--Ghostface, Scream VI
The long history of the Scream films provides plenty of opportunity for acknowledgment of franchise lore, for dramatic or comedic purposes, and Scream VI has the most material to draw from thus far. More exploration of cinematic tropes is of course at the forefront in this dark comedy thriller that switches the environment to the very populated city of New York. As one of its characters touches upon, an ongoing series needs to not always do the same things back to back, and in some ways, this film does not repeat the plot of the last one. In other ways, the limitations of storytelling--there are only so many logically possible story options--make this theme ironic even as the movie is a strong effort overall.
Production Values
Scream VI is better at perfecting specific scenes than it is at being as focused as last year's reboot, not that the best individual scenes are marred by the lesser quality of the others. There is part of the movie in a subway that uses lighting, the crowded but claustrophobic confinement of an individual subway car, and a spike in sales of Ghostface costumes to ramp up suspense very well, and this is a scene where the comedy and parody of the Scream franchise are not at the forefront to its benefit. The iconic humor of the series is not used to strangle the tension from the likes of this scene, which still incorporates the meta nature of the Ghostface costume and uses that to its advantage. As usual, beyond flourishes like two Ghostfaces wiping their blades after a kill in synchronized harmony, there are also enough misdirects and illusory evidences to carry the general plot well all the way to the end.
Amidst the visual and verbal references to other characters from earlier in the series, the newcomers fit well into the darkly comedic tone of the general film. Samara Weaving has the honor of being the murder victim of the opening scene, a role she plays excellently--and later on, in the subway, there is a woman wearing Samara's costume from Ready or Not! The directors of Ready or Not are at the helm here as well, so it is in one sense only fitting that Samara was included. Hellraiser and It also are referenced through Halloween costumes or props in the splendid subway scene. Returning cast members Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, and more are great in their roles, despite the characters sometimes being asinine hypocrites or otherwise irrationalistic. There is a clear road for Melissa's character in the future if the writers choose to take it. Though the ending suggests she might not go in this direction, she already has acted on the malice in her heart before the credits arrive.
Story
Some spoilers are below.
Moving to New York does not spare Sam and her sister Tara from once again encountering another Ghostface intent on murdering them. Sam, already struggling with visions of her father, a serial killer she is trying not to follow in the footsteps of, had hoped to escape from the danger of Ghostface by dramatically relocating. The sisters and their friends reunite with legacy character Gale Weathers to unravel the latest conspiracy right around Halloween, as sales of Ghostface costumes climb for the holiday.
Intellectual Content
For all of Scream VI's successes in not using the exact same plot threads as the last entry, there are major similarities between the last two movies, both directed by the same duo. A legacy character dies in 2022's Scream and in Scream VI; the opening keeps the same fundamental structure as those of the other films, as even the MTV series did. There is only so much that can be done with any genre, any plot structure, and any set of characters, and while Scream is often about satirizing or avoiding horror cliches to an extent, it is impossible to show new twists or scenarios forever. After a point, every option resembles or wholly overlaps with an already explored possibility. Execution is thus a much more broad strength than originality. Unlike novelty or shock, it always reflects quality, although originality in the sense of novelty enhances fiction whenever it fits well.
Conclusion
More for its performances, the ongoing self-referential nature of the humor or conceptual exploration, and moments of very well-maintained peril, Scream VI is by no means a horrible follow-up to the excellent Scream V. With such a large cast, it is not as streamlined as it could be given the runtime, but it does go in some bold directions with certain characters, build upon plot threads established in Scream V that could carry over once again to a seventh installment, and bring back characters or allusions to the broader franchise. Not every horror series makes it to the sixth film, though franchises like Saw have made the most of their sixth entry. Scream VI could serve as a launching point for an even better sequel with or without the same director duo returning if it leans more into the more grave moments and tightens the plot.
Content:
1. Violence: Various scenes with stabbings and slashes have enough blood to justify the R rating on their own.
2. Profanity: Words like "fuck" and "shit" are used throughout.
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