#MovieReview: Scream VI delivers a solid homage to its source

Scream VI proves there is still life in horror’s most in-on-the-joke franchise.

Almost 30 years on from the huge critical and commercial success of Scream (1996), the series continues to reimagine itself for new generations.

Initially shepherded by horror legend Wes Craven (movies 1 through 4), the property has been taken over by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, together known as Radio Silence, for movies 5 and 6.

There is always a risk in rebooting beloved film series’, but the duo have imparted their own flair, targeting a Gen-Z audience and ratcheting up the kill count and gore.

Together they have railed against the new ‘elevated horror’ genre, delivering 80s inspired slasher action with a joke a minute.

It is, of course, hugely self-referential as all Scream movies are, but does not get dragged down by the still significant weight of its source material.

Scream (1996) was a horror tentpole, ushering in a new parodic style that has itself been parodied to death, no more so than with the Scary Movie franchise.

You can find its DNA in much of modern commercial cinema, even outside the horror genre, in movies such as Deadpool where the characters comment on the action as it happens.

And it holds up too – still clever and scary enough to deliver laughs and frights in equal measure in 2023.

Although reverential to the original, Scream VI has a new cast of heroes and setpieces that make it worth the watch on its own merits.

Spoilers to follow

For the first time in the franchise, the action of the movie does not take place in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, swapping coasts for a New York setting.

Scream queen sisters and new faces of the series, Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, are drawn back into the chaos when copycat killers don the famous Ghostface mask and terrorise the city.

After the trauma they faced in Scream 5, the duo are better equipped to stand up for themselves as those around them begin to fall.

There are some new characters, but most either appeared in Scream 5 or are legacies from the original four movies, providing a nice sense of history for fans of the franchise.

The scares are mostly solid, with some inventive kills and new storylines to keep the plot moving forward until the killer is finally unmasked.

A knowledge of the previous movies would be advantageous for many of the plot points, but you will at least need to watch Scream 5 to keep up.

It is fun, thrilling action that would best be taken in with a crowd.

Rated 18 for Horror, Violence and Language.
3.5/5.

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