It has been 27 years since the first Scream film debuted by horror genius Wes Craven. An iconic franchise in the slasher genre, Scream has continued to be milked with what is now the 6th film in the franchise. After Wes Craven’s passing many were not convinced the film franchise could continue without him but they did. So let’s explore the newest film.
This is your spoiler warning. We will share our thoughts without discussing who is behind the mask but other aspects might be considered spoilers.
Four survivors of the Ghostface murders leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. However, they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when a new killer embarks on a bloody rampage.
Review
In the sixth film of the franchise, we finally leave Woodsboro and head for the busy city that never sleeps, New York. Here the story uses the typical big city tropes to build out its setting for the masked killer to make their debut. Apartments, high rises, confusing navigation through city blocks, and subway trains. The new setting was a much-needed change but the story itself suffered from being so tightly tied to its past. After six stories in the franchise, the thread that connects these stories is starting to get super thin and frankly too much of a stretch.
When it comes to bloody kills, and ways to die, Scream VI doesn’t shy away from getting creative. The biggest shift is the cast. The most notable absence from the cast is Neve Campbell (Sidney), who did not return for this film. Still, Courtney Cox (who appeared in the original), and Hayden Panettiere (Who appeared in Scream 4 and 5) both returned along with the four survivors of the last film. New cast members included Jack Champion (Ethan, recently seen in Avatar: The Way Of Water), Samara Weaving (Laura), Josh Segarra (Danny), and Liana Liberato (Quinn). Still the overall story is a homage to the franchise that has been built over the last 5 films, and for those who are a fan of the franchise, the director understood the assignment, delivering another solid entry in the franchise.
My biggest gripe is in attacks themselves. In several instances, people were clocked with a cast iron pan and managed to just get up and act like nothing happened. But worse is those with injuries that clearly should cause them to struggle a bit more, walking around as if nothing happened. Granted these are common exaggerations in the slasher genre, but it felt so out of place it almost felt like a comedy sketch a few times.
In the broader scheme of slasher films, this is nothing that stands out all that well, but for the Scream franchise and fans of Ghost Face, you will be pleased with the latest entry that simply embraced what it was and delivered a slasher film.
Scream VI hits theatres on March 10th.
©2023 Paramount Pictures. All Right Reserved.
