One year after the Woodsboro killings, the Carpenter sisters, Sam and Tara (Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega), now live in New York City, where Tara attends university. Sam has been a victim of harassment in real life and online, as conspiracy theories about the true mastermind behind those killings circulate around the internet, with people believing her to be the orchestrator and that Richie and Amber (the killers in Scream 2022) were scapegoats. Among these circumstances, however, there is at least one person who is willing to take a step further and to continue the legacy of the Ghostface killers that came before them.

Following the news of Neve Campbell leaving the Scream franchise due to disputes over her pay, I was not excited about this new instalment despite being a die-hard fan of the franchise. This is especially because there were too many red flags about this film, including but not limited to Campbell’s departure, the very recent mediocre reboot of the franchise, and the setting of the film which unfortunately calls to mind the terrible Friday the 13th sequel: Jason Takes Manhattan.

However, I was very quickly on board with the film after a rather surprising and interesting opening sequence. I soon found myself also invested in the characters of Sam and Tara in a way that I sadly did not in the previous film. With the departure of Neve Campbell (and hence Sidney Prescott, the leading character of the franchise up until then), and the murder of Deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette) in the previous film, two core legacy characters are taken out of the picture, leaving much room and time for the film to focus on the newer generation of characters introduced to the franchise last year. The film definitely benefits from this, as the new characters have the opportunity to establish a bond that was painfully absent in the last film. We also have a rare situation of a joint lead featuring sisters, and the film invests time to explore the relationship between them, allowing the characters to shine on their own.

Scream VI was good fun for the most part. Unlike Scream 2022, it features strong horror sequences that actually keep you on the edge of your seat, some of which could rival the most seat-gripping set pieces in the franchise such as the cat-and-mouse sequence between Gale Weathers and Ghostface, or the climbing-out-of-car sequence, both from Scream 2. I particularly enjoyed a sequence that occurs in the subway, and was pleasantly delighted by a set piece between Gale and Ghostface.

The film takes place in New York City, and fortunately, we did not have to spend half of the film on a boat to Manhattan from Camp Crystal Lake. Instead, Scream VI cleverly makes use of the setting and establishes a distinct and darker tone to its predecessors. By placing the characters in a metropolis, the film steps out of its comfort zone. While in previous films you have the isolated fears of characters being stalked in houses, often in the middle of nowhere, Scream VI brings the fear into an environment where you are surrounded by people, yet equally unsafe. A scene in a bodega early in the film sets the tone and stakes, proving that one can still craft an effective slasher set piece, despite the characters being in public. The subway scene further emphasises the paranoia of being surrounded by strangers in a large city.

Unfortunately, as enjoyable as the horror set pieces are, the film lacks in its satire and self-referential quality, which are the signatures of the Scream franchise. Before 2022, especially with Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven at the helm, the franchise was brilliant and sharp in its satire. Most importantly, the films were able to acknowledge the tropes of horror films, sequels and remakes, while putting their own twists on those tropes. The extremely intelligent running-up-the-staircase sequence in Scream, or the subversion of an off-screen death in Scream 2, is brilliant in how it subverts or adheres to the rules of the genre, especially after characters in the films acknowledge those tropes. These films have fun with the rules, sometimes even playing with the structure of the film to satirise them, such as the fake openings and endings of the underrated Scream 4. This razor-sharpness was unfortunately lost in Scream 2022 when Radio Silence Productions took over.

What we get in the last two instalments is largely superficial dialogue about horror films and tropes, where characters name-drop films which are meant to illicit a knowing nod from the audience, yet do little to genuinely satirise. This dialogue can be easily replaced with some other mundane generic conversations and would make little to no difference to the film. Scream VI, for instance, features the mandatory horror-geek-explaining-the-rules scene. Despite Jasmin Savoy Brown’s lovely performance, the scene is perfunctory and simply a box-ticking endeavour, bordering on becoming a trope that a Scream film ought to satirise.

Performance-wise, Melissa Barrera carries over her splendid performance in the leading role of Sam Carpenter from the previous film, but Jasmin Savoy Brown steals the show for me as Mindy Meeks-Martin, a fellow survivor from Woodsboro. I absolutely adore Brown’s performance. Her portrayal of fear and paranoia is palpable, especially from the second act onward. With little dialogue apart from the horror geek monologue, she still manages to channel her desperation for the nightmare to be over, and her character’s paranoia about the people around her.

All in all, I am pleasantly surprised by Scream VI. The unexpected opening, well-crafted slasher set pieces, and focus on the younger cast have certainly revitalised my interest in the future of the franchise. An unfortunate drawback of the film is the decline in the brilliance of its satire, and I certainly wish to see a return to form in that department in future instalments. Nevertheless, Scream fans will certainly find things to love about the film. With a sequel reportedly in the making, it seems like the franchise is now ready to move forward with the new generation of characters and with its head held high.

Author: Chia Jing Heng (andreusjh99)