Scream VI review (2023)

Scream 5 essentially set the stage for an all-new direction for the franchise. Scream VI makes good on that potential with one of the best installments of the series yet.

Instead of coming up with yet another complicated reason for all of the murder shenanigans to play out in the serial murder capital of the world in Woodsboro, returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Abigail) and screenwriters Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt shift the action to New York. After the slew of murders over the decades, it makes sense for the characters to want to start fresh somewhere else.

Tara (Jenna Ortega) and twins Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding) are in college. Tara’s rightfully overprotective older stepsister, Sam (Melissa Barrera), accompanies them to stay close. After the last incident in Woodsboro, Sam has become a pariah of sorts as some social media circles keep pushing the notion that she was the real killer, not her boyfriend, Richie (Jack Quaid).

Sam has the right idea to keep close tabs on Tara as Halloween approaches and a new Ghostface emerges on the scene. Scream VI has a fantastic opening act as the Ready or Not directors call in a favor to have star Samara Weaving as the initial target of the killer — or perhaps not in a very clever fake out.

The new Ghostface does have a clear target in Sam and far sooner than expected, tries to kill her and Tara. Scream VI retains the same intensity of its predecessor with a far more sadistic and aggressive Ghostface, one who’s less playful. Setting the film around Halloween allows for Ghostface to walk around the bustling City That Never Sleeps without attracting attention. With Ghostface’s lack of concern about kill spots whether in an alley or a convenience store, a wide-open playground with few rules works out perfectly.

Realizing they’re being targeted again, Sam, Tara and the twins draw their inner circle close to brace for more attacks. New additions to the group include Sam and Tara’s roommate, Quinn (Liana Liberato, Totally Killer); Chad’s dorky roommate Ethan (Jack Champion), Mindy’s girlfriend Anika (Devyn Nekoda) and Sam’s casual boyfriend, Danny (Josh Segarra, Arrow).

Busick and Vanderbilt once again are savvy with the script having characters immediately call out certain coincidences or question things that don’t line up. In Scream VI, characters can and do get killed, but it’s not often because they do something stupid. If a character is acting shady, the others keep their distance and start keeping an eye out for any suspicious behavior.

This approach makes Ghostface work harder to claim victims instead of them all but walking into the knife’s blade. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett understand that smart characters getting killed makes the murders more…satisfying (?) since they’re actively working to desperately stay alive.

Less concerned that audiences won’t be invested in the new crew, Scream VI doesn’t rely on too many franchise legacy characters. Courtney Cox returns as Gale Weathers, presumably so she can maintain her streak of appearing in every installment. Hayden Panettiere returns from Scream IV as Kirby has grown up to become an FBI agent to aid Det. Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) on the investigation.

Scream VI continues a juicy subplot from the previous film as Sam is having visions/conversations with the ghost of her father Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). There’s a bit of a Silence of the Lambs dynamic at play here with Sam taking advice from her serial killer father, who offers fatherly guidance to keep his daughter alive.

Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett do a fantastic job of stoking the tension as Ghostface stalks his victims or simply pops out of nowhere to strike. They establish a welcome sense of unpredictability, and the kills aren’t as telegraphed.

In one of the standout sequences of Scream VI, the group hits the subway under the presumption that Ghostface won’t strike in a highly crowded setting. Of course, it’s Halloween night so being decked out in costume is hardly an impediment. In a terrific nod to horror movie icons of various generations, there’s homages to Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Pennywise, The Shining, The Ring, Vampire in Brooklyn and more.

Part of the fun of the Scream franchise is figuring out the identity of the killer, or killers. As Scream VI reaches its final act, there’s still plenty of viable candidates making for a fun reveal that lines up well with what’s played out over the course of the film.

Turning the page to a new generation of Woodsboro survivors shows the viability of Scream beyond the adventures of Syndey, Dewey and Gale. Scream VI shows the Core 4 could easily guide the series for several more installments to come.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Paramount

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