The original Scream still holds a special place in my heart.
To really show my age, I watched my VHS copy so often that the tape ultimately deteriorated – as this movie launched my love for slasher horror films.
It is perhaps fair to say that the franchise is a victim of its own success. It's difficult not to compare each sequel to the movie that started it all. For example, the sixth instalment is more than entertaining enough – but the flaws really come to light when I mentally place it side-by-side to the original.
Scream VI picks up soon after the events of 2022's generally-lauded semi-reboot. The self-titled ‘Core Four’ survivors (Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding) have now relocated to New York.
They're trying to adjust to their new lives when Ghostface inevitably returns and begins piling up the bodies. Oddly, the only scene that makes the most of the familiar New York backdrop is the subway segment we saw in the trailer.
Despite the new setting, this new Scream feels like something we've seen many times before. It almost comes across like one of the horror movies that the original was making fun of.
My biggest criticism is that the dialogue doesn't feel natural. The filmmakers try so hard to connect the dots and shoehorn in references to other instalments that it becomes distracting.
One of the biggest changes in Scream VI was the fact that Neve Campbell did not return as Sidney Prescott. In fairness, she wasn't really missed. With the introduction to a new cast in the fifth movie, she naturally took a back seat then and therefore her absence wasn't quite as noticeable as I'd feared.
While it may seem I’m dismissive of this movie, that's simply not the case - as there are some solid positives. The kills are fun, it oozes gore and the pacing is great. Which ticks a lot of the right boxes.
It's not this film’s fault that the 1996 classic set the bar so high, but because it did, I can't help but see an inferior production – even though this still has some killer moments.
ESP Rating: 3/5
Mikey Clarke
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough, Out Now
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Jenny Ortega, Hayden Panettiere, Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Henry Czerny, Dermot Mulroney, Samara Weaving and Courteney Cox
Running Time: 2 Hrs 2 Mins
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpen & Tyler Gillett
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