Scream 6 (2023)

 

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Hayden Panettiere, Courtney Cox et. Al

Directed by Matt Bellini-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Where It’s Available: Netflix in Canada, Paramount+ in the US

Perhaps one of the nicest surprises of ‘post’-pandemic movies was the 2022 self-proclaimed ‘Requel’, Scream 5. It took us back to Woodsboro, introduced a new cast of characters and sprinkled in a lot of nostalgia with some smart screenwriting that really played with the expectations of the crowd while building a new crew that could effectively ‘reboot’ the franchise (while maintaining the previous lore).  I enjoyed it way more than I expected to, so when I was cruising Netflix last Saturday and saw that the latest feature, Scream 6 (Jesus - they’ve been making these movies for 28 years now) was available I jumped at the opportunity to watch. And for the most part, I was pretty happy with this decision.

The sequel to the ‘requel’ (a clever portmanteau that implies a reboot/sequel - something that has become en vogue over the past decade as Hollywood has officially run out of new ideas and is just taking existing franchises, bringing back previously dead characters and generally doing anything to encourage fans to drive dump trucks full of money to their pandemic-thin box office coffers by adding new characters and plot lines while also keeping the existing lore), Scream 6 opens with our heroes, sisters Tara (Jenna Ortega) and Sam (Melissa Barrera) now living in New York where Tara attends college with her friends (fellow survivors from Scream 5’s bloodbath, Chad and Mindy). As can be reasonably expected, the quartet - or ‘Core Four’, as they fittingly name themselves in New York - are significantly traumatized following the events of the last film and all of them are dealing with it (or not dealing with it, as the case may be) in… different ways. 

As you’d expect in a Scream movie, in short order, Ghostface shows up (because reasons), people start dying and we’re introduced to Dermot Mulroney as a cop who is connected to a victim and vows revenge as well as the returning Hayden Panettiere as Kirby, the requisite movie nerd (and subsequently best part) of the otherwise-forgettable 4th film - a great scene involved Kirby and the current film’s genre-savvy movie nerd, Mindy (played affably by Jasmin Savoy-Brown, maybe best known as Taissa the younger in ‘Yellowjackets’) trade favourite franchises and characters. “Game recognize game,” Mindy acknowledges at its conclusion with a respectful nod. 

As the movie twists, turns and occasionally creaks towards its denouement, revelations occur (some logical, some not) characters are seemingly-killed only to come back in the very next scene and a generally good time is had by all. At this point you can’t kill a franchise (and, indeed, the film really takes great pains to play with that very idea - the character referring to the fact that they’re “in a franchise now” so “the regular rules don’t apply”). Scream is most enjoyable when its meta-narrative is cogent but not bogged down (Scream 3 was weaker because it leaned too hard into the idea of ‘trilogies’ and Scream 4 tried reboot but didn’t have the gumption to.. like.. ACTUALLY reboot anything). This film thankfully leans more to the positive side of the ledger (Scream, Scream 2 and, not surprisingly, Scream 5).

The Good - Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are believable as siblings - their relationship is strained, but feels genuine. Sam’s *very* New York boyfriend is suitably charming but there’s enough about him that giving him the side-eye makes perfect sense. After mostly riding shotgun in Scream 5 while Dewey (RIP) does most of the legacy character heavy-lifting, Courtney Cox’s ‘Gale’ has a role that at least spans more than two scenes. As mentioned previously, it was a real hoot to see Kirby back in the fold - and her character’s growth arc (she became an FBI agent to hunt serial killers) is cool and served as a perfect way to bring her back without forcing the issue. The cold open of the film was fresh and clever, as well, suitably and enjoyably subverting expectations  - which for a franchise in its sixth iteration is actually damned impressive.

The Bad - For a movie that made a *lot* about its New York setting in advertisements, very little is actually ‘done’ with that setting. There’s a crowded subway scene, a bodega scene and… that’s about it..? Honestly, if not for the New York skyline in the credits, you could tell me this film took place in Indianapolis and I’d believe you. Also - and maybe this is just me patting myself on the back - but the killer was relatively easy to suss out. These films pride themselves on keeping the audience hung onto the twists through to the bitter end, but when you know who the killer is a third of the way through the film it can kneecap it a bit (though, to be fair, though I knew the WHO, the WHY was actually interesting). Finally, one plot point requires a *significant* suspension of disbelief for it to make sense. It HAS to work for the plot to fit, but you’re gonna have a hard time buying it.

The Ugly - Seriously guys? You’re gonna do Samara Weaving like that? Our girl was in the film for all of five minutes.

Is It Kid-Friendly? - Umm… no. Not unless you want CPS called on you. One dude gets stabbed 32 times and gutted until their entrails pour out. Put the kiddos to bed and grab a bevvie of your choice before watching this one.

The Verdict - The joke the film makes is that nobody - not a single character, however nostalgic or seemingly-important - is bigger than The Franchise. Scream 6 very much fits that mould - this franchise isn’t going anywhere (despite the issues that have popped up regarding preproduction for the next film). Scream 6 is a screamingly decent way to spend two hours. 7.5/10