- Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
- Written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick
- Stars Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown
- Run Time: 2 Hours, 2 Minutes
- Trailer: https://youtu.be/1Ie2qmAOc6Q
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
This was a step better than the more recent couple sequels, back to the quality of the first few. Some of the attacks are more public and take on more people at once, but it seemed like much was just what we’ve seen before. If you’re a fan of the Scream films, you’ll probably like this one too.
From the publisher:
Buy Scream VI on Digital Now! Ghostface is back and more terrifying than ever on a rampage in the big apple. Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, and Courteney Cox star in the sensational slasher hit Scream VI, Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Get over an hour of killer bonus content when you buy on Digital. Available at participating retailers. Rated R
Synopsis
It’s Halloween. Laura waits at the bar, but her “Flirtr” date, Reggie, can’t find the place. They talk about horror movies; she’s a film professor teaching about 20th century slasher films. She talks him through finding the place, but he ends up in an alley being chased by a guy with a knife. In a panic, Laura walks into a dark alley, alone and Reggie’s voice changes into something more… familiar. She doesn’t live long after that.
He kills her and then he takes his mask and costume off. He’s Jason, and he stops to talk to Tara; they’ll be going to the same party later. He goes home and hangs his mask in the closet and washes the blood off his hands. He gets a call from his “partner” who also talks in Ghostface’s voice. Jason said he was nervous and had to practice on Laura. Jason starts to doubt that he’s talking to his friend— he’s not. Jason is soon dead. Credits roll.
Sam is talking to her psychiatrist, and she says she’s worried about Tara. After he presses her to talk about herself, she rattles that her father was Billy Loomis, the famous serial killer. Her boyfriend was also a serial killer. The internet claims she organized the whole thing and framed them all. The doctor gets more and more nervous as she admits killing the serial killer felt so good. She gets annoyed and goes home, where she learns from her roommate Quinn that Tara has gone to a frat party.
Tara meets Frankie at the party. Anika tries to get her away from him, but she’s very interested in Frankie. Anika enlists Chad to try and help, and there’s soon a fight— which Sam wins with a Taser. “Holy shit, it’s that psycho girl,” Someone says. Sam and Tara have a very expository argument about their motives for being there.
Later, Tara thanks Chad for helping her out, and the two almost kiss until Quinn interrupts. Sam and Danny are seeing each other secretly. Everyone watches TV, where the news talks about Greg and Jason, who were murdered by a masked killer. Sam freaks out and wants to leave town. Now.
Sam’s phone rings; it’s Gale Weathers, but she doesn’t answer. Quinn’s father is a policeman, and he calls to say Sam is not overreacting. Ghostface also calls Sam, and she warns him that she killed the last two people who played Ghostface. He attacks and kills a few people in a convenience store. The police arrive but find only Sam and Tara.
Detective Bailey says he found Sam’s driver’s license next to Jason’s corpse. Kirby Reed from the FBI arrives— she went to high school with Sam. The killer has been leaving Ghostface masks with the DNA of the previous killers on them. Gale Weathers shows up, and they’re mad because she wrote another book about them.
Tara’s psychiatrist gets a late-night knock at the door. He gets a knife in the eye before the killer takes Sam’s patient file.
Film student Mindy explains “Someone is out to make a sequel to the requel, but the rules have changed because we’re in a franchise now.” She explains more rules where legacy characters are brought back to be killed for cheap nostalgia. “It’s not looking too good for Gale and Kirby,” she warns. Even the main characters could go at any time, especially Sam and Tara. Ethan asks if he’s going to die a virgin. Mindy’s probably a bit paranoid, but she’s probably not wrong.
Detective Bailey and Kirby talk about the psychiatrist’s death. There have been nine Ghostfaces in the past, and they’re finding their masks in reverse order, newest to oldest. There are only four more, including Billy Loomis’s, the original. The news reporters believe that Sam is behind all the killings.
Sales of the Ghostface mask have gone through the roof in the past few days. Tara, Sam, Chad, and Mindy talk about everything as Ghostface kills Quinn in the next room. Danny, the guy from the apartment next door, makes a ladder-bridge between the buildings. Mindy gets across as well, but Anika is toast.
Detective Bailey leaves the scene since Quinn was his daughter. He’s not giving up the case though. Gale and Kirby show up, and they know where the killer is getting the old masks. They go to a shrine for the dead Ghostfaces and their victims. There are artifacts from all the previous cases and murders. Billy’s ghost whispers in Sam’s ear how exciting this all is.
The killer calls Gale. He explains that the legacy characters are expendable now. There’s a quick chase around the apartment, but Gale gets stabbed several times before Sam and Tara drive off the killer. She’s not dead, but it’s close.
They all make a plan to trap Ghostface, but Mindy gets left behind with Ethan. Since it’s Halloween, half the people on the subway are in Ghostface’s mask, including of course, the one who stabs Mindy. Ethan pulls her out of the train and yells for help. “Fuck this franchise,” she moans.
Kirby, Sam, Tara, and Chad go back to the Ghostface shrine/lair and lock themselves in. Detective Bailey calls Sam and says he checked on Kirby, who is unstable and no longer with the FBI.
Ghostface immediately attacks, and once again, they smack him in the head with something and then run away without finishing the job (for about the tenth time in this film alone).
Then, shocker of all shockers, a second Ghostface appears and they kill Chad together. Kirby comes in shooting. Bailey comes in, and he points his gun at Kirby. Oh. Wait. It’s two Ghostfaces and Bailey.
Ethan takes his mask off. So does Quinn. “I didn’t die. It was a good way to get off the suspect list.” Bailey has Sam’s father’s mask, and he wants her to wear it. They even started Internet rumors about Sam being the killer. Their brother died in Woodsboro— Richie. Bailey’s his father, and Quinn and Ethen were his siblings.
The tables get turned, and Ethan is stabbed multiple times. Kirby gets shot and stabbed. Quinn gets hit over the head with a brick. None of them slow down at all. There’s more fighting, but eventually, only Bailey is left.
Detective Bailey wakes up and gets a call from Ghostface. Ghostface jumps out and stabs him about a thousand times. It’s Sam wearing her father’s costume, mask, and knife.
Danny comes in with all the police. He reports that Chad, Mindy, and Gale are going to be OK. Sam’s still got her father’s mask and knife in her bag.
Post credit scene: Mindy explains that not every movie needs a post-credit scene.
Commentary
There are a number of plot points you don’t want to think about, but that’s OK.
Unlike many of the previous installments, there’s really nothing innovative or original about this one. Yeah, this time there are three of them, but it’s not that big of a surprise.
Kevin was quite annoyed at these people with experience and knowledge about masked killers, yet would repeatedly knock them down then run away rather than continuing to pound on them until they were sure the killer was dead. Of course, the killer would hop up again to continue the pursuit.
Unlike the previous film, at least this one “felt” like a Scream movie. I liked it quite a lot more than that film as it didn’t mess with the formula quite so much.