Belinda Lloyd
The thrilling and satisfying latest instalment of an iconic franchise, Scream VI makes die-hard fans bloodthirsty for what’s yet to come next.
Overview
Scream VI was released in the UK on the 10th of March 2023. Audiences follow Scream franchise veteran Gale Weathers, and final girls Sam and Tara Carpenter to New York City – where the iconic Ghostface haunts their lives once again.
Sam (Melissa Barrera) – who is revealed to be the daughter of Billy Loomis – struggles with balancing her life in this latest release.
Sam obsessively looms (pun intended, I’m not sorry) over Tara, who is played by Wednesday star Jenna Ortega. Sam worries that Ghostface will return to finish what he started. She also becomes the victim of online torment from die-hard conspiracy theorists, who believe she was the true killer of the previous film.
The sisters are joined by fresh new victims, Samara Weaving, Tony Revolori, and Dermot Mulroney. We also see the return of Chad and Mindy Meeks, who debuted in 2022’s Scream – and are also the niece and nephew of iconic Scream character Randy Meeks.
Hayden Panettiere also returns as fan-favourite Kirby from the 2011 instalment, revealing that she was dead for four minutes -as she was stabbed by Ghostface killer Charlie – before being revived.
Behind the Scenes
The film is set in New York City, a surprising twist for the legacy sequel. In stark contrast to the close-knit town of Woodsboro, screams for help are the norm for the people of Manhattan, who are less inclined to help someone in need.
This is the third time in the franchise the audience has been taken out of Woodsboro, with the second film being set at a college campus, and the third being in Hollywood.
Unlike fans of the Netflix series Stranger Things, who had to wait 35 months for Season 4 to be released due to pandemic production delays, similarly to Scream 2, die-hard Scream fans only had to wait just over a year for the latest film.
Ultimate ‘Final Girl’ Neve Campbell revealed that she wasn’t returning for the sixth instalment, expressing her disappointment to People in not continuing Sidney Prescott’s story
She said: “I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring and have brought to this franchise, for 25 years. As a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued.”
While fans were disappointed about the ‘Scream Queen’ not returning, the actress revealed the reason behind her exit was purely ‘negotiation’ related.
Themes
Despite the screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick being tasked with trying to keep nearly a three-decade-long franchise exciting, Scream VI successfully manages to keep fans bloodthirsty in this horrifyingly, entertaining film.
The Scream franchise has always been a good mix of gory horror and Scooby Doo murder mystery. Scream’s use of meta-logic stands out, as even the characters express their fatigue over the repetitive, two-generation Ghostface killings, without it affecting the audience and making them also feel tired.
Thrilling chase sequences in a convenience store and city subway, gruesome deaths, and comedic scenes remind the audience why they are Scream fans.
While it’s clear that Scream VI depicts the most brutal of the films, the antagonist still manages to retain their chilling omnipresence.
The movie has also received attention on social media, specifically for the scene where Gale Weathers ‘gags’ Ghostface by calling them back.
gale gagged ghostface so bad pic.twitter.com/JawoBhzuPF
— ً (@letsmegetme) March 15, 2023
Highlights
The MVP is considered to be Melissa Barrera’s Sam, who twists Ghostface’s methods back onto them as she is hunted down. Donning a spare Ghostface costume, Sam calls the killer, using the iconic line “let’s play a game,” paired with the chilling voice changer.
The standout performances of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega solidify Scream VI as a must-watch as they accurately portray a strong sisterly bond – especially near its ending.
Audiences stormed social media to also praise Samara Weaving for her performance, and powerful scream as the film’s opening kill.
Samara Weaving is a SCREAM QUEEN!!!! #scream pic.twitter.com/eEVOFswBxH
— 𝐑𝐘𝐀𝐍 ☽ (@the80slasher) March 15, 2023
It’s obvious why Scream VI has exceeded all expectations in its latest release, managing to financially become a franchise-best, making $44.5 million at the domestic box office.
Scream VI has definitely increased a strong appetite for the horror genre. The cult classic has accurately resurrected the gory series – starting off strong with a twisted and horrifying opening kill.
While it is the most bloody out of the franchise so far, the satisfactory ending proves the screenwriters and directors can still provide fascinating twists and jumps – and fans can only nervously anticipate what’s to come next.
Featured image courtesy of Felix Mooneeram via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Belinda June
Belinda is an English Literature graduate from Bristol and Durham. She currently works in education and aspires to work in the creative arts. In her spare time, Belinda is an avid reader, painter, and writer, working on creative fiction, while also an Entertainment Writer and Twitter Editor for Empoword.