In this day and age, there are few things more valuable to the film industry than movie franchise IP, and a look at recent releases underscores this point. In March 2023 alone, we have Creed III, Scream VI, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and John Wick: Chapter 4, which account for basically every single major theatrical release. No film is more aware of this than Scream VI, which is completely self-aware, and chock-full of meta references of now being fully in franchise mode (one of the characters actually says: “there are certain rules to a franchise.”)
It’s an almost unassailable truth that sequels are usually worse than the original films, and that the longer they go on, the worse and more bloated a franchise gets. Sometimes the descent is a steady decline (Die Hard), sometimes it eventually outlasts its welcome (Terminator), sometimes it suddenly veers off a cliff (Marvel movies after Endgame), and other times it needs a reboot/requel to stay relevant (Rocky turning to Creed). With their last two films, the Scream movies are on the verge of joining Mission Impossible and maybe Planet of the Apes in getting better and better with each release. Clearly, with each iteration Ghostface is not only alive but thriving.
While the last installment was a soft reboot (technically, a “requel“), Scream VI marks a bigger and bolder return. One of the major anticipated differences with this film was that it is the first Scream movie to be set outside the fictional California town of Woodsboro. Directors Radio Silence use the new NYC setting to great effect in their set pieces, from a nerve-wracking apartment scene, to a jaw-droppingly violent bodega killing spree, to a chillingly effective subway scene that is one of the most memorable sequences in the franchise to date. Even the very opening scene, which is always one of the most memorable sequences in each flm, subverts expectations and introduces new elements, set in a New York City alleyway.
This latest sequel is also much bloodier than its predecessors. Ghostface is much more menacing, with an intimidating new look in a cracked, worn out mask. His kills are much gorier, his arsenal has expanded beyond his knife, and he is more physically imposing than ever. Amazingly, the main character Sam (Melissa Barrera) is able to go toe-to-toe with him. Barrera joins Linda Hamilton, Uma Thurman, and Sigourney Weaver, to name a few in the rare pantheon of badass female action heroes that you legitimately believe could take down a larger-than-life villain. Sam has a physicality and determination that is more convincing even than Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. It feels completely fitting that she is Billy Loomis’s daughter, and that darkness and edge, and walking that fine line, really works in her favor, where her lineage felt a little forced in the previous film.
In fact, all of the new characters feel more settled and fleshed out in this film, though they were first introduced in the fifth movie. When initially introduced, they had felt like obligatory transitional characters even though we were attached to the original legacy characters. There are certain “core four” characters that were stabbed in the prior movie that felt completely disposable then, but this time around, their being attacked garners an actual emotional reaction, and Radio Silence completely invests you in these new characters – a 180 degree turn in the space of just one film. For unfortunate salary reasons, Scream VI is the first one where Campbell does not appear, but it speaks to the newfound resonance and chemistry of the core four (and the reliable Gale Weathers with her best scene of the franchise) that her absence is barely missed.
It could be argued that the movie is really just a series of big set pieces and kills, and the story is just a mechanism to move from one to another. That isn’t completely unjustified because the set pieces are so phenomenal, but the characters and the story holds its own too. The film is funny, emotionally thrilling, and viscerally satisfying, the way a slasher film should be. Leaving the movie theatre, you feel like you just got off a roller coaster ride. One of the most entertaining dimensions of a Scream movie is the whodunit aspect, which consistently works – it’s never predictable, but never goes too far in the opposite direction of into trying to surprise you for its own sake. You might think you know where things are headed, but to paraphrase Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they get stabbed in the eye socket by Ghostface.
The best movie franchises will constantly reinvent themselves while staying true to its essence, and Scream VI is a success in that regard. It’s a modern movie, incorporating characters dealing with trauma as well as reddit internet theories and social media pressures, and never loses its sense of creativity and fun. It’ll also lay out its own rules and not be afraid to rewrite them from time to time, even what it means to wear the mask. The meta references are always a fun wink and a nod to the audience, and you buy into this world where a 6-inch deep knife wound is something you just rub some dirt into and then pick up where you left off. Scream VI is further proof that the movies are back, and an example of what a cinematic experience is meant to be.
Now playing in theatres.
