Scream 6 is the latest entry in the ‘Scream‘ film franchise. This latest entry is different in that it brings the mayhem to Manhattan. This hits close to home as a New Yorker and it excites me to talk about what’s new.

Scream 6 Synopsis:

Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter. In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera (“Sam Carpenter”), Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Mindy Meeks-Martin”), Mason Gooding (“Chad Meeks-Martin”), Jenna Ortega (“Tara Carpenter”), Hayden Panettiere (“Kirby Reed”) and Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving.

THE GOOD

You need to pay attention to this movie from the moment it starts. Each Scream movie starts with an obligatory murder by the killer in order to set the tone. We get that in this movie but things do not go the way we expect from there. The movie definitely gives a false sense of security to fans of horror films by playing with your expectations. MAKE SURE YOU DON’T MISS THE FIRST 5 MINS! Go to the bathroom later! Just don’t assume you are going to know how the movie will play out based on the first 5 mins.

The story is straight-up silly but I like that a lot. The movie is extremely self-aware, especially when you factor in the film within the film. The ‘STAB’ movie franchise becomes an anchor for the film to provide a meta-commentary. And boy oh boy is there a lot of meta-commentary in this Scream movie. My favorite is that the film discusses and subverts the rule of horror films which is a running theme. All of the old rules get thrown out the window because we’re in franchise territory now and that changes EVERYTHING.

This is probably the most ruthless Ghostface yet. I have seen Ghostface do some gruesome things with a knife but what happens when Ghostface has a gun? We find that out pretty quickly!

I enjoyed this cast way more than I was expecting. Jenna Ortega is a standout, as is FROM alumni Mason Gooding, but everyone really works. There are our ‘Core 4’ returning characters in Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad but also new faces in the franchise like Tony Revolori and Samara Weaving. It’s effortless to get attached to this group and build a bond with them which is very important. If I don’t care about you, as a character, then you can go ☠.

THE BAD

You almost gotta be a hardcore Scream fan to enjoy this. There are a lot of things within this movie that is intended for the folks who have been here since Scream 1. Scream 6 tries to bring you up to speed, a little, but you have to be aware of the other movies and what happens. This movie is a direct sequel to the last Scream film but isn’t great at standing on its own.

OMG, don’t go into this for the acting. Just shut off your critical eye and go with the flow because the acting in this is inconsistent. The Core 4 are mostly okay but everyone else is just stiff or just bad in their performances. The real disappointments are the legacy characters who return for this new entry because they just seem to coast through their lines.

OVERALL

I enjoy this Scream movie a LOT. I definitely was laughing out loud when I wasn’t supposed to but that’s part of the magic. Hardcore horror fans will probably have a hard time enjoying this. Us casual fans will find a lot to love here and will walk out smiling.