The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Movies
  • Books
  • TV
  • Gaming
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
Movies 0

Scream VI Review

By Dave Griffiths @goodbaduglyshow · On March 20, 2023

The Gist

Tara and Sam move from Woodsboro to New York… but they are followed by a new Ghostface.

The Review

It is hard to imagine that the film that filmmaker Kevin Williamson made back in 1996 aimed at lightly mocking the slasher horror genre turned into what we now know as the Scream franchise – a franchise that has just released its sixth film and had a spin-off television series. Williamson’s involvement with the series is now limited but his characters live on and have created a passionate group of fans that keep asking for bloody adventures of Woodsboro to keep coming back to the big screen.

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Ready Or Not)and Tyler Gillett (V/H/S) do shake things up a little though with Scream VI by moving the action from Woodsboro to New York – a move that in theory should open up the film’s universe a little.

The reason for this dramatic change is that Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega – Wednesday) is now attending college in New York. Her friends, Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown – Yellowjackets) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding – Fall), have also made the move to the big city – as has her sister Sam (Melissa Barrera – In The Heights). The latter though is something that Tar is not happy about as she feels she is being smothered by Sam who won’t let her live her life. In fairness though Sam has never fully recovered from the events of the last film.

While Tara says that they are in no danger in New York her theory soon proves wrong when the group’s film lecturer is found murdered in an alley-way and Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney – My Best Friend’s Wedding) soon discovers that there is a direct link between this fresh murders and the Ghostface murders. Soon, once again Tara, Sam and their friends find themselves fighting for their lives.

Six films into a franchise you could probably forgive Scream VI for being light on for new ideas but to its credit the first half of the film holds its own. Moving to New York does breathe some new life into the storyline and allows for some new characters to be introduced which of course widens up the pool of potential suspects and victims as well. The fact that most of the characters are likable also adds to the suspense of the film.

Early on it does feel like this is going to be a pretty decent film. The first murder seen on screen is inventive and draws the audience in especially when it is revealed that not all is what it seems. That suspense is further heightened when it is revealed that there is tension between Tara and Sam – that also pushes the narrative that not all characters in modern day horror films have to be one-dimensional.

Sadly though things start to fall away and become completely unbelievable as the film goes on. While the story itself seems to hold up there are times when people are savagely stabbed and then only a few moments later are seen on screen working around as if nothing has happened to them – that might wash if you got regenerative characters like Deadpool or Wolverine around but certainly doesn’t work with the characters here.

Like what we also saw in the Jeepers Creepers reboot last year as well Scream VI also seems to suffer from a patch in the film where some of the actors seem to forget how to act and their over-acting is dreadful. You do also have to feel for Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) who returns as fan favourite Kirby Reed – for some reason the screenplay and the wardrobe/costume department have made her seem like her character would be more at home in an ‘adult’ film rather than the Scream franchise. It is a shame to see such a talented actress be treated this way.

What saves the film from a complete write-off is that the directors and screenwriters are at times creative. The scenes of Tara and Sam fighting for their lives in a convenience store and the suspenseful sequence on the underground train hold their own and show that there is still life left in the franchise when filmmakers are willing to be creative it while the return of the iconic Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox – Friends) makes the ticket price worth it. Having said that though the no show of Neve Campbell playing Sidney Prescott is a huge loss and leaves a big hole in the film’s storyline.

Credit does need to be paid to Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera who are great throughout the film while Jasmin Savoy Brown is also one of the film’s savours. The way she plays film geek Mindy is one of the highlights of the film and her pay-off is she gets to deliver some of the most memorable lines. Some might find the way Mindy explains the horror rules annoying while others will see it as a great plot device that at times brings in some humour.

The Verdict

Scream VI certainly isn’t the best film in the franchise but it does have some moments that will be enjoyed by horror fans. The fact that the film does get a little gory and has some creative sequences saves it but there are too many unbelieve things happening for this to be considered a good film.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

Scream VI Review
Dave Griffiths
March 20, 2023
2.5/10
2.5 Overall Score

Courteney CoxDermot MulroneyJasmin Savoy BrownJenna OrtegaKevin WilliamsonMason GoodingMatt Bettinelli-OlpinMelissa BarreraScream VITyler Gillett
Share Tweet

Dave Griffiths

Dave Griffiths has worked as a journalist for over twenty years now -covering topics including film, television, music, travel and sport (with a main focus on AFL Football). That time has seen him host the popular X-Wired television program for seven seasons as well as write for various magazines such as Buzz Magazine, Heavy Mag, Stage Whispers, The Banner and Eternity.. He has even branched out into writing online for Subculture Entertainment, Media Search and The Book The Film The T-Shirt. He also worked as the online editor for Entertainment 360 for three years. Dave's radio work has seen him work on various radio stations including 3RPP, Triple R and Light FM. He is currently the resident film reviewer on Sydney's 2UE radio station and can be heard reviewing what is new at cinemas and on DVD each week on Wednesdays at 3pm with Ed Phillips. He is also the co-host of Melbourne's 94.1FM's breakfast show 'The Motley Crew' and he can sometimes be heard on J-Air's 'First On Film'. David is also the co-host of two popular podcasts - ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Film Show,' and 'The Popcorn Conspiracy' As far as Film Reviewing goes David is an elected committee member of AFCA (Australian Film Critics Association and a member of IPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics)/FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique). He has also served as a jury member for a number of international film festivals and is considered an expert on cult cinema, horror movies and Australian films.

You Might Also Like

  • Movies

    F1: THE MOVIE Review

  • Movies

    M3GAN 2.0 Review

  • DVD

    FLIGHT RISK Review

No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe & Follow

Follow @thebookthefilm
Follow on Instagram
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • Tags
  • The Rise of Lockdown Streaming

    May 3, 2020
  • Salvo (2014)

    September 27, 2014
  • Penny Dreadful S1 EP 3 ‘Resurrection’ & EP 4 ‘Demimonde’ Review

    June 22, 2014
  • Pet Movie

    Spoiler Alert – Top 5 Horror Movie Twists

    March 17, 2017
  • warner bros. for her dvd collection

    Christmas Gift Guide: For Her – Heart Warming DVDs

    December 14, 2016
  • Win a copy of The Apartment on Limited Edition Blu-ray Courtesy of Arrow Academy

    December 23, 2017
David Griffiths marvel Kyle McGrath Ben Affleck J.K. Simmons Amy Adams Jai Courtney Lee Griffiths Hugh Jackman Chris pratt Scarlett Johansson Jason Clarke Daniel Craig Brad Pitt Emilia Clarke Henry Cavill keanu reeves benedict cumberbatch
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

ABOUT

Over opinionated and online. The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt was created for lovers of entertainment everywhere. We hope you enjoy it. Don't feed the writers after midnight.

Latest News

  • 4

    F1: THE MOVIE Review

    July 3, 2025
  • 2

    M3GAN 2.0 Review

    June 26, 2025
  • PINS & NEEDLES – James Villeneuve Interview

    June 25, 2025

SEARCH THE SITE

HIBS100 Index of Home and Interior Blogs
HIBS100

© 2016 Last Exit to Hollywood Media Limited. All rightsreserved. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”