The Scream franchise took a little break between Scream 4 and Scream 5. That decade-long hiatus caused fans to be a little weary of Scream 5 when it was released in January 2021. However, once it hit, it hit. Fans loved almost everything about Scream 5, and that fueled Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group to fast-track the next installment in the series, and give it a more prominent release date. Now let’s dive into the requel sequel with our full review of Scream 6.
Scream 6 takes place approximately one year after the events of Scream 5. Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) have moved to New York City to attend Blackmore University. They’re joined by fellow Scream 5 alumni, Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and a few newcomers. The only other legacy characters are Kirby Red (Hayden Panettiere) from Scream 4, and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).
If you enjoyed Scream 5, there is a very good chance you will like Scream 6 even more. Almost everything about Scream 6 is bigger and better than Scream 5. That includes the character’s personalities, the suspense, and the kills. Mindy still channels her inner uncle, Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), but she does a much better job of it this time around. The way she calls out the rules for the sequel to the prequel feels like Randy is back from the dead and living his best life in 2023.
Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) sits this one out, but she is not missed one bit. In fact, the lack of Dewey Riley is more apparent than Sideny’s absence. Gale does her best to keep the legacy characters alive and actively involved in the meta, but when she’s not running from Ghostface she’s easily the weakest legacy character in the bunch. Kirby feels a little out of place, but she still fits in well enough with the younger cast.
The only aspect of Scream 6 that feels lackluster is the motives of Ghostface. We won’t spoil anything here, but by the end of the film, some of the motives are definitely questionable. It’s easily the weakest aspect of an otherwise very strong addition to the Scream franchise.
What makes Scream 6 so enjoyable is that it feels more like a Scream movie than any of the sequels since Scream 2. Most franchise fans will still claim Scream and Scream 2 are the best of the series, but Scream 6 is right up there with the two films that started it all. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, the writers of Scream 5 and Scream 6, seem to finally understand what really makes Scream work as a franchise.
There have been rumblings of a potentially fast-tracked Scream 7. If that’s the case, bring it on. Although it will be difficult to top this latest entry. Maybe give Ghostface a better motive, and figure out how to work Sidney back into the mix without feeling forced. There are some other small gripes to be made, but they can’t be discussed without going into spoiler territory so that discussion will have to wait.
For the most part, Scream 6 is one of the best sequels in the franchise. However, if you didn’t enjoy the new cast of characters in Scream 5, you probably won’t have a sudden change of heart here. The character portrayals are better in Scream 6, but this is still the same cast for the most part. That said, Scream 6 is made for Scream fans, while still propelling the franchise forward, so go see it in theaters as soon as possible.
About Scream 6
Synopsis: In the next installment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writers: James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick
Stars: Melissa Barrera, Courteney Cox, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Devyn Nekoda, Hayden Panettiere, Samara Weaving, Dermot Mulroney
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 Hours, 2 Minutes
Releases: March 10, 2023
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
