Scream VI (2023)

Rating: 8.4

TL;DR - Scream VI proves this franchise isn’t running out of steam anytime soon! They really know how to deliver what fans of this franchise want — brutal kills, a fun “guess who” mystery and some excellent calling out of film tropes! It’s lots of fun and filled with great tension! Keep ‘em coming!

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Film Info:

Premise: Four survivors of the Ghostface murders leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. However, they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when a new killer embarks on a bloody rampage.

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Paramount

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

Written by James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick

Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Mason Gooding, Hayden Panettiere, Courtney Cox, Tony Revolori, Samara Weaving, Josh Segarra

Runtime: 2hr 3min

Rating: 14A

Horror, Mystery, Thriller

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IMDb Rating: 7.4/10

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

RT Audience Score: 93%

RT Critic Average: 6.9/10

RT Audience Average: 4.6/5

Metacritic Score: 62

CinemaScore: B+

Letterboxd: 3.9/5

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Fun Fact: This is the first 'Scream' film without Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott) and David Arquette (Dewey Riley). As of this film, Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) is the only actor to appear in every film, while Roger Jackson has provided voice work for every film.

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Review:

written by Tyler Park

Who knew the Scream franchise could be so strong coming off of its 6th entry?! As much as I really liked Scream (2022), I never expected that Scream VI could be this good! I was really thrilled with what we got; the filmmakers proved that this franchise isn’t running out of steam anytime soon! Scream VI genuinely is one of the best Scream films and brings a much needed breath of fresh air to this iconic slasher series. This movie is a damn good time, delivering exactly what you want from a Scream film — brutal kills, an excellent “guess who” mystery, and some fun calling out of current film tropes! It’s bigger, bloodier and scarier than all that have come before it, thanks to a fantastic setting change from small town Woodsboro to the ever-sprawling New York City, leaving so much potential for some awesome Ghostface action!

The thing I love most about the Scream franchise at the moment is that the minds behind it know exactly what audiences want from a Scream movie, and they give us exactly that while also delivering a fresh take on the material at the same time! You know what you are getting into with a Scream film, and it does follow the usual formula, but it still finds so many cool ways to build off previous entries and find its own groove within the franchise. First off, Ghostface is deadlier than ever before here! He is brutal and the kills are awesome and savage — this might just be the goriest film in the franchise! This Ghostface definitely isn’t playing any games, as not only does he not just go for his targets, but is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. The chase and kill scenes are some of the most brutal and intense of the franchise, with the film making great use of suspense and tension in the buildup. It is just anxiety inducing! The cat-and-mouse games in the film (like in the subway scene) left me feeling like my heart was beating out of my chest and they kept the tension cranked up for so much of the movie!

What was also great was that you really felt the kills in this one! The script did some of the best character work in the franchise to really make you feel for each character who had an interaction with Ghostface - you really did not want them to be killed because of how the script made you care for them in such little time. So many slashers just introduce expendable characters to be killed off, but here, no one felt expendable. I was amazed at how attached I felt to this cast, and in particular the “core four” after only 2 films. Every set piece is so much scarier after the crew took the time to flesh out all these characters and their relationships with one another so well. I really loved Melissa Barrera as the lead once again, and was so happy to see how much more in depth they went into her character, and of course Jenna Ortega was great in her expanded role! These two have made for the perfect new leads of this franchise. Sure, I might have missed Neve Campbell and David Arquette a little bit, but honestly I might like these new leads even better! It was also really cool to see Courtney Cox back as Gail and especially fantastic to see Hayden Panettiere back as Kirby. But god damn, Courtney Cox got one of my all time favourite Scream moments in this one which left me on the edge of my seat!

So Ghostface and the kills are great! The characters and cast were fantastic! And on top of all that, the mystery was thrilling too! I love playing this game of “guess who”, and I genuinely couldn’t figure this one out! I had my suspicions, but all the twists genuinely caught me off guard! They were so much fun right from the opening scene (which completely threw me off), and just got better and better as the movie went on! The movie kept faking me out, and I love that — it really kept me on my toes! I also really loved the classic Scream meta-humour when it came to dissecting the current trend of film tropes, and really liked how it examined the nature of franchises and how we’ve gotten so used to “reboot sequels” killing off legacy characters. I love how self-aware the movie is, much like the rest, and the scenes where they explain the rules are as gratifying as a Rocky training montage! The meta nature of these films always works so well for them, and there were plenty of funny moments and scenes that really left me with a smile on my face!

I had a great time watching this movie! I wish other franchises could have this upward trend in quality that the Scream franchise is experiencing! I love that on its 6th film, it still finds ways to deliver what we want from it while also finding ways to use and build on its own mythology in every subsequent sequel to feel so fun, frightening and fresh. If only other horror sequels and franchises in general could do this! It’s much more satisfying than a hard reboot, and is a prime example of a “reboot sequel” done right. And sure, it’s not a perfect film and I wish it did more with its NYC setting and had even more Ghostface, but it was a hell of a good time. I’d watch 10 more of these movies if they could all be this good and continue pushing the franchise in fresh, creative directions. This franchise is in such good hands! I loved this movie and had so much fun with it, it’s such a good time at the movies!

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Trailer: