Lamar Reviews - "Scream VI" (Airdate 3/17/2023)

I’ve always liked the Scream movies, as much as I can like any “slasher” movie. It has always been very violent, and had great “jump scares”, but it was also very “tongue in cheek”, which I appreciate. Now, if you quizzed me on them, I would not score very high because, they all seem to run together. For me the characters, Dewey, played by David Arquette and Sidney, played by Neve Campbell, and Courteney Cox, as Gale Weathers, were well defined, and fun to watch. They finally killed Dewey, and they refused to pay Neve Campbell, but we still have Courtney Cox as the obnoxious reporter. The other big change is, they left Woodboro, went to New York City. Evidently the only people in Woodboro who weren’t killed by Ghost Face were Ghost Face. I personally think they missed a great ending by not having Ghost Face mugged and murdered in the streets of New York. That would be ironic. Sadly, the movie is filmed in Montreal, pretending to be New York, so don’t expect an exciting chase scene through Time Square or up the Statue of Liberty. There is a really good action scene in what could easily pass, for a New York Bodega.

Sam and Tara Carpenter, from Scream V, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, have moved to New York to start over. Joining them is brother and sister, Chad and Mindy, played by Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown, who also survived Ghost Face. Despite there being a serial killer loose in New York, home of one of the largest police forces in the world, there is only one detective assigned to this case, Detective Bailey, played by Dermot Mulroney, whose daughter Quinn is in the friend group of the victims. This, and the new guy, that is part of the group, are just a couple of the “Red Herrings”, that keep us guessing who the killer might be, and who he or she kill next.

There is no real plot to explain, other than this Ghost Face is obsessed with all the other Ghost Faces before him or her, and leaves a “calling card” referencing them, at each murder scene. They did come up with a creative way to bring Kirby Reed, played by Hayden Panettiere back. The jump scares are plentiful and for the most part work, and there are a few “edge of the seat” moments that are hard to pull off in the 6thmovie of a franchise.

The movie is just a hair over 2 hours, Rated R for strong bloody violence and language, with some brief drug use.

I enjoyed the movie, but, the habit of having someone in the group go over all the horror movie rules has lost its pizazz. You may not survive the movie if you have sex, do drugs, or say any of these phrases, “I’ll be right back”, Hello?”, or “Who’s there”.  Also Charge your phone in case you need to call for help, but do not answer the phone if it rings!” And for me the ultimate rule is, just because you think that the killer is dead, never, ever, means that he or she is actually dead! One of the surprising things in this Scream movie is, how much stabbing some of the heroes can take and not only not die, but continue to function, and deliver some pithy tag lines.

If you are a Scream aficionado, there is no doubt that you will be seeing this, and I expect you will have few complaints. If you have never seen a Scream movie, I suggest you see a few of the earlier ones to increase your enjoyment, but it is not absolutely necessary.

My Score: 4 Buds