Scream VI

Following the events of the last film, sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) have left behind Woodsboro and moved to New York City with their friends Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding respectively) in the hopes of leaving behind the traumatic history of the Ghostface murders. Sam is the subject of online harassment and conspiracy theories with many believing her to be the real murderer due to her father being Billy Loomis.

When a new streak of Ghostface murders starts once more, the group must now contend with the fact they’re in a franchise with new rules which sees the return of Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and FBI agent Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere). Following the success of 2022’s Scream, Spyglass Entertainment sighed directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Tyler Gillet back along with writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick for a sixth installment.

The movie is noted for the absence of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott due to salary disputes between Campbell and the producers, so this is the first film in the franchise not to have that character. However, despite such a substantial break in the formula, Scream VI feels like it uses it to strong effect and is given greater freedom to explore the series in new areas without being beholden to the series lore.

Much as in the last film, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are really good as the Carpenter sisters and their strained dynamic makes them a unique set of protagonists for us to follow with both being profoundly flawed but also having a strong emotional core that makes you want to see them overcome those flaws. The movie also sees the return of the Meeks twins Mindy and Chad played by Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding and we also get the return of fan-favorite Kirby Reed played by Hayden Panettiere.

Who despite being seemingly killed in her debut in Scream 4 really struck a chord with fans and it was a stroke of genius on the filmmaker’s part in bringing her back especially since there was just enough of a blind spot in Scream 4 that it’s not a wholly unbelievable retcon. While the movie takes the requisite potshots at franchises and their focus on continually propping up Ips, the movie also continues on with the solid online satire of the Scream 2022 this time taking aim at conspiracy nuts and “armchair detectives” who more often than not are better parrots than they are thinkers.

The movie does retreat to familiar territory in the third act with the killer reveal and all it entails and like pretty much every scream film since the first one it’s a bit of a flabby end that doesn’t match the buildup, but not overly so. If you’re a longtime fan of the series and have stuck with it up to this point, there’s a lot to appreciate in Scream VI from its well utilized NYC setting to a strong assortment of characters. Like other Scream sequels your mileage may vary on the ending, but it provides a fun ride getting there.

Scream continues to entertain with this sixth installment that expands on themes and ideas from 5 with novelty of a new location. Following the events of the last film, sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) have left behind Woodsboro and moved to New York City with their friends Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding respectively) in the hopes of leaving behind the traumatic history of the Ghostface murders.

Sam is the subject of online harassment and conspiracy theories with many believing her to be the real murderer due to her father being Billy Loomis. When a new streak of Ghostface murders starts once more, the group must now contend with the fact they’re in a franchise with new rules which sees the return of Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and FBI agent Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere). Following the success of 2022’s Scream, Spyglass Entertainment sighed directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Tyler Gillet back along with writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick for a sixth installment.

The movie is noted for the absence of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott due to salary disputes between Campbell and the producers, so this is the first film in the franchise not to have that character. However, despite such a substantial break in the formula, Scream VI feels like it uses it to strong effect and is given greater freedom to explore the series in new areas without being beholden to the series lore.

Much as in the last film, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are really good as the Carpenter sisters and their strained dynamic makes them a unique set of protagonists for us to follow with both being profoundly flawed but also having a strong emotional core that makes you want to see them overcome those flaws. While the movie takes the requisite potshots at franchises and their focus on continually propping up Ips.

The movie also continues on with the solid online satire of the Scream 2022 this time taking aim at conspiracy nuts and “armchair detectives” who more often than not are better parrots than they are thinkers. The movie does retreat to familiar territory in the third act with the killer reveal and all it entails and like pretty much every scream film since the first one it’s a bit of a flabby end that doesn’t match the buildup, but not overly so.

If you’re a longtime fan of the series and have stuck with it up to this point, there’s a lot to appreciate in Scream VI from its well utilized NYC setting to a strong assortment of characters. Like other Scream sequels your mileage may vary on the ending, but it provides a fun ride getting there.