Scream VI: Game Changer?

Written by Morgan St. George & Alayna Dutton

When I first dipped my toes into the Scream franchise, I’ll admit I was excited. Not only had I been a lover of horror for as long as I could remember, but the movie series had also been on my to-watch list for longer than I’d like to admit. When I first watched the 90s slasher classic, I immediately fell in love with all the charming characters, crude humor, and of course, the gory details. The 2022 remake only fueled my fixation further, and by the time I was seated in the theater in a recliner with my feet up and my popcorn at the ready, I knew I was in for a good one—and a good one it was. With the combination of excellent cinematography and a thrilling narrative, while also staying true to bloody traditions, Scream VI was, hands down, one of the best horror movies of 2023 so far, and certainly the best to come out within the franchise. A production like this has the potential to bring back an entire genre.

First and foremost, Tyler Gillet and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin’s creative choices as directors were outstandingly profound. Choosing New York City to be the setting was interesting, as it created an obstacle that allowed the team to have more creative flow, and it was quite exciting to see a movie of this scale be filmed in such a sandbox-type environment, as the possibilities were endless for the Scream team. Specifically, the way they filmed with less stabilization during the chase scenes allowed for the audience to really experience the fear of each character whilst they were under attack. Finally, the choice of music kept it modern with additions of Billie Eilish in the background, but at the same time kept it classy like the older movies by adding the song “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Including this song at some point in each of the movies is a tradition in the franchise.

Secondly, the plot was absolutely stellar. These writers had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning, creating a thrilling experience through twists and turns in the storyline and making the audience believe one thing was true only to completely flip it on its head. If you’re someone who loves a rollercoaster of a resolution, I highly recommend this movie. Another element I especially enjoyed was the dialogue because it was simply well-written in general and helped progress the story in a meaningful way. To be a little more specific, I especially enjoyed the Carpenter sisters’ witty and smart remarks, as well as some truly heartbreaking last words during one character’s death. My one and only qualm was that I found some parts of it a bit unrealistic. Yes, it was a slasher, and those kinds of movies are designed to be a little ridiculous. However, without spoiling too much, one of the characters was stabbed many times but was shown to have survived at the end of the movie. The writers even set up the rest of the flow of the story after the stabbing scene to make the audience believe this character was dead, which only made it even more strange that they made it out alive.

To go even further, it is worth mentioning how Scream VI compares to the original Scream (1996). The lack of legacy characters, leaving Gale Weathers the only one left, makes the stakes that much higher. Also, as it is becoming apparent that the number of movies is excessive, it almost felt as if Scream VI had to break the fourth wall and become self-aware, to a point where it got a good laugh out of me during multiple parts. Even still, it’s difficult to compare the two movies without mentioning the many differences. Not only have most of the legacy characters been lost at this point, the writers for the newer Scream movies have also seemed to have taken quite a different turn, striving for an actually compelling storyline alongside the slasher-style plot instead of the relatively simple “murder-fest” that was the first film. That being said, the killing spree plot does become repetitive, so the fact that new writers are now finding ways to develop the characters and tell a story with a bit more meaning has the potential to convince people to take horror movies seriously again, and possibly revive the genre back to its former glory.

Finally, a film of this caliber will have a lasting effect on the rest of its genre. I have to say that I definitely think this movie will pioneer something. It was simply too well-made for other filmmakers and writers, especially those in the horror genre, not to take inspiration. Because it came out so early in the year, there’s no telling if it will be the very best, especially since we still have so much of 2023 left. However, judging by the movie’s quality in general, plus the astronomical numbers it had at the box office (the highest-grossing movie in the entire franchise, to be exact), I have much hope not only that it will occupy one of the top spots for movies released in 2023, but for the comeback of the horror genre to the glory the 90s classics once enjoyed.