Review: Scream VI

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

As far as horror movie sequels go, "Scream VI" is better than it probably has any right to be. Most franchises in this genre have long since lost steam by the time they crawl to their sixth chapter. That being said, while it has its share of intense and well-made sequences, this latest "Scream" is a middle-of-the-road entry in this series and occasionally feels like it's treading water, that is, when it's not ripping off one of the previous entries in the franchise.

Last year's "Scream" was the best entry since Wes Craven's beloved 1996 original, introducing a slate of new characters - Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), the daughter of original killer Billy Loomis; her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega), who survives a Ghostface attack at the beginning of that film; Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), a niece of slain Randy Meeks from the original two films; and her brother, Chad (Mason Gooding) - as well as bringing back some old favorites.

This latest "Scream" is sorely missing the presence of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell, who didn't return due to contractual disagreements), whose absence is explained with a throwaway line by Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox, back in fine form). Another "Scream" alum, Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), returns, but this time as an FBI agent in one of several of the film's plot threads that ask for the audience to extend its disbelief.

Tara is in New York City for college and Sam has tagged along to watch over her. The Meeks twins are also attending school there. The film opens in typical "Scream" fashion with a person (Samara Weaving) being taunted on the phone, only to be murdered in an alleyway by a guy wearing a Ghostface mask, who then surprisingly takes the mask off (it's Tony Revolori) and heads home, where he in turn is taunted by someone else on the phone.

It's hard not to explain further who Revolori's character is and why he targeted the film's first victim, but suffice it to say that another killer (or killers since this is "Scream") have plans for Tara and Sam that came into conflict with those of the characters involved in the opening sequence. By the way, I figured out who the killer(s) were early on in the film during a conversation when a throwaway line gives away the game.

Of course, there's the obligatory scene in which the resident horror film buff - in this case, Mindy - explains the rules of franchises, when the characters realize they are now in one. This includes a higher body count, gorier murder sequences (this is the bloodiest "Scream" to date), and a mention that no characters - legacy or otherwise - are safe. There's also the obligatory needle drop of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

Despite some bumps, "Scream VI" has a number of elements to recommend it. The cast is solid across the board, the film is a little scarier than previous "Scream" entries, and the picture relies less on its long-time characters - though Gail gets a solid bout with Ghostface in her apartment - and allows the new ones to develop a little, although the Meeks twins are underserved here. The new characters are, naturally, fodder for the slaughter. Dermot Mulroney also pops up as the detective on the case and the father of one of the new characters.

There are some impressive set pieces, especially a sequence on a subway filled with New Yorkers - although the film was actually shot in Montreal - dressed in Halloween costumes, a number of which happen to be Ghostface masks and robes. It's a legitimately tense and well-shot scene, only to be upstaged by an over-the-top bloodbath during the finale.

Craven's 1996 will always be the best in the series, and 2022's requel is the runner up. I have a soft spot for 2000's underrated "Scream 3," and I think we all agree that "Scream 4" was a low point. For many fans of the series, 1997's "Scream 2" often ranks among the highest, but I've long considered it a mixed bag. This, perhaps, explains why "Scream VI" falls somewhere in the middle or slightly lower for me among the entries in this series - it rips off the setting (college) and elements of the finale from "Scream 2." 

It's as if the horror movie series that riffs on the cliches of the genre in which it belongs has actually succumbed to adopting them. "Scream VI" has its share of fun moments, a few good scares,  and some decent characters, but it recycles major plot points from the second film in the series, just as last year's "Scream" did the original, although that film did it to better effect. And yes, I still think it's a mistake to have Sam taking part in conversations with her dead father. "Scream VI" is not half bad for an entry in a horror series that has been running for 27 years - but if it continues to another chapter, I hope it reinvents itself rather than becoming a greatest hits package with new faces.