Like a masked psychopath revisiting the scene of the crime, the Scream film franchise is set to slash away at the big screen once again.
Scream VI is obviously the sixth outing for the terrorising Ghostface, but this particular film has seen a few changes to the wider line up. For the first time, Neve Campbell isn’t reprising her role as Sidney Prescott, after a fall out with Paramount over her salary. Back in June 2022, she released a statement saying she wouldn’t be starring in the follow up: “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It's been a very difficult decision to move on.”
The new line-up features Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney and Henry Czerny, who will be joining Scream alumni like Courtney Cox, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding and Hayden Panettiere.
As for the new rebooted storyline? Sisters Samantha and Tara Carpenter and twins Chad and Mindy Meeks have left Woodsboro and headed to New York, and you’ll never guess who’s followed them there…
The film hits the cinemas on 10 March, so is it worth a watch? Here’s what the critics think in the first reviews:
Variety
“Once Ghostface kicks off his rampage, Mindy correctly notes that what the characters are now in the middle of isn’t merely a sequel but a franchise, and she lays down the rules for what that suggests. It means that the new movie has got to be bigger and showier. That it’s got to swing in a new direction and subvert expectations. And that the legacy characters are strictly expendable. Scream VI more or less lives up to those dictates.” (Owen Gleiberman)
The Independent
(Four stars)
“The Scream formula is ideally tailored for endless repetition. All you need is a fresh batch of teenagers and a dose of self-awareness and, voilà, you’ve got yourself a Scream movie.
Scream VI, really, only ever achieves the bare minimum of those requirements. Yet it’s both wholly satisfying and ridiculously fun.” (Clarisse Loughrey)
Entertainment Weekly
(C+)
“Splattery, puncture-heavy violence — the hard-R rating is earned — alternates with deadening rafts of therapy-speak, including an actual therapy session. But there's no deeper meaning to any of it; the Scream idea, meta to its core, was always a preening celebration of its own cleverness, never mind the occasional half-explored nods to toxic fandom or cancel culture.” (Joshua Rothkopf)
Collider
“This newest film can have fun breaking down this series, reconfiguring our expectations, playing with the rules they’ve set up, and attempting to subvert our expectations. The result is maybe the best Scream film since Scream 2—which is fitting, considering this is, by and large, a “requel” of that first sequel.” (Ross Bonaime)
Digital Spy
“Scream 6 might not be as strong as 2022's offering, but that won't stop fans from having a bloody good time.” (Ian Sandwell)
From: Esquire US
