaner, meaner, nastier sequel.
It picks up from Scream V in many ways. First of the obvious in the cast: of the survivors from last time: Tara, Sam, Mindy, Chad, and Gail (all played by the same actors), move to New York City to reset after the California killings. Weird, when this came out, people complained about the shift in setting, forgetting Scream 2 and 3 also were out of Woodsboro. Only Neve Campbell’s Sidney stayed away (until Scream VII, that is). Only a year after Richie and Amber rebooted Ghostface, someone else wants to continue, targeting the Carpenter sisters and friends in a wider bloody trail of revenge.
From the outstandingly put together and extended opening, featuring new scream queen Samara Weaving, star of Radio Silence’s Ready or Not movies (can’t wait for part 2, now with another horror star, Kathryn Newton!), to the freakin’ awesome, crowd-cheering finale, Scream VI slays. It moves at a brisk pace, never really slowing down (for a little while, it seemed like this might take place over a single terrifying night). Ghostface is more vicious, bringing several very interesting ways to dispatch victims (though I stand by V’s reliance on the knife worked very well there). Scenes in a bodega and the subway cleverly ratchet up the tension and pay off in great ways. The use of a new setting, the busy city (New York is played by Montreal), brings a new level of terror. Sure, one is surrounded by people, but how many will help? Can one find safety in numbers? Will anyone help someone in distress for the risk of a stab? There might be people all around, but one is still alone against a masked killer, ready to cut you to ribbons, uncareing of who is watching. Maybe putting new characters Quinn, Jack, Detective Bailey, or Anika in the way? Of course, it doesn’t help that the film is set up around Halloween, giving a level of “is this real?” to said onlookers.
Even more so than V’s talk of modern horror, folding in the in-universe Stab movies, but it more fully commits to turning Scream inward. Ghostface has a bigger plan, encompassing and pulling in actions, masks, props, and more of the previous killers; echoes of the actions of Billy, Stu (dear internet: he’s dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.), Mrs. Loomis, Mickey TheFreakyTarantinoFilmStudent (a last name for the ages), Roman, Jill, Charlie, Richie, and Amber come about in interesting ways. I dug the turn around of Jill trying to make herself a Ghostface survivor with the internet blaming Sam for the last round to get famous (a tactic used in Influencers last year). Speaking of Scream 4, it’s a welcome return to Hayden Panettiere (though I wish she were used more). Where it all leads is awesome, and as a person who loves continued lore and such, along with this series, hit me in the right way.
The characters continue in natural ways, with everyone more comfortable in their skin. I appreciate how Tara and Sam both want different ways to move on, and their friends are trying to figure out how to handle it. Ortega is as good as always, playing Tara’s issues just as well as a serious drama. But big props to Melissa Barrera. I found her wooden in Scream V, but she’s very good here. Leaps and bounds. Heart Eye’s Mason Gooding continues to charm (outpacing his father Cuba’s career track), along with movie twin Jasmine Savoy Brown. Their chemistry is fantastic. New additions, including Tony Revolori, Dermont Mulroney, Jack Campion, and Josh Segarra, round out.
I will admit, it slides into Screams 2’s big issue of “Mickey and Mrs. Loomis seem to have psychic knowledge of what choices characters will make” at times, with infinite bodeas, subway trains, and just choices; Ghostface seems know exactly what’s up. And the unmasking and reasoning of the renewed murders is a little far-fetched and silly. But as noted, the rest of the 3rd act is a favorite with so many great moments. Those nitpicks are far from anything that would sink Scream VI. The strengths are strong, the kills are nasty, and the tension runs high.
From Bettinelli-Olfin and Gillett, Scream VI builds on Scream V in all the best ways, upping the ante and body count. It’s tense, bloody, and nasty, with fantastic expansion of the characters. It folds Scream back in on itself, is done with sharp, satiric writing that knows exactly where and how to aim the knife (to scrape the bone beneath). I know Scream VII shifts away from this new crew back to Sidney (and there’s a whole lot of studio stuff to do with that, but I refuse to bring it to the movie), but even with the shift of cast and crew (Kevin Williamson returns to write and direct), if it comes anywhere close to Scream V and VI, Scream will continue as one one fo the best, and most consistent horror series (for consistances on succeeding, that’s still Evil Dead, which has an new entry this year, too)