Ghostface rocks his Timbs and heads to New York City in the latest sequel to the Scream franchise. Following the events of 2022’s Scream, Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and Chad (Mason Gooding) relocate to New York City as a way to start fresh. However, a new killer dons the mask and takes their bloody rampage to the streets of New York City. As the body count rises, these four young characters must find out who the killer is before they end up in body bags. Scream (2022) breathed new life into the franchise, but Scream VI proves that the franchise is here to stay.
Noticeably improved from the first film are the new characters. Sidney Prescott is only mentioned in passing, and save for two legacy character appearances, the new leads get to carry this film entirely on their own. Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding have terrific chemistry and play off each other well. While these characters fit into basic horror tropes, each actor has enough charisma to make their characters stand out. The real joy is in watching these characters react to the carnage surrounding them. Once Ghostface attacks, you’ll be rooting for all of these characters to make it out alive.
Ghostface is back once again and this time, he’s scarier than ever. All the kills delivered by Ghostface feel much more gruesome this time around and will leave you wincing in sheer disgust and terror. What makes Ghostface even scarier now is that he remains just as effective in the crowded city of New York as he does in the quiet suburbs of Woodsboro. No matter where our characters go, the threat of Ghostface is always looming.
Scream has been renowned for its metatextual narrative and how it pokes fun at horror tropes. For fans of those metatextual jokes, Scream VI delivers more of the same. At times, it’s utilized effectively, but there are times when the humor robs the film of any stakes or gravity to the situation. Because nothing is ever really taken seriously, it becomes increasingly difficult to feel genuine fear. This isn’t to say that there aren’t solid moments of tension, but they come few and far between. Wes Craven’s original Scream film had a nice balance between meta-commentary and horror, but Scream VI tries a bit too hard to be in on the joke.
With all that said, Scream VI is a welcome addition to the franchise and proves that these new films are in good hands both in front of and behind the camera. For fans of this franchise, this new addition will give you everything you love about Scream: brutal kills, fun characters, and some good humor. There’s nothing groundbreaking being done here, but it’s so good at what it does that it doesn’t even matter. For horror fans or general audiences looking for a fun night at the movies, this is a solid recommendation.
The Cinebuff 