MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Horror/Stars: Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Mason Gooding, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Jenna Ortega, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, Samara Weaving, Hayden Panettiere, Courteney Cox, Thomas Cadrot, Andre Anthony; Voice of: Roger L. Jackson/Runtime: 123 minutes
I think it is only appropriate dear reader to start this review off by asking you a familiar yet perversely delightful question which might make some of you smile, but others amongst you roll your eyes and think “he can’t possibly be serious”. That being: what’s your favorite scary movie? A question that at one time may have been innocent enough, but which quickly gained a more sinister undertone amongst horror fans following the release in the long-ago year of 1996 of a teeny tiny little horror film known as Scream. A film that quickly not only gained a series of sequels, but also a spot of regard in the horror cinema community. A spot that it shared with its noteworthy killer, a knife-rocking individual known affectionately (?) as Ghostface. Yet, in the aftermath of Scream 4’s release in 2011, it looked like Ghostface was finally down and out for the count. A solid 11 years later though and this franchise came unexpectedly roaring back to life for a new generation of movie goers with the aptly titled Scream (or Scream 5 if you have a fondness for franchise chronology). Of course, with such success it seemed all but inevitable that a sequel to this horror film equivalent to Star Wars: The Force Awakens would soon arrive in our lives. Thus, when I first saw the trailer for the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today in the form of Scream VI (or 6 for those of you who are allergic to Roman numerals) I wasn’t all that surprised we as movie goers were getting one another. Looking back, I guess my surprise was on a delay timer that day because, upon seeing the actual movie earlier, my surprise was finally activated. I say that because honestly I really did enjoy myself with this film dear reader. Sure it has a few issues scattered about, but the work done behind the camera is a wonderful mix of visceral and edge of your seat riveting and the work done in front of the camera by the cast of players assembled is sharply done no matter how big or small their role may be. Suffice it to say that it might not be a perfect film by any means, but there is no denying that Scream VI is definitely a rather sharp addition to the legacy of both the franchise of which it is a part to say nothing of horror cinema in general.
The plot is as follows: Taking place a solid year after the events of the last film and around Halloween time, Scream VI gets its slicing and dicing narrative underway in a rather unusual way. That being instead of the solitary hero (or heroine as is often the case in this franchise) in the house all alone in the small town of Woodsboro, we get a woman waiting on an online date in a trendy restaurant in the heart of no less a locale than New York City. Of course, this being a Scream movie, I think it’s safe to say this date doesn’t exactly go as planned at best and not likely to result in a second date at worst. At any rate, we soon see that the film then shifts over to our group of 4 survivors in the forms of Sam Carpenter, her sister Tara, and their 2 friends Mindy and Chad respectively who have moved to New York City in order to get away from the events of the previous year. A task incidentally that isn’t proving to be as easy as it could be with Sam still reeling psychologically from what happened to such an extent that she is literally operating as a sort of surrogate overprotective parent to Tara who isn’t really having any of it. Making matters worse is the fact that, also in the time since, online conspiracy theorists have managed to adopt and viciously spread a rumor that it was Sam who committed the most recent killings in Woodsboro instead of…..who it was revealed to be at the end of that particular film (you didn’t really think I would write that here did you?). Perhaps this is why, when news of the incident at the beginning of the film reaches them, Sam is ready to grab Tara and leave town post haste. A noble choice to be sure, but one that Sam makes a tad bit too late before a very familiar killer starts to stalk the streets once more. Thus, with the aid of fellow Ghostface survivors Gale Weathers and Kirby Reed plus some new faces including Mindy’s new girlfriend Anika, neighbor Josh, and their friends Ethan and Quinn to say nothing of a driven and determined member of the NYPD named Wayne Bailey along for the ride, we see that our quad of heroes must go up against a vicious killer once again. One that, despite wearing the same mask and wielding the same blade, might just be more vicious, ruthless, and bloodthirsty than ever before……
Now right off the bat we see that from the extremely sadistic beginning that, without going into spoilers, is both one of the finest to say nothing of delightfully unexpected that this series has seen fit to give us as movie goers, it should become quite obvious that this slice and dice of horror cinema is dead set on throwing you for a curve as much as possible. As a result, and as more or less explained to us, everyone is fair game, the deaths will be more extravagant, and more people will die. Suffice it to say that is exactly what the brilliant team behind the camera manage to joyfully provide us in abundance. This starts with the various murders that occur in this slice of cinema’s 2 hour and 3-minute runtime and truthfully if you thought the ones in the 5th film were visceral then boy are you in for a surprise! I say that because this take on Ghostface is visceral, ruthless, and leave you on more than one occasion wincing at the brutality on display yet I must admit that this slice of cinema is all the better for the sheer amount of slicing and dicing that goes on. It’s also worth pointing out that this take on the infamous killer is also a lot gutsier and bolder in their attacks on the heroes in this with one particularly nail-biting sequence occurring inside a convenience store managing to swiftly transform into the most chilling cat and mouse game this side of the raptors in the kitchen from Jurassic Park. We also see that this film’s dynamic helming duo prove to be brilliant at conjuring up a very apparent vibe of both unease and uncertainty as well as in tinkering with both your emotions and assumptions to what you think is about to occur. Trust me when I say that you definitely don’t and as a result there is quite a few riveting twists and turns to be discovered in this film. It’s also worth pointing out that another key component to this franchise that has always distinguished it would be its creative utilization of meta-commentary and that is something that is wonderfully shown off here as well. Indeed from lighthearted jabs at such people as annoying kids in film studies to on-point observations to the potent power online bullying can have on a person’s life outside the internet, this film’s script is one that is full to the brim with on-point writing that not only incorporates the aforementioned elements, but also is able to bring in further analysis on the idea of trauma and also incorporate wonderfully genuine character evolution for the heroes at the heart of this thus making us as movie goers care even more about them as people. Finally, I guess this should be the perfect section to address a key thing that has been hanging over this film’s head for a while and that would be the fact that the complete and utter lack of iconic franchise heroine Sidney Prescott in this. With that being said, whilst I do applaud Neve Campbell for standing tall and being aware of her worth as both a wonderfully talented actress and to this franchise in general, but I do appreciate how this film is still able to work even without her playing a part in the proceedings. To be sure, the film does take a moment to briefly mention her absence, but then she is appreciatively not name dropped again after that. In other words: yes the lack of Neve Campbell is a teeny tiny bit disheartening, but props to the film for passing the torch to the new core quartet of heroes at the heart of this franchise though I suppose Syd could always come back for a visit if she really wanted to……
Of course, the other big component to a slice and dice of cinema like this working on the level that this one is able to would be the fact that the work done in front of the camera by the truly talented cast of players is really well-done. With that being said though, you should know right now that the two returning “legacy characters” in this in the forms of both Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers and Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed maybe both have about 25-30 minutes of screentime tops in this. Of course, this also doesn’t prove to be too much of a detriment to these two immensely talented actresses as, even with such limited screen time, both of them manage to not only give really good performances, but also get their own moments to shine in this with particular regard to a riveting sequence featuring Gale inside her apartment. Indeed I won’t go into spoilers, but I will say that it definitely left me on the edge of my seat in the best way possible. Now as for the new kids on the block from the last go-around or the “Core Four” as they take to calling themselves here I will say that this quartet genuinely is the heart and soul of this film through and through. Yet this slice of cinema also does something quite distinct when it comes to them as well. Namely that, unlike the other movies, this one actually lets its heroes stay tied to each other at the hip the whole movie. This doesn’t just lead to you caring more about the main characters who are all played phenomenally well in this film incidentally with particular praise going to Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera who are still perfect as sisters Tara and Sam, but for the people they care about in this film as well. For example, you learn that Mindy and her girlfriend Anika have only been going out for half a year, but because she is a key part of who Mindy is as a character in this you find yourself just as worried about her as you are for Mindy. A claim that also fits the characters of Danny, Quinn, and Ethan, but as for their ties to the four I think the less said the better. A phrase that also describes the character of Detective Bailey played brilliantly by the always delightful whenever he shows up in something Dermot Mulroney. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful albeit limited work from such screen talents as the always delightful Henry Czerny, Samara Weaving, and Tony Revolori to name but a few I think it can be safely said that the work done by the collection of players in this film is very much a cut above the rest.
All in all and at the end of the day, you might want to brush up on your horror trivia once again dear reader because dang it all if I wasn’t really impressed by this slice and dice of horror cinema which is quite surprising not the least of which because I don’t know of a lot of 6th installments in franchises that are as taut and engaging as this one is. Indeed following their miraculous revival of the, for all intents and purposes, dead and buried Ghostface with last year’s unexpectedly delightful 5th installment in this iconic horror franchise, we see that a lot of the creative team behind that one have managed to once again give us another entry is both chilling and satisfying in equal measure. Thus with the aid of a wonderfully novel sandbox to play in, an increase in terms of the people being on the wrong end of Ghostface’s already fairly blood-caked knife, terrific work from its immensely talented cast of players, more than a fair amount of moments that will leave you on the edge of your seat, and death scenes that are an equal mix of jaw-dropping visceral and blood curdling, I think it can be safely said that this slice and dice of horror cinema is immensely entertaining in the best way possible. To be sure, there are a few issues to be found in the quite extravagant resolution to the film and yes it is a resolution that does poke at the borders of odd and realistic more than it should, but not once does it go too far like a lot of other horror movies have. At any rate, there can be no denying that the creative team behind this have done something truly incredible and that is show they were definitely the right choice to pick up where the late yet iconic Wes Craven left off with this franchise. Suffice it to say that Ghostface’s knife is still just as sharp as ever and should the team behind this one decide that a 7th installment was in order and they brought back both the core four talents in front of the camera as well as the same degree of heart and passion that they did in this one and the 5th then I can promise you that not only would they get my money post haste, but I sincerely think we would all get to see another genuinely special entry in this truly iconic franchise. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Scream VI a solid 3.5 out of 5.
