Certificate: 18 (strong bloody violence). Running Time: 122 mins. UK Distributor: Paramount Pictures
WHO’S IN IT?
Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Courteney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Dermot Mulroney, Henry Czerny, Samara Weaving, Tony Revolori, Jack Champion, Devyn Nekoda, Liana Liberato, Josh Segarra, Roger L. Jackson, Skeet Ulrich
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (directors), James Vanderbilt (writer, producer), Guy Busick (writer), Paul Neinstein and William Sherak (producers), Sven Faulconer and Brian Tyler (composers), Brett Jutkiewicz (cinematographer), Jay Prychidny (editor)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A new Ghostface killer terrorises the streets of New York City…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON SCREAM VI?
In 1989, a serial killer icon ventured outside of his comfort zone to unleash hell on the streets of New York City. However, when critics and audiences alike finally saw Jason Takes Manhattan – the eighth entry in the Friday the 13th franchise – they were left largely disappointed that the movie, which was sold heavily on the idea that the hockey-masked Jason Voorhees would prey upon unsuspecting civilians in the Big Apple, instead took place predominantly on a boat, with the same type of vulnerable and endlessly horny teenagers that Jason enjoys targeting, while the New York stuff was reserved for an underwhelming final act. It tanked at the box office (and to this day remains the lowest-grossing entry in that series), and is remembered to this day as a particular low for not just the franchise, but as an example of false advertising.
In 2023, another serial killer icon is venturing outside of their comfort zone to unleash hell on the streets of New York City. This time, though, there is less likelihood that general reception will be quite as negative, for Scream VI actually follows through on its central concept (in that the entire film actually does take place in Manhattan), and delivers another entertaining, intense, and characteristically meta entry in a newly-revitalised slasher series that’s fun to welcome back.
Taking place a year after the events of last year’s Scream – the directors of which, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, return to direct this one as well, as do writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick – that film’s survivors, sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega), and twins Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding), have left the town of Woodsboro once and for all, and have started new lives in New York. Of course, the feared Ghostface is not that far behind, with a new killer donning the mask and enacting a brutal series of murders that all seem to lead things back to Sam, who as we found out last time is the illegitimate daughter of original killer Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). Assisting our heroes this time are a wide range of new suspects – including scrawny geek Ethan (Avatar: The Way of Water’s Jack Champion), hot neighbour Danny (Josh Segarra), and promiscuous roommate Quinn (Liana Liberato), the daughter of local detective Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) – and even some familiar legacy characters, like Courteney Cox’s ever-ambitious reporter Gale Weathers and fan-favourite survivor Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) who’s now an FBI agent.
And no, before you ask, Neve Campbell is not in this film, not even as a surprise cameo. Her exclusion from the movie (the first in this series not to feature her protagonist Sidney Prescott), due to her declining a less-than-desirable contract offer that sadly highlights the cavernous gender pay gap in Hollywood, was one of the more alarming stories to dominate online speculation in this film’s lead-up, owing to people wondering if it would be a true Scream movie without the original survivor there in some capacity. Luckily, much like Creed III, you rarely find yourself missing the former franchise headliner, because Scream VI continues to feature newer characters who are fun and compelling enough to carry general interest, while also getting into some fresh new areas that the series hadn’t been able to explore until now. The “Core Four” (as they charmingly call themselves) are a likeable bunch who you are constantly rooting for, and are genuinely scared for the fact that they may actually succumb to this Ghostface’s wrath, because that would mean no more time spent with them. The performances are also key to their great chemistry working so well, with Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega getting the lion’s share of character growth and development, but also enough room for twins Mindy and Chad to have their moments to shine as well. Elsewhere, there’s just enough for Courteney Cox to do (including a brutal showdown in her Manhattan apartment), and it’s nice seeing Hayden Panettiere back in this series again after stealing attention back in 2011’s Scream 4, but they rarely ever overshadow the power that the Core Four share.
The kills here are as gory and unsettling as ever, which go hand-in-hand with the increased tension that both this and the previous film brought to the table, refreshingly veering things further and further away from the more comedic edge that original director Wes Craven kicked off with. New directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett manage to find that decent balance between meta commentary and genuine intimidation – as well as cameo roles for their Ready or Not stars Samara Weaving and Henry Czerny – whereas Craven definitely leaned more into the former than the latter, but they also (to a point) play around with expectations enough to keep things from becoming too stale, including most notably its setting. While this isn’t the first Scream movie to venture outside of Woodsboro, with Scream 3 largely taking place in Los Angeles, there is something about setting Ghostface loose upon the already dangerous streets of New York that makes this killer feel more unpredictable, for he could realistically come out of nowhere or even hide in plain sight. There’s a particularly tense subway sequence that best surmises the effectiveness of Ghostface in a greater populated environment, not to mention that it’s taking place on Halloween (ergo, everyone is wearing some variant of the mask) so it literally could be anyone at this point.
If there’s one thing that doesn’t put it as on par with the previous entry, it’s the final reveal of who this Ghostface actually is, and what their motivation might be. Like a lot of the unmasked killers in this series, it ultimately boils down to how elaborately constructed and convoluted their master plan is, though there is a distinct whiff of rehashing here as one can draw parallels to the ultimate killer in one of the more profound earlier entries. I’ll say no more for the fear of saying more than I should, but I did find myself a bit underwhelmed by this particular unmasking.
Aside from that, Scream VI keeps the series alive with yet another compelling and entertaining sequel that feels both fresh and well-worn at the same time. Jason Takes Manhattan wishes it was something like this.
SO, TO SUM UP…
Scream VI is an entertaining and engaging continuation of the slasher series, further establishing its likeable new lead characters without relying on past legacy figures, and upping the level of intensity through a refreshing change of scenery that makes Ghostface more terrifying than he’s yet been, though the final reveal this time might be too much to buy for some.
Scream VI is now showing in cinemas nationwide – click here to find a screening near you!
