A sequel to “Scream” (2022) and the sixth installment in the film series, Ghostface returns to continue the legacy. Our horror fan J.P. reviews “Scream VI,” starring Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega.
Scream VI
Paramount Pictures / Spyglass Media Group
- Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
- Written by James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick
- Based on Characters by Kevin Williamson
- Produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein
- Starring 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, and Courteney Cox
Studio Synopsis:
Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter. In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera (“Sam Carpenter”), Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Mindy Meeks-Martin”), Mason Gooding (“Chad Meeks-Martin”), Jenna Ortega (“Tara Carpenter”), Hayden Panettiere (“Kirby Reed”) and Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving.
J.P.’s Take:
In 1996, master of horror director/writer Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson practically reinvented the slasher genre with the debut of “Scream.” It was a whodunit / horror / thriller that left many viewers clawing for answers. A fifth sequel, also titled “Scream” (2022), engulfed a new generation of fresh cast members, who are now part of the Ghostface killer cannon. Continuing the mythos of the Ghostface killer, “Scream VI” finds a new batch of victims on the run, trying to escape its legacy.
Following the events of “Scream” (2022), the survivors of the Woodsboro murders leave their beloved town and head east to New York to start new lives. Sisters Samantha (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) are two of the survivors who discover their father is to blame for the rash of murders throughout Woodsboro, CA, over the years. They receive constant ridicule and harassment from people throughout the city. Tagging along are best friends, twins Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), who bring love and support to the sisters in their new journey. They, too, are survivors of the massacre. Mindy and Chad are the niece and nephew of late Woodsboro native Randy Meeks (played by Jamie Kennedy in “Scream” 1 + 2). Together they make new friends within the area.
Yet on one unsuspecting evening, Laura (Samara Weaving), a college film instructor, is waiting at the bar for her blind date. She receives a call from him, as he is lost and unable to find his way to her. They exchange niceties over the phone while giving him directions, yet he’s still lost. He tells her he’s just a block over and will walk across, through an alleyway, only for Laura to step out to see if she can spot him. They go back and forth on who can spot who, neither one connecting. She continues across the street over the alleyway, which, supposedly, he is walking through. Only — she doesn’t see him at all.
Laura creeps further into the alleyway when the male’s voice on the phone changes. No sooner than she turns to run, an attacker in a Ghostface costume appears out of nowhere and stabs her to death. When news gets around that the Ghostface killer may have struck again, the Carpenter sisters are spooked and plan another escape.
Just when we thought we could escape the demented world of the infamous Ghostface killer, we’re lured back into it. As a “Scream” series fan and someone who enjoys whodunit, with a volatile mix of horror, I was along for the ride. I didn’t walk into this sequel expecting it to break new ground, yet I felt it deviated enough from its forerunners — if ever so slightly. Like many legacy sequels, there is a carryover of ideologies stitched into the fabric of such entities. The common thread here is Ghostface and the multiple suspicious characters the figure surrounds.
“Scream VI” becomes another case study in meta psychology. Samantha, Chad, Tara, Mindy, and new friends Quinn (Liana Liberato), Ethan (Jack Champion) and Anika (Devyn Nekoda) happen to be film students and examine themselves as players in a movie. As with the original “Scream” movies, the premise hinges on the questions that many horror movie fans, like myself, would ask. What is your role? Who do you suspect? How will you escape the monster? And who will survive? It toys with these questions on an existential level …making the characters self-aware, without the kitschy or schlocky presentation. You know that they know you know. If that makes any sense LOL. It will also keep you on your toes as you focus on the protagonists Samantha and Tara. Being that they understand the tropes of horror movies, they change the game by taking new avenues to bring down the killer. You’re not completely locked into paint by numbers sequences near the end.
You’re watching these events unfold as the characters are chess pieces playing themselves. The fun in “Scream VI” isn’t just about the quick-paced, no-holds-barred kills, which, by the way, are all blood-curdling. It’s peering into the minds and motivations of the characters that also make it a fun cat-and-mouse game.
“Scream VI” boasts subversive plot pieces, terrifying action sequences, and genuine heart much of the time. There are winks within the dialogue and several scenes to classic 80’s horror flicks. It also pays homage to the “Scream” franchise itself, referencing the “Stab” series as if it were a true film series. The tone is darker than its forebears, giving it a bonafide horror movie vibe. These elements are tonal qualities that even horror masters Craven and Williamson I’m sure would be proud of.
A nice round of applause is given to the new cast as they held their own in this vehicle made for the next generation of Scream enthusiasts. Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega break the “final girl” mold as the two do something unexpected of the horror movie trope. Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liana Liberato, Jack Champion, and Devyn Nekoda all came out swinging in the respective roles of Chad, Mindy, Quinn, Ethan, and Anika. Courtney Cox reprises her role as Ghostface survivor, opportunistic TV host, and author Gale Weathers. Hayden Panettiere also returns as Detective Kirby Reed, who was presumed dead in “Scream” (2022). Dermot Mulroney, Josh Segarra, Tony Revolori, and Samara Weaving also command the scene as Detective Bailey, Samantha’s love interest Danny, Ghostface posers Jason, and Ghostface’s first victim Laura. Roger L. Jackson voices Ghostface once again, as he is the original voice in the series.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, with writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, have taken the Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson brainchild and turned it into a tribute to both the horror genre and franchise in one fell swoop. They’ve closely studied those masters and constructed a modern masterpiece that will stand up to the originals in due time.
It’s rare that sequels, especially those taken over by newcomers, make it through their first opening alive. With the success of “Scream” (2022), “Scream VI” just may establish the filmmakers as the new breed of horror masters. I genuinely enjoyed the ride.
Official Site: Scream