Hello everyone, BlazinBlue's Review has returned once again with a new review. This is one that I know some have been waiting for. It's time to talk about Scream VI (or Scream 6).
When Scream '22 (Scream 5 or 5cream as the internet had decided to call it) released, it was very nostalgic. It was like coming home to a warm blanket that had just been taken out of the dryer. Cozy. It was an interesting re-quel. It was familiar. The first part was very much in the vein of the original film. But then when Dewey's Last Stand happens, the film hit differently. It showed and expressed that it wasn't afraid to not pull some punches. I know for me, I kept hoping that Dewey was going to come out the film on his feet. But then that scene, it knocked the wind out of me. And I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. I didn't know if any of the legacy characters were exactly safe. And that third act is still pretty great.
With Scream VI, I went to see it for my birthday. It's one of those times where the movie gods seemed to shine down as everything had lined up. I went into the theater with a large Root Beer and a medium popcorn. It's honestly something that I don't do very often anymore. Ever since the pandemic, theaters have kind of changed. But there was still that small little spark of being able to escape from the worlds problems and get lost in the story.
After that initial watch, I left the theater floored. I didn't know what I had just watched. Well at the very least, I knew it was a Scream film. But it wasn't what I had expected. I guess I was expecting something more in the vein of Scream '22. But Scream VI is far from in the vein of Scream '22. I knew it was going to be very difficult to try to express my thoughts. And it was going to take time and a few times of rewatching it to fully get it. It honestly put my brain on the back burner with movie reviews for a little bit. First time I had found myself a bit flabbergasted like this.
When first had heard that Scream VI was moving to New York, I was really intrigued. It's always interesting to see the filmmakers take Ghostface and move the story out of Woodsboro. As much as I love Woodsboro, there's only so many times we can have these things happen there. So seeing our survivors of Scream '22 in New York was pretty welcoming. Then there was mention of them being in college. Cool. It firmly established that Radio Silence was gunning for a Scream 2 to their Scream '22.
Then, something interesting happened. They completely subverted expectations. That's honestly one of the best things that Scream VI does, to an extent. It subverted expectations. The kids are going to be in college? Nah, it'll be there for a moment. But just don't let yourself get attached to the idea of seeing them in college. It's going to be set around Halloween? Sweet, nice throwback to Halloween '78 in a way. But don't expect anything too far out of a sequence here and there. Though, if one keeps a keen eye out, there are some small little glimpses that it's Halloween time. Do wish that there would have been more with it though.
The opening was something that definitely caught me off guard. It firmly establishes that this won't be the same type of film that Scream '22 was. Yes, we get Samara Weaving in a fun little homage to Drew Barrymore. She's a fish out of water in the big city trying to meet people. It's our first little play of the idea with the college trope as she's a professor. But then that final slash happens leaving us with Ghostface standing there and staring at what they'd done. At that point, we usually would have had our title credit. But it keeps lingering and then unmasking, were we going to get our first audience known Ghostface? I was very intrigued by this concept. Then the rest of the opening played out.
On a recent rewatch, the opening hit very different this go around. It felt a bit Hitchcockian. Think about it, the first part of Psycho establishes that we were going to be following Marion Crane then twists it with that shower scene. This opening played very similar to me.
The rest of that first act then is fast and loose with re-establishing characters and establishing the newer ones. One of the new characters that I found myself really liking is Danny Brackett, Sam's new love interest. He just felt like a really solid good guy. He understands where Sam's at with everything and wants to be there to help. He never felt like a red herring to me. Then there's "I had econ!" Ethan, Chad's quiet roommate. Ethan never left much of an impression unfortunately. I'm guessing that he may had left that in Econ as well. Quinn, Sam and Tara's roommate, was interesting as she was the embracing her wild side in a sense trope. Then there's Annika, Mindy's love interest. She sadly didn't leave much of an impression either, on me or the ladder scene. Oh, is it too soon? And then we have Detective Bailey. During that initial watch, I felt it too easy for him to be involved. In a sense, it still is but now knowing how the story plays out, it feels a little more natural now. Especially as he quickly lays out the cards in one scene, "You mess with my family. You pay.".
I know that there have been quite a lot of people talking about the story. There are some gaps in logic and may be one or two small spots that feel misplaced. But for the most part, it plays things fast and loose. It hits the ground running and just doesn't look back. It's meant to be a fun thrill ride. It also hit me that the previous Scream films are firmly love letters to the Slasher genre. This film is a love letter to Giallo. It's very much evident with how the film plays against the audience's expectations. Radio Silence had a lot of fun with subverting expectations. This is also the first Scream film to have a lot of set pieces: (the Bodega, the Ladder, the Train, and the Shrine). Each one of these sequences are pretty damn memorable. I know, I'm leaving out Gale's sequence and the opening. While Gale's sequence is pretty great, to me it never felt like they could pull the trigger on killing her off. They were pulling their punch after killing off Dewey in the previous film. It'll be interesting to see if they bring her back and how this experience had effected her.
In this recent rewatch, the film didn't feel scary during that first act. It felt fun and lacking suspense. But then that apartment and ladder scene arrives, and the film switches gears amazingly. The tension and terror arrives in full force. There are two shots in that sequence where Ghostface felt so different to how he'd been shown in the film so far. The stabbing of the knife into the window sill before grabbing the ladder and the last look before walking away. Both of them are pretty incredible. With that first trailer, I honestly was shocked that they had decided to show part of the train sequence. I mean it makes sense as it firmly established we would see Ghostface in New York. But when the scene arrived, I was shocked cause for the most part it didn't play out like it had been shown. There was a lot more tension to it as we find our group separated. It may be one of my favorite, if not my favorite sequence, in the film.
The idea of the Shrine was one that I was all geared up for. It felt different than anything before. In one way, it's very operatic in its approach. It's bold and grandiose. It showcases so many easter eggs so naturally. It's very much a visual representation of the Scream franchise. I originally didn't know how it was going to be used. I just knew it was cool cause it gave us a lair in a sense. Upon rewatches, it's pretty cool discovering more of the easter eggs that originally missed. But by the end of the sequence, it kinda tears down what came before to establish something new. Something fresh. And shows that wherever the story takes us next, it'll be different.
When they revealed who was behind everything, I wasn't as surprised about at least one of the killers. But with the rewatch, it's very clear that wasn't the point. This sequence was more about the motive than anything else. I'd say that it's a great sister counterpart to Scream 2's reveal. It also further builds on Richie's backstory. Though one thing that's pretty interesting is how Bailey and Ethan's performances are. They both had some Stu-isms with how gleeful they were. It immediately reminded me of Matthew Lillard's performane at the end of the original, "I always had a thing for ya Sid!".
Scream VI definitely got better for me with some rewatches and time to think on it. It continued to be entertaining each time. Yeah, there may be a moment here and there that wish we'd get more time. More time with Gale. More time with some of these newer characters. But it plays lean and mean with the time it has. It further establishes the Core Four as well. And I anticipate that Scream 7 will further build on the character of Danny Brackett. This is a film that definitely felt like a reinvention of the films that makes it new and fresh. And I honestly look forward to seeing where they go next.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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