SCREAM VI (2023)
The Scream franchise and I go way back. The original Scream was the first rated R horror movie I ever saw in a movie theater and it was such an amazing rollercoaster ride that I became an even bigger fan of the genre! I fell completely head over heels for the first Scream film, watched it endlessly on VHS (I bought one of the exclusive release VHS covers from the initial home video release) and then bought the original DVD release (which wasn't formatted for widescreen televisions).
When Scream 2 came out in 1997 you better believe I was there at the theaters for it! Same with Scream 3 when it debuted in 2000! Sadly, I missed Scream 4 in 2011 (that was a major year in my life with much change and uncertainty, so... I'm blaming that for missing it in the theater) but I saw it later on Netflix. And then I missed Scream 5 in 2022 too because, well, I kind of was out of the habit of movie going and my feelings toward the series were muted and dusty. Truthfully, I just recently watched Scream 2022 for the first time (in prep for the next one!).
None of the sequels quite hit as well as the original for me though. In my experience they've all felt like diminishing returns. Scream 2 was good, but a little less than the first. Scream 3 was a little less than Scream 2 and so forth. In fairness I should rewatch Screams 2 through 4 as I haven't watched them in a long time. I remember enjoying Scream 4 well enough. Scream 5 is recent in my mind and it was okay, I wasn't wowed by any means (like most of the sequels).
SCREAM VI is an improvement. And maybe the best of the sequels (although I need to rewatch 2 thru 4 to have a firm stance).
THE SYNOPSIS
Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad (the survivors of the previous film) have all moved from Woodsboro, California to New York City for college. A new Ghostface has emerged to terrorize them.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Scream VI hits pretty solid. There are a number of standout sequences in the film. The Scream franchise has always had it's signature "Cold Call" openings and they've almost always been good. And Scream VI may be one of the best, formulaic yet still effective... and then it keeps going into something new and fresh. These Cold Call openings are crucial to the Scream films and sets the tone going forward. And this one nails it, with a great cameo from Samara Weaving.
The next Ghostface sequence takes place in a bodega/grocery store and works really well and begins establishing this particular Ghostface as one to be truly feared. All in all, nearly every Ghostface scene works great, making this Scream movie feel like one of the best in franchise since the first. I really believed Courtney Cox's Gale Weathers was in real peril and going into the finale it seemed no one was safe. Perhaps my favorite scene in the film is a great example of a "Slow Scare" sequence.
By the way, I love all of the horror film references, nods to Friday the 13th Part VIII, and general fanservice. Scream being a "meta-horror film" series lends itself to fanservice like this, so it all mostly works (unlike other films with gratuitous fanservice for no other reason). And every Scream film has a meta-horror monologue, it's one of the series' signatures. I didn't like this one as much, largely because I felt it was trying to speak positively about all of the elements that have "killed" or hurt franchises in the last ten years (curiously counter to Scream 5's meta horror monologue by the same character). But then, the film itself makes decisions to counter this (like what I bring up next), but later leans into these new detrimental tropes. This waffling back and forth leaves me with mixed feelings, like the writers and filmmakers can't make up their minds either.
The story too does some heavy lifting with the lore, touching on every Scream film in the franchise. Me being a story-stickler, I really appreciated the effort on the writers part to draw from each film in an easy way for new viewers to understand, but also rewarding longtime fans for sticking with the series. Going to this level elevates viewers thoughts on the older films, for if the filmmakers appear to care and think the other films are important, it comes across to the audience as well. Too often as of recent years have franchises made the mistake of disrespecting either their roots or even their own films (you know who I'm referring to) and it is always to the detriment of the IP. I'm really glad this wasn't the case here.
Where the film stumbled for me was, where every Scream sequel stumbles, the ending. It feels like a completely different movie once we proceed with the final act. The acting of Dermot Mulroney (an actor I usually like) felt out of place, like he thought he was in a B-movie piece of schlock. The Ghostface reveal was underwhelming too and predictable and their acting devolves to B-movie level as well. And then several protagonists are clearly killed, but then miraculously survive because, well, no reason whatsoever storywise. Their survival actually undercut the impact of the previous scenes and are a detriment to the story as a whole.
I must admit that the majority of the movie is pretty strong, but this ending nearly ruined it all. Thankfully, or sadly, this disappointing ending is expected with every Scream movie. So, I guess it was anticipated to a certain degree. It's just disappointing because we nearly had a film in the series that topped or rivaled the original. But, no. The first Scream is still the one and true king in the series.
THE VERDICT
Scream VI had a lot of great sequences in it, some of the best in the series. The film starts off on strong and creative footing, really mixing up the formula. Great sequence after great sequence follow. But then the ending nearly falls flat on its face. Anyway, it's still a strong film up till then.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10 = above average awesomeness!
For more horror films and our thoughts on them, check out these posts below!
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