Man the Scream franchise found the perfect corner. The movies can come and go as they please, built for commenting on the current state of horror filmmaking as the industry changes around the films. Scream V found a new set of characters to build around for our current days of requels and franchising, with Scream VI continuing the commentary on horror’s state of affairs today. Welcome to the 2023, Scream fans! Double down on that metaness.
After a double murder rebaselines the audience as to what they’re about to see, we catch up with Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) and her sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) moving away from Woodsboro to New York City. Tara’s happy to forget her terrible past with her twin sibling friends Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy-Brown) and live the normal college experience. Sam has no such option: as Stab fandom makes people think she’s the real killer from the Scream V story. Stab fate intervenes as the new Ghostface starts accosting the “core 4” as they call themselves, intent on making Sam and the others pay for what happened last year.
The setting change to New York City, Halloween weekend, gives Scream VI some fun new life. Not stuck in the California burbs, the movie does a decent job using this new locale to make some fun setpieces, especially one on a subway platform. The college setting also gives us a host of new characters that are film obsessives, therapists, professors, etc for Scream to comment/trope on. Online virality/fandom frees Scream up to change locations constantly too, as the Stab franchise will follow Sam and Tara around regardless of where they’re living today. With David Arquette’s Dewey gone, Dermot Mulroney and Hayden Panettiere’s return give us new police figures to reorient ourselves around, deciding if we can trust them or not. These subtle changes around the edges injects some new energy into the Scream movies that keep the audience interested and excited to see where the franchise goes.
Neve Campbell’s absence here is a mixed bag. No Sydney means the movie is freed to explore the core 4 a little more. Melissa Barrera is excellent as Sam Carpenter, built with an intriguing family history that makes us question when the “heel” turn is coming. Jenna Ortega and Mason Gooding get some nice shading as well, becoming more than just archetypes in the process. Gail (Courtney Cox) and Kirby (Panettiere) lack the hero charisma of Neve Campbell, and can’t quite fill her shoes the way the movie needs them to do. Also missing is the biggest issue: time. With 1 year between films, simply not enough time has passed between Scream movies for the film to comment on changes in the industry. There’s a rules conversation like in all Scream’s, but this one feels pretty forced and stretching for something, unlike Scream V. A lack of commenting purpose really takes a lot out of Scream VI, making the kills not mean as much because there not in service of something more interesting/profound.
Sam and Tara, just keep moving. The next Scream should be some sort of superhero like team up so the franchise can comment on superhero movies. Literally have your movie take place on movie sets, as you make a movie within a movie. Or, you can make a movie a year from now and talk about franchise fatigue while people get tired of Scream films. Your choice. I personally vote for the fatigue one, it’s bolder and could result in some really weird fun choices.