Now that you’ve had an entire weekend to head to the theater and watch Scream VI this review will be filled with SPOILERS. If that’s not what you’re here for, check out our spoiler-free review here! You’ve been warned, so now let’s talk about the latest installment in the Scream franchise. 

Scream VI takes place shortly after the events of the previous film. Sam and Tara Carpenter, played by Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) and Melissa Barrera (In the Heights), are living in New York City. Tara is ready to move on with her life. She’s in college, going to frat parties, and ready to make terrible decisions in order not to feel her feelings.

Sam is living her life in hiding as much as possible. She’s become the victim of online slander blaming her for the recent Ghostface Woodsboro murders. The online mob claims she was the mastermind and framed Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman. She’s terrified that it’s not over even though they’ve moved states. She’s right. 

INCREDIBLE COLD OPEN

Scream is known for its fantastic cold opens. The entire scene with Drew Berrymore in the original film is iconic and never repeated. However, I really enjoyed this cold open of Scream VI. Just like with Drew Berrymore who was all over promotion and the posters, these killers/victims are only here for this moment. 

We open on Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) waiting for her blind date at a bar. She gets a text from the man she’s meeting saying he’s lost. Then, he calls. While on the phone with her we learn that she is a film studies teacher. She loves teaching slasher films, and the guy makes the “What’s your favorite scary movie?” joke. The rest that follows is a textbook dumb horror movie person. Under the guise of being lost, he asks for her help. She steps outside of the restaurant. She waves down an alleyway before walking into it waving to no one. 

Then out of the darkness pops Ghostface who murders her. Unlike past films, we learn who this Ghostface is immediately as well as his motivation. Ghostface #1 is Jason (Tony Revolori). He and his roommate are huge Ghostface/Stab fans who plan on murdering the Carpenter sisters in homage, and revenge, for Ritchie. However, the actual Ghostface for Scream VI doesn’t appreciate this. Instead, Ghostface calls Jason pretending to be his rooming. He forces him to play the game of Hot and Cold until he finds his actual roommate chopped up in the fridge before being murdered himself. 

I LOVED this! That said, after seeing the reveal of who Ghostface actually is for ScreamVI I wish we would’ve kept it these idiots. We haven’t had a Scream movie where we knew who the killers were from the jump. As an audience member, it would have tension and mystery in a whole new way. Instead…we get something status quo. More on that later.

SCREAM LEGACY CHARACTERS RETURN, A FEW NEW CHARACTERS, AND FANTASTIC META HUMOR

As Scream VI unfolds we get returning franchise legacy characters including Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere). The “Core 4” is back as well. Both Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding) and his sister, Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) followed the Carpenter sister to New York City in order to stick together. Safety in numbers and all of that.

We have a handful of new faces rounding out the cast and storyline. Mindy and Tara put out an anonymous ad for a roommate and get Quinn (Liana Liberato). Chad also gets a roommate in college, Ethan (Jack Champion). Then, when the killings begin obviously the police have to get involved and the detective on the case just happens to also be Quin’s father – Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney). Sam also has a secret boyfriend who lives across the courtyard, Danny (Josh Segarra).

Throughout Scream VI there is a ton of meta humor, tropes, and of course new rules for the film. There are even fun, predictable, as well as over-the-top cheesy moments performed with perfection. Killing the girl’s roommate Quinn in order to bring Detective Bailey onto the case was a great move. I also love that Kirby is now part of the FBI which allows her to become part of the investigation. It’s a fun, believable character move. As far as picking a Ghostface there are so many possibilities. Which direction did they go, and was it a good one?

WHO IS GHOSTFACE IN SCREAM VI AND WHY?

During the investigation, Gale Weathers figures out that the roommates from the beginning owned a theater full of “Stab” memorabilia. However, it’s not just items from the film franchise. There is also the original memorabilia, like the TV that landed on Stu, as well as the robes, masks, and weapons of all the Scream Ghostface killers. At each crime scene, Ghostface is dropping masks counting backward to the beginning. 

While there, Sam begins to have delusions of her father, and the original Scream Ghostface, Billy (Skeet Ulrich). This is the one thing I wish they’d let go of. Unless they’re going to make Sam snap it feels wasteful and not a very good red herring. However, I do love the callout from Mindy when looking at the TV that fell on Stu mentioning the theory that he’s not dead. 

When we get to the pivotal moment of the film (that also happens in this theater) our suspects so far are Sam’s secret boyfriend Danny (Josh Segarra), and Chad’s roommate Ethan. They’re both new people in their lives, and the trust just isn’t built there. Kirby is also thrown out there in the way that she has possibly snapped since the murderers started again.

However, Scream VI’s Ghostface is none of these people. Instead, it turns out to be Quinn – she’s ALIVE, her BROTHER Ethan, and their FATHER Detective Bailey. Their motive? Ritchie was their BROTHER! They blame Sam for his death and want to kill everyone she cares about before taking her out. 

DOES SCREAM VI WORK WITH NO LASTING CONSEQUENCES?

While Scream VI isn’t perfect I found it wildly entertaining, and a good addition to the Scream franchise. Tying the Ghostface Killers back to the previous film was fun, even if predictable. However, if we’re changing the rules I’d love to see this trend end. I LOVE seeing the iconic Ghostface attack moves again. My theater went wild when watching the two Ghostfaces wipe their knives in unison. Moments like that are the fanservice I live for.

However, what I really didn’t love in this film is the lack of consequences. Our franchise legacy characters will live to fight for their lives another day…even if stabbed so many times. Gale was stabbed multiple times, she’s going to be fine because Sam’s secret boyfriend called the ambulance. However, Gale’s boyfriend is dead for seemingly similar injuries. Mindy was stabbed in the stomach…on the subway…with Ethan helping her. She’s also going to be perfectly fine. Kirby was stabbed multiple times, she’s going to be fine. Chad was basically prison-shanked, and he also survived. Then, Tara was stabbed in the back and the stomach then walked away as if NOTHING HAPPENED to her!

Moments like this are what annoys me in Scream VI. You can’t set up these insane moments and pretend like injuries were merely a flesh wound. Are we going with Zombie kills-only rules now? Headshots or bust? While I love the idea that our “Core 4” will be back, along with our Scream legacy characters, I wish there were actual consequences to the attacks. If you’re going to kill Dewey, to me, no one is safe.

SCREAM VI is currently playing in theaters. Go see it, then comment and let me know what you think!