Scream VI Review
Ghostface is back in the latest parody of the Stab Franchise
Just when you thought Creed III would be the only sequel to use Roman Numerals… Okay, I know which number VI is supposed to be! I asked an usher at the theater and he said “It’s probably one of the numbers between 5 and 7.” That narrows it down for me! I would just like to apologize to the audience members that shushed me while I yelled that question to the usher during Scream 5.3. I’ve seen at least 4 & a half Scream movies before this one (fell asleep during the credits of three so I can’t say I’ve seen the whole movie. Though that probably means I’ve seen about 4.9 of the Scream movies? Do credits… count?). Anyway, we shouldn’t shame anyone for not knowing which Scream this one is because aren’t all horror movies a scream? If comedies are a laugh and dramas are a cry then I think that logic holds sturdy. And while we’re at it, when was the last time the Roman Empire did anything for the Mathematician Community? Maybe it’s time we stop relying on those Rome guys to count how many movies have been made in a franchise. (Last time I checked, didn’t they do some messed up stuff to God’s Son?) Now let’s answer the question “what if Ghostface went to a bodega?”
The big hook for Scream VI is that Ghostface has left the trappings of Woodsboro, California for the Big Apple…. This type of hook is an ode to when slashers relocated our favorite killers to new places. Jason took Manhattan late in the series and now it’s Ghostface’s turn. We follow four survivors from the fifth movie as they try to make a new life in the city. Like how Creed III lacks Rocky, this lacks Sidney Prescott (which is fine, let her take a nap). Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett return and bring a take that isn’t as clever as it is functional. Scream VI is more interested in continuing the legacy of a slasher series than it is in subverting it. The fifth had fun with recreations of the original Scream’s iconic setup and punchline. These directors brought plenty of meta-commentary on reboots and re-quels in the fifth film. It’s a fun movie but the intense winking gets overbearing fast (this is true for every Scream sequel). Scream VI has a better go at telling its own story with the Scream legacy meta-ness sustaining the story rather than controlling its every decision.
Scream VI has one issue that’s hard to ignore: it isn’t very scary. Ghostface still has a great screen presence (that voice? When will Ghostface start a Podcast?) but when it comes to the movie’s scares, they feel more like a poke than a punch. At this point in any franchise, it gets tougher to pull off real scares. Scream VI is more content with going for entertainment value than it is attempting any big chills or gross-out gory setpieces. Perhaps the fifth film is scarier than this one because it has Sidney Prescott. I don’t want to see some new blood film dork kill off Sidney! I’m not as concerned for Gail Weathers though I don’t want to see her go. Six does Gail a bit dirty by turning the character back to her roots as a muckraker sleaze. As for the New York setting? It never really feels like the characters are there. The camera shoots like it’s trying to avoid any noticeable Montreal or Quebec landmarks (where it was shot). The film’s look is nothing special. But, it is an upgrade from the close-up obsession these directors had in Scream V.
Scream VI continues the series in an episodic manner. It’s less obnoxious than Scream V (thankfully, not a single mention of “elevated horror”) and allows time for plenty of Ghostface running around. The movie’s mystery carries the film better than its meta-qualities but there’s still one franchise-related location that I found to be a treat. Maybe, six movies in, Scream doesn’t have to be the sharpest commentary on the film industry. Rather, it can provide the comfort of slasher tropes and furthering the legacy. Scream VI is a fun, twisty, and cozy slasher sequel.
RATING: 6.5/10 (rating the sixth movie a six is not meta-commentary)