'Scream VI' Is Bloodier, Funnier, And More Meta Than Ever [Review]
The death count is bigger (10+!), the kills are gorier, and Ghostface is more ruthless. Scream VI feels like the most meta film yet, as well as a love letter to the series as a whole.
One of the axioms of a Scream film is a killer opening sequence, kicked off by the great Drew Barrymore, who turned down the role of Sidney in the OG so she could pull a Psycho on audiences. The opening for Scream (2022) was a very stabby homage to Casey Becker’s opening, except for the fact that Tara (Jenna Ortega) survives. That was great, but Scream VI seriously upped the ante.
An adorably nervous Laura Crane, played by Samara Weaving, is at a bar waiting for her date, whom she has clearly not met in person before. Note the homage to Psycho, with Laura sharing the same surname as the similarly ill-fated Marion Crane. Laura is a professor who teaches about slashers, a class I would have loved to take in college. This scene, which would have had Sidney (and all the women in the audience) screaming at the screen, manages to play on both real, everyday fears, while also being especially brutal. It’s a great entry point for the movie, because it lets you know how dark and twisty this sequel is going to be. Spoiler alert: It only gets worse from here.
We know every film has the presentation of “the rules,” or how to survive a horror movie. Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), niece of Randy (Jamie Kennedy) from the first few films, took the reins in Scream (2022), with a bit of an assist from good, old Deputy Dewey (David Arquette). Scream VI is no different, with Mindy once again gathering all of their friends/suspects. This time, however, it’s much bigger than just a sequel or requel. This time, it’s a franchise - which means the original rules do not apply. This time, even Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara could be suspects. Unfortunately, so could Mindy, Chad (Mason Gooding), Anika (Devyn Nekoda), Gale (Courteney Cox), Kirby (Hayden Panettiere), Ethan (Jack Champion), Quinn (Liana Liberato), or Danny (Josh Segarra). Dewey’s words are echoed here, “Never trust the love interest.” Mindy is hilarious, with pretty much every line out of her mouth making me laugh, and Chad only got cuter and funnier.
Scream VI not only pays homage to the original Scream, but the whole movie acts like a giant Scream Easter egg hunt. The reappearance of the song “Red Right Hand,” made everyone in my screening clap and cheer, as did a particularly sweet moment featuring Dewey’s song. With the return of Kirby, came plenty of references to Scream 4, a movie that I personally feel is criminally underrated. They also mention Scream 3, which often feels ignored, aside from the fact that Sidney is with Mark. In one of my favorite lines in the movie, Kirby points out that of the nine previous Ghostfaces, only one - Roman Bridger, director of Stab 3 - did it solo. “Kudos for the ambition.”
It’s fun to see the characters of this film talk about all the ones that have come before. And the writers must stay up on the internet chatter, because not only is our beloved Kirby back, but they also acknowledge the fan theories that Stu is still alive. (I do not think he is, but I completely understand the desire for more Matthew Lillard.) The shrine even has the TV that snuffed out the last remnants of life in the hilarious, albeit homicidal character.
As usual, there are countless other movie references, like a kill that reminded me of Urban Legend, and a train full of people in costumes from all different horror movies, including, but not limited to The Babadook (a fun callback to Scream 2022), Ready or Not (a nice nod to writer/producer James Vanderbilt and Weaving, who was the lead), Hellraiser, It, The Shining, Us, A Nightmare on Elm Street (“For Wes”), Midsommar, and Shaun of the Dead (a movie Jill and Kirby watch in Scream 4).
The kills in this movie are particularly violent and squirmworthy. Expect Ghostface to use all different kinds of weapons, and to see people getting stabbed in the kinds of places that make you gasp out loud. Multiple scenes had my heart racing, and had I been watching this at home, I would have yelled at the screen on more than one occasion. [These can be seen in the trailer so no spoilers] The intro, along with scenes in a bodega, on the subway, and featuring a ladder, had me on the edge of my seat.
I cannot stress enough how clever this script is. It is so meta, perhaps the most meta film of the franchise, and it. is. funny! One of the most tongue in cheek moments is the post-credits scene, which I will not explain, as it’s much more fun to experience for yourself. There are so many memorable quotes, and you’ll be grateful for the comedic scenes amidst the stress and suspense. If you enjoyed Sick, co-written by Scream writer Kevin Williamson, then this might be your favorite iteration, because Ghostface takes no prisoners, and the chase scenes are long, and grueling. I feel comfortable saying this is the scariest movie in the franchise, and it also might be one of the best.
Strong acting performances and vicious death scenes add to the success of this film, with more than one storyline I did not see coming. Those not familiar with the Scream franchise - or of the sequels beyond Scream 2 - will still be able to have a thrilling time watching a genuinely scary movie. Fans of the Scream franchise will be beside themselves. Scream (1996) was a love letter to horror movies, while Scream VI is a love letter to Scream. It has all the best things from Scream (2022), while also subverting expectations again and again, as a good franchise does.
In a time when it’s a bit more difficult to get people into movie theaters, I can confidently say Scream VI is well worth the price of admission. This will assuredly not be the only time I see this movie in theaters. And I probably will not be able to talk about anything else for the next few weeks.
