Synopsis
In the next instalment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick
Starring Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Dermot Mulroney and Hayden Panettiere
Released in the UK, March 10th 2023
Review
I have put off doing this review as I really can’t bring myself to relive it again. But I need to get these thoughts out of my brain. There may also be an upcoming post with super spoilery views about the future of the franchise.
Sam & Tara have tried to get their lives back on track, with varying success. Tara has started college, and Sam has followed her to be the overly present sister she wasn’t, for so many years. Sometimes though, you can’t outrun your past.
Coming out of 5cream I wasn’t exactly happy with the thing as a whole, but it’s grown on me over a few rewatches. Still way down the list, but I wasn’t as angry with it in the end. ScreaIVI however… I am still irrationally annoyed with it, and I’ve seen it three times… don’t ask.
Essentially, it takes us all the way back to the beginning with a mix of the first and second films. I will admit that the beginning intrigued me. I was surprised, but I felt a little thrown. Though I can understand switching it up a little, it seemed to be throwing shade at the previous instalments for sticking to a franchise “standard”.
This might be an unfair generalisation, but the core four from the last movie made no real changes coming into this. Tara was maybe a little more angsty and in denial, but apart from that, they really just could have been the same versions from 5. Unless we consider Chad’s ability to seemingly heal perfectly and have no residual issues from a near fatal stabbing to be a character change.
A big addition to this cast was Dermot Mulroney as Detective Bailey, he comes along with his daughter Quinn, who is Tara and Sam’s roommate. As much as I love Mulroney, this was not a great performance. The swings in the character’s behaviour doesn’t sit well with me, and it meant that each time he appeared in a scene I cringed a little.
The “surprise” that everyone loved for this film was that Kirby was back. Kirby was great in Scream 4 and I was just as excited for her to be back… but I did not believe her as an FBI agent, and beyond that, she was, like Mulroney, a bit much. It would have been more believable having her as some kind of film professor at the girls’ school.
Courtney Cox comes back as Gale Weathers, and she’s probably the best performance out of everyone. It’s exactly what you’d expect from her, and means that she holds the film together when everything around her is a little… terrible.
As with all horror movies, this comes with its fair share of dubious and frustrating occurrences. Unfortunately, I found some of them to be inexcusable, and in some cases they felt a little petty, like they didn’t want the fans to get things that would have genuinely pleased them.
Will this improve down the line? I hated 5 and it got better, so never say never, but… it’s really close to never for me.
What you should do
Yet another film the you will of course see if you’re a fan of the franchise. I wouldn’t spend money on it to watch though.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
A home with TARDIS-like dimensions. (I’m sure that it does actually make sense… but it really doesn’t appear that it does!)
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