"It starts a new, yet continues the franchise so beautifully!"
-Tyler Mac-
Scream VI just became the fifth film, of the franchise to cross the $100 Million milestone at the global box-office, and it deserves every dollar of it!
Scream VI hits you in the gut from the beginning and doesn't slow down. We are facing not one, but 3 Ghostfaces, of course, that is a massive spoiler! You don't know there are three, until the end, but it definitely keeps you guessing and shocks the hell out of you when it happens. These Ghostfaces are brutal, fast paced, and not afraid to kill in public. Whether it be on a street, in a subway car, or in a bodega; this Ghostface is merciless. The stabs start early and don't stop. This is one of the higher body counts at 10, and they aren't all little stabs to the gut either. No, some of these deaths are down right gruesome and angry. The ferocity of this Ghostface keeps you questioning who is next. I, for one, thought that we were losing good ole Courtney Cox in this one, but she's a tough one. Gale lived to report another day!
Let's start off with the story of The Big Apple. I enjoyed the move to NYC. It gets us away from Woodsboro and distances us from the Sidney Prescott thing. Let me start by saying, I think Sidney is in the top three of final girls, if not the best final girl, in slasher history! I will defend that! However, if you aint gonna pay the final girl...then I support her choice to walk away. She started the franchise. She's the soul of the franchise, in my eyes, but this movie proves that it doesn't need its soul to keep going. It not only keeps going, but it does so spectacularly! The move to NYC added an intensity all to its own. The amount of people in the city adds a stress and an anxiety that Woodsboro, college, or even Hollywood didn't bring. Due to the fast pace of this movie, it had to be filmed in an already fast paced entity, and nothing does it better than 'The Greatest City in The World!' Bravo for that decision.
Now for the sisters. I thought it was a nice touch that they had this subplot of Sam not able to "let go" of Tara. The underlying message that the big sister was afraid to let her little sister alone to find her own way in the world was an extra touch to the already anxiety that NYC and a brutal Ghostface brought to the movie. I thouroughly enjoyed the performances by both Melissa and Jenna, in this movie. They are both so good at conveying fear, stress, sadness, paranoia, and all the other emotions they have to go through in this movie. I hope that, if the franchise is to continue, they continue to build on their relationship and the performances that both bring to the movies. I am a big fan of all that Jenna Ortega has done in her short time in the mainstream and look forward to see what she does next. Same goes for Melissa. I hope to see her grow as an actress either in the genre, or if we get to see her stretch her legs a little.
The brother and sister combo of Mindy and Chad brought more in this installment. We got more opportunity to see them stretch their acting chops, as well as give us more character growth and a little insight into how the last movie impacted their characters. Jasmin kills at bringing Mindy to life with the new generation of film knowledge and showing a spark of her dear uncle Randy from the original trilogy, as well. Mason gets to play more as Chad too. We get to see him be a little less of a...well..."Chad" and more of a romantic / comical / bad ass role. I definitely enjoyed them, and I am happy to see that they lived to remain part of the Woodsboror 4!
We have to discuss the returns. Of course, we saw the return of Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers, but the big shock and excitement came from the return of Hayden's character of Kirby, who everyone thought bit it in Scream 4. However, the rule of horror...no body...no death! Courtney does well in this, but I was shocked that she lived. I thought that, surely, with the death of David in the last one, we would lose her in this one. I was wrong though. We got a great moment where they somewhat reenacted the punch with the sisters, but with a twist. It was a nice easter egg and callback to the OGs. Kirby being back was a fantastic addition. I liked how they brought her into the fold and getting to see a different version of the character. We got to see a bit of a hardened survivor with some of that old Kirby sass and spunk. I hope that with her survival, that we will see her kick some ass again, in the future.
The trio of Ghostfaces was, as I said, quite the twist. It also brought an insanity to it that we hadn't seen before. However, if you are following the mirroring of the original trilogy, this one follows Scream 2 to a tee. College, away from home, trauma, old faces come back, and it aint about the movies...it's good old fashioned REVENGE! They did it well though with the whole "family thing." Especially the faking of Quinn's death. I did not see that one coming. We also got to see an amazing museum of easter eggs and homages to all the other films. It got pretty meta and amazing for the Scream fan in me. I thoroughly enjoyed the walk down memory lane with all the props. It was also a great spot to bring back Skeet for his ghostly cameo. I also enjoyed the little nod to..."If you believe that he's really dead..." for Stu.
I like the different additions of the supporting cast and what they brought to story and how they weaved with the other characters. It was a good batch of additions, even if most of them were to just get killed off. Thus is Scream... All in all, I loved the movie. I loved the new vibe and new feel they went with. I liked the anxiety of it and the twists. I loved the performances of the leads and ensemble. I enjoyed the brutality of Ghostface; it was a new feel and brought a new fear to the mask. I am excited to see where the franchise goes next. I give this a solid 9/10!