Scream VI (2023)

[Eric Duncan]

Do you like scary movies?????????????/

[ddddeeee]

This was Scream 2 all over again: lots of excellent set pieces overcompensating for quite a lame plot. Like with Scream 2, you have lots of padding with the main characters, which is great because they all have chemistry; unlike Scream 2, you don't have Laurie Metcalf working overtime to sell a really rushed and underdeveloped motive. The killer reveal in this is by far the lamest in the series.

 

I have really mixed views to be honest. I hope I like it more on repeat viewings.

[Krissykins]

Intense, stressful, brutal.

 

Gale is finally back to being the Gale from Scream 1 & 2. 
 

The two Ghostfaces wiping their knives at the same time gave me goosebumps. 
 

The ladder set piece and Gale’s big scene are two of the best in the entire franchise. 
 

Sam is the MVP (again) though. 

[filmlover]

A slight improvement over last year's revival and the best in the franchise since Scream 2 for me. It's got some brilliantly executed sequences of tension (the ladder between apartment windows scene, in particular), the kills (while perhaps the lowest body count out of any of these movies to date) are delightfully brutal, and it finds new ways of keeping the meta humor that has become just as much a staple of this franchise as Ghostface fresh. It's refreshing to find a horror franchise, especially one making its first sequel this late in its run without the original star (Neve Campbell's absence is both surprisingly and pleasantly not a distraction), that has managed to avoid plummeting to the levels of schlock that so many end up finding themselves in.

 

The entire cast improves this time. I didn't think think Melissa Barrera was as stiff as most felt she was in the previous one, but she's definitely much more confident this time around, while Jenna Ortega continues to impress in everything she does. Jasmine Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding also give better performances and are becoming just as important to these movies as Courteney Cox (terrific here also) and David Arquette were opposite Campbell in the earlier installments. It's great to see Hayden Panettiere's Kirby again. Certainly I'm not the only one who felt Jack Champion (Spider from Avatar 2) was really serving young Evan Peters throughout this, right? And I have to say I quite dug the "I'm just here for the paycheck" vibes that Dermot Mulroney's performance was giving off both before and after the big killer(s) reveal.  

 

My only real complaint is that it doesn't take advantage of the NYC setting nearly as much as I wanted it to (no Ghostface chases in or around Time's Square, etc.), which doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment level but does leave a sense that it wasn't as crazy as I wanted a "Scream Movie in the Big Apple" to be (in large part because it wasn't actually made there). Also, needed more of Queen Samara Weaving, even though I figured she would end up being (one of, as it turned out) an opening kill.

 

B+

 

Franchise ranking:

 

1

2

6

5

4

3

[ddddeeee]

Melissa Barrera is so much better in this one it's insane. The scene when Sam was crying about being 'hated' hits hard. 

The opening murder kinda got to me. Weaving's screaming was far too good. 

The ladder scene is horrifying. Scariest the franchise has been in years. The actress who played Anika really did a lot with no screentime.

Gale's big scene was nerve-shredding. I loved her visibly turning her sadness over Dewey into determination to get the killer. Cox really killed it there. My audience roared at her asking the killer to hold.

I liked Gale and Kirby's relationship. Cox continues to have great chemistry with everyone in this franchise.

Loved the subway scene. Again, the first time Ghostface has been scary in a really long time.

Great to see Panettiere again (even if I'm not quite convinced by her role).

I loved the embracing of all the sequels. It's nice to have such a clear timeline in a long running horror franchise. I cackled at the fax machine from Scream 3.

Though the execution was flat, the idea of Richie's family being what Sam is trying to avoid is a nice parallel. I like that it wasn't made explicit.

 

Having said that...

 

I find Gale writing the book about 5cream and throwing Sam under the bus really unnecessary - especially because she becomes warm Gale literally one scene later. Her writing a book and focusing on Dewey and refusing to make the story about Richie would've easily fed the 'Sam is the actual killer' narrative as well as justified how she didn't know about Richie's family. 

Mulroney is kinda awful in this.

The meta stuff is just the writers owning up to cop outs. I really need this to stop. Jasmin Savoy Brown deserves so much more than having a Letterboxd account as a personality.

[John Marston]

The Good:

-opening scene is great and brilliantly subverts expectations

-some great individual scenes including the subway scene, the bodega scene, and the ladder scene


-Nice to see Hayden Panetierre back and she is given a nice role


-multiple Ghostfaces on screen at the same time = awesome

-Sidney's absence is fine. It makes sense for her not to be involved anymore at least for now



The bad:


-numerous characters getting stabbed multiple times and surviving. Really you, couldn't kill off just one character? Mason Gooding's fake out death is particularly groan worthy

-Melissa Berrera is still a bland lead and the twins are annoying

- totally wasted the NYC setting. Other than the Subway scene absolutely nothing about the movie felt like NY or that it even needed to take place there. Not a single scene taking advantage of a NY landmark? Seriously?



-While the idea of a family of Ghostfaces is cool, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. A ridiculous amount of plot holes will come to you head when it comes to the killer reveals


6/10

  

Edited March 12, 2023 by John Marston

[filmlover]

13 minutes ago, ddddeeee said:

Gale's big scene was nerve-shredding. I loved her visibly turning her sadness over Dewey into determination to get the killer. Cox really killed it there. My audience roared at her asking the killer to hold.

Mine too!

 

I'm really glad they allowed Gale to live because the name-dropping of the recent Star Wars trilogy earlier really had me worried that these movies were gonna follow in their footsteps by killing off the original trio over the course of each installment.

[TMP]

worst written scream film yet, which is saying something. so many moments of truly awful, dog-shit, meta-ass dialogue. These horror revivals are always so bad.

Edited March 18, 2023 by TMP

[CoolioD1]

This was actually decent unlike the last one which was complete poo. some good setpieces here. but also holy shit this is WIMPIEST slasher movie i've ever seen. they didn't wanna kill off anybody.

[filmlover]

I feel like the next movie is gonna need to provide an explanation addressing if Chad is a real-life Superman cause dude should totally be dead after everything he went through in this.