Scream VI Is The Best Scream Sequel

While that might seem like a huge compliment to give the movie, it’s not. The Scream franchise has never had the best sequels; 2 was a boring “now we’re in college” take on the first movie, 3 was interesting but had a flawed explanation of the killers’ motivations in the first one, and 4 was the most skippable one of the entire franchise. The fifth one was decent but nowhere near the level of the original. Still, there was something that indicated a better, more self-assured movie could have been made if the directors had the opportunity to make it. What was made instead was Scream VI.

Scream VI has the best opening sequence since the original. The series is known for its opening sequences, and this one is exceptional. It’s tense, subverts your expectations in the best ways possible, and leads you to think that the movie is about to do something it has never done before.

A Mixed Bag

The problem with Scream VI is that it doesn’t follow through with the ideas that it introduces. After the initial reveal of the opening, the film just becomes a tired retread of every other Scream movie that came before it: the gang from the last movie gets reintroduced, they try to figure out who the killer is, and, in this case, when they do figure out who it is, their reveal ends up just being an homage to an earlier film’s twist. Now, while what’s done with the Ghostface killer is an interesting idea that’s never been done before in the series, the nature of their motivation is something done before. And because the character, or characters, revealed to be the killer are severely underdeveloped, the twist ends up falling flat on its face.

Still, the movie had some strong moments before its rather underwhelming finale. For one, the kills are a lot more creative in this one. From characters being killed by forcibly being thrown off things to being killed with shotguns, Ghostface has never been this devious! The directors over at Radio Silence made sure to try new things in this one, and some of them paid off. Additionally, Scream VI is set in New York. A welcome change to the franchise’s traditionally suburban settings that added tension. Having the characters interact with apartment buildings, urban neighborhoods, and the New York subway system was a treat to see, and toying with different sorts of environments in future installments could be an interesting way to shake up an established formula at this point.

Do The Characters Add To The Story?

In terms of characters, though, the film was okay. The romance between two of the main characters felt extremely forced, and one of the subplots that involved two characters being at odds with each other was a decent plot point that made sense within the context of that movie but one that did not seem to add anything to the overall story.