Film review: ‘SCREAM 6’, by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’

Yes, it’s another Scream film, the latest in the satirical slasher series that began in 1996. Is it just a cynical cash in on 90’s nostalgia, the latest attempt to milk a few bucks from franchise-loyal fans or a legitimate horror/ comedy with an least a spark of life left in it.  We might ask ourselves these questions but the film in a way does it for us, as its central conceit is a self-conscious film nerd meta-reference to the nature of horror film series themselves.

Here, the heroines from Scream 5, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) have fled the small town of Woodsboro for somewhere they feel might be safer…New York City.  Of course, our old buddy Ghostface can’t just let them slip into normal life and they’re both soon menaced on the phone by that familiar sinister voice while the costumed killer (or is it killers?) commits some admittedly gruesome slayings throughout the city.  As in the previous instalments the police seem completely inept and incapable of protecting the two young women so a bloody but weirdly self-actualising showdown between heroines and killers is inevitable.

This is pretty much the same film we have seen multiple times since that 1996 original just with updated tech, popular culture, social advances like greater diversity and another layer of film reference.  The killings aren’t just isolated incidents but responses to the film within a film called Stab which was based on the original murders in the 90’s.  In Scream 5, the characters riffed about the fact that the killings at that time were like reboot/sequel to the previous murders but in 6 they describe them as part of a franchise and therefore bound by the rules governing movie franchises. It’s still kind of fun to see the film work around these sorts of movie geek concepts.

As well as the film references, Scream 6, like the previous instalment, still offers a mild thrill in trying to guess who is behind the iconic ghost mask as well as a few effective jump scares.  Unfortunately there’s some outrageous inconsistent toughness as the killer is at various points a mercurial ninja-like figure who seems to pop up everywhere our heroines go and despatch people twice their size with ease but are then easily slapped around by other characters.

Those not intimately invested in the Scream franchise may have difficulty distinguishing this one from the last instalment although the overlong and clumsy finale in 6 is a point of difference.  Those looking for an evening of slightly amusing, admittedly violent genre thrills and movie escapism should find this adequate.

Nick’s rating: ***

Genre: Horror/comedy/ Action/Slasher.

Classification: MA15+.

Director(s): Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin.

Release date: 9th Mar 2023..

Running time: 122 mins.

Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.

 

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