Scream VI Spoiler-Full Review

The following review contains spoilers of Scream V and Scream VI. For our spoiler-free review of Scream VI, click here.

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After surviving the events of Stu Macher’s old house for the second time, it was clear that issues for Sam (Berrera) and Tara Carpenter (Ortega) were not going to end with Richie (Jack Quaid) and Amber (Mikey Madison) whose attempt to remake the last Stab requel (part reboot and part sequel) much in the vein of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were doing with Scream V as they attempted to move the franchise forward following the death of director Wes Craven.

The next installment in the franchise, Scream VI, takes place a year after the events of Scream V in a new locale for the franchise, New York City. Looking for a fresh start, the core four of Sam and Tara along with Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding) Meeks-Martin made the trek together as the latter three started college with Sam tagging along to keep an eye on her sister. As much as they thought they were done with their past, a new Ghostface joined the party. However, that eventual Ghostface had to be whittled down first in what was a rollercoaster of an opening in and of itself. In the end, what made this installment different was the motivation of the presumed Ghostface who opted to expose Sam for her alleged actions in Woodsboro. Since that night, she was deemed responsible for the events of that night thanks to the many conspiracy theories that spread like wildfire and had since followed her to New York City. Hoping to set the mood for the film, that angle was pushed aside a little too much here.

Focusing on Sam and Tara, as it should, the story was mostly about how they and the rest of the core four dealt with the trauma of what happened to them while trying to move on and move forward in a new city. Their chance of growing up and living a normal life was of course interrupted by the new Ghostface who appeared to be unlike the ones from the past by being better prepared. Meanwhile, the more things change, the more they stay the same so there was still some baseline to follow. However, Sidney Prescott would not be a part of it in an absence that was felt. Nevertheless, the connection to the past is a given at this point and Sam being revealed as Billy Loomis’ daughter was never not going to be a factor for herself and anyone looking to take her down. That being said, discovering the identity of the new Ghostface wasn’t so clearcut despite the story following many of the same lines as the previous installment. Though there were some similarities here in terms of story beats connected by less meta commentary than the previous film and that sense of tension was also still here, the film ramps up the brutality with some great and inventive kills and scares that make use of the new setting.

Ultimately, balancing a story about trauma through the lens of the relationship between Sam and Tara on top of a Scream tale was where Scream VI faltered. Rushing while trying to advance one at the expense of the other did not work. As the core four, some new friends which are not always the best as far as this franchise is concerned, Gale Weathers (Cox), and the now FBI Agent Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) got closer to the new Ghostface, the larger the target on them grew. The threat of this different Ghostface added to the tension as their investigation was exciting to watch over the course of a fair share of twists and turns as suspects were presented and then eliminated just as quickly. Building up with the twists and all the brutality, the film set a fairly high bar for itself. That just made the eventual Ghostface reveal more disappointing. Focusing on Sam and Tara’s trauma, the motivations of who was revealed to be Richie’s family who wanted revenge against Sam for killing him were underdeveloped therefore came out of nowhere thus making it hard to care. They were also responsible for killing some would be Ghostface killers targeting Sam and Tara in the opening. It was all about honoring Richie’s memory and his love of the Stab franchise and horror movies. Besides the core four being in jeopardy in that climax, there was some excitement but little to no emotional payoff. Richie’s family were merely another adversary to defeat and everyone survived anyway.

What carries Scream VI once again was its performances with Barrera and Ortega leading the way as Sam and Tara but all the usual suspects (no pun intended) were also great. Barrera takes a major leap as the film dove deeper into the inner psychology of Sam as she put her sister first and became overprotective of her in the midst of the cloud looming over her and the fact that Tara was also growing up. In order to move forward, she would need to learn to let go which proved to be a challenge. Barrera balances all of those admirably on her shoulders and while it could have gone deeper, the film is simply the next step in a longer journey for the character. The same was the case for Ortega’s Tara to a lesser extent. Forced to quickly grow up, she had to figure out what she wanted to do with the life that was ahead of her and whether or not she wanted Sam to be a part of it as she tried to move on in her own way, showing her age at times. At that point, they only had each other for better or worse. Whichever way they were going to escape, they would need to do so together. Their stellar chemistry made that collective journey the best part of the film.

Brown and Gooding very much bring the same energy from the last film as Mindy and Chad with the latter edging out the other with a standout performance despite both playing a smaller role in the overall narrative. Panettiere did not miss a beat as Reed, making an impact in her limited screen time. Speaking of making the most out of limited screen time, Cox as Weathers was an absolute badass, especially in a standout showdown with the film’s Ghostface where she delivered one of the most powerful lines in the franchise. Just like Scream V, this film gives its legacy characters a purpose in the main narrative and it was nice to see the franchise check up on Reed as she handled the trauma of what happened to her while Weathers had a moment out of the shadow of Sidney and Dewey with a redemption angle of her own that may very well have the chance to continue.

At the end of the day, Scream VI is still a worthy installment albeit an overambitious one that takes on too much as it attempts to advance the story forward. The brutality and strong character beats will surely be more than enough for most audiences but the lack of a well-rounded narrative holds it back.

still courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.