Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Scream VI into the ol’ VCR.
I’m not going to bury the lede on this one. I think Scream VI is the overall weakest entry in the Scream franchise thus far. HOWEVER, I still had a really good time with it. Because, in my humble little opinion, the Scream franchise shows that you don’t have to sacrifice quality as the franchise expands. In fact, I think the Scream franchise has the most consistent quality of any horror franchise. I said what I said.
Listen, I’m a Halloween girl, through and through. I have a Laurie Strode tattoo to prove my loyalty. However, Halloween VI and Halloween Ends both suck. I love the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, but after Dream Master, it gets rough (I’m especially looking at you, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare). Friday the 13th is extremely hit or miss after Friday the 13th Part 2 (although Jason X did give one of the best scenes in the entire franchise).
I’ve never been disappointed by a Scream movie. I’ll defend Scream 3 because every franchise has some stinkers. And, compared to some of the duds I’ve mentioned, Scream 3 comes out smelling like a rose. It has PARKER FREAKING POSEY, for crying out loud. I’ll defend Gale’s bangs. Try me.
Speaking of Scream 3, I’m going to give another controversial opinion here (as if I haven’t already). Tonally, Scream VI is giving a mix of Scream 2 and Scream 3, with an emphasis on Scream 3. Again, I said what I said.
Gale and her bangs are here to back me up.
Scream VI marks the return of the self-proclaimed “Core Four” from Scream (2022) after they’ve moved to New York in an attempt to start over after the events of the year before. This goes without saying, but we have a new slew (pun intended) of characters added into the mix. We also have a new set of rules, as according to Mindy, we’ve officially entered franchise territory. I’m not going to spoil Scream VI, but take the advice of legacy characters from Screams past: don’t trust anyone.
I had a really good time with Scream VI, and I’d recommend watching Scream 4 and Scream (2022) for a refresher. If you’re feeling extremely frisky, watch all the Screams of yore. There are tons of Easter eggs* and nods to the Screams of yesteryear, so if you haven’t revisited previous entries of the franchise recently, now’s the time. I know there are already rumors swirling of Scream VII, and I can only hope Mindy Meeks-Martin will return because she’s one of the best new characters in the entire franchise.
*Two of my favorites being someone dressed as The Babadook on the subway and a college student dressed as Rod from Hot Rod at the frat party.
Our queen
I know I’ve mentioned that Scream VI is comparatively the weakest entry in the Scream series, so I figured I would give you all my current ranking as a standard of comparison. Here goes:
- Scream (1996)
- Scream 2
- Scream 4
- Scream (2022)
- Scream 3
- Scream VI
Bias aside, Scream VI is a fun ride, and it makes for a wonderful theater experience. The Scream franchise is also unique in that it’s impossible for the trailer to spoil the movie; you can’t allude to Ghostface’s identity without a hell of a lot of exposition. We know who the killers will be in our franchises, but Ghostface’s identity is never the same.
Scream’s roots are in meta commentary, which allows the franchise to easily adapt to its audience. Samara Weaving’s character even discusses this in the opening sequence. I think Scream VI is a welcome entry into the Scream franchise, and I’m really interested to see where the franchise will go next. You meta believe I’ll be waiting for the next entry.
Pictured: Sam watching a student production of Rent.
Scream VI is now streaming on Paramount+.
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