Scream 6 review: You’ll be screaming with delight

Scream 6 proves its worthy place in the franchise, with a great mix of comedy, scares, heart, and of course, kills.

What’s your favorite scary movie? Well, here at Dexerto, we’d definitely have to say that Scream is a contender for that title. The franchise has been going strong for over 25 years now, even after the loss of Wes Craven, with its newest release being helmed by Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin.

Scream 6 is the most recent addition to the series, and the plot goes as such, “Four survivors of the Ghostface murders leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. However, they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when a new killer embarks on a bloody rampage.”

With new leads, new locations, and of course a new Ghostface, Scream 6 is set to be one of the best films in the franchise. Let’s get into the review, but first, a warning: While we’ll do our best to keep this review spoiler free, there still could be potential spoilers ahead!

Scream 6 looks both forward and backwards

Scream 6 feels at home in the franchise from the get go, which is funny considering that a main theme of the film is the concept of franchises themselves. This allows Scream 6 to be just as meta as its ancestors, especially with its abundance of easter eggs and references that thankfully don’t feel forced. A final act twist even feels akin to one we’ve seen in Scream 2.

Though if you’ve never seen another Scream film, it’s also pretty easy to jump into this one, as for better or worse there’s a dump of exposition during Scream 6’s beginning.

Scream 6 does a good job on the whole of blending the new and the old. While some fans showed reservations for these new films and their casts, the modern characters themselves are great. True, they all fit into pretty standard tropes – the love interest, the jock with a heart of gold, the comic relief, the nerd, etc – and their dialogue can be sometimes clunky and cliché. But they are all still very entertaining, and above all, likeable, making it even more tense when they come under attack.

Scream takes a stab at New York

The attacks themselves are brutal. The creators weren’t kidding when they called this Ghostface the most ruthless one yet, and with the gory blood effects and sound design – and of course the great screaming of the cast – you really feel every hit that Ghostface blows. So while the jump scares can be very predictable, you’re still dreading what will come of them.

And what sets Scream apart is that the killers themselves are human, making it a real grapple for survival between the heroes and villains. One fight between Gale (Courtney Cox) and Ghostface particularly shows how the cast aren’t simply waiting around to get murdered, they are active beings, which makes the kills all the more exhilarating.

Gale and Kirby are the only two remaining legacy characters, but they don’t feel past their sell by date yet. Gale’s pain at Dewey’s death still stands, and Kirby is of course a delight to watch on screen. Kirby had been a fan-fave character since Scream 4, and her return does not disappoint, with Hayden Panettiere stepping back into her role effortlessly.

Scream is also well known for its twists, and here, the movie does not disappoint. Just when you think it’s obvious who the killer is, Scream 6 throws you for a loop. And while the franchises’ killers are always crazy in the same way, their reveal and final battle still remain fascinating and fun to watch.

The finale also manages to fit in an emotional arc between Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega), which adds a nice layer to the film. Scream has not always managed to weave perfectly between satire and earnestness, and even in this movie the humor and emotional moments can clash with each other, but this journey between the sisters is proof that it is possible to get it right.

Scream 6 review score: 4/5

Ultimately, the Scream franchise is far from dead – unlike Ghostface’s victims. It’s a testament that even with a mostly modern cast, fans both old and new can still get something out of these movies.

It also says something that this is the longest Scream film so far, and yet you never feel the runtime drag. Instead, you only wait on the edge of your seat to see what will become of the characters, and by the looks of the film’s ending, it’s clear that their troubles are far from over.

Scream 6 will premiere in cinemas on March 10. Check out the rest of our coverage of the film here.