Film Review: "Scream VI" (2023).

"In a city of millions, no one hears you scream" in Scream VI. This slasher film directed by Radio Silence and written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. It is the sequel to Scream (2022) and the sixth installment in the Scream film series. Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

In January 2022, prior to Scream's release, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Bettinelli-Olpin, and Gillett expressed interest in making future films in the series. Courteney Cox would later express an interest in a sequel. In early February, a sixth film was officially green-lit. Olpin and Gillett would return to direct while Vanderbilt and Busick would pen the sixth installment. By the end of the month, Campbell was approached to return for the film. The following month, Cox had received the script and was courted to reprise her role. Also in March, the film was set for a March 31, 2023 release date. By May, plot details emerged, setting the film outside of Woodsboro. Instead, the film will take place in New York City. At the same time, it was announced that Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and Jenna Ortega would also reprise their roles. In addition, it was announced that Hayden Panettiere would reprise her role of Kirby Reed from the fourth film. However, in early June, it was announced Campbell would not be returning for the sixth film as she felt the offer presented to her was unacceptable, making this the first film in the series not to feature the character. In addition, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Jenna Ortega, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, Skeet Ulrich, and Samara Weaving rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in late August. Filming took place in Montreal, Canada.

The film stars Barrera, Brown, Champion, Czerny, Gooding, Jackson, Liberato, Mulroney, Nekoda, Ortega, Revolori, Segarra, Ulrich, Weaving, Panettiere, and Cox. To an impressive extent, the new cast with the returning cast succeed in squaring this circle, a trick they accomplish partly by turning their film into a symposium on what a new Scream ought to look like.

The film built a legacy of pain that makes the previous trial that Sam and Tara survived another bit of redemption for a Sam’s broken past and makes the films far deeper than one would expect without sacrificing what makes this so damned entertaining. The series is already so dense with internal references and exposition that it's on the verge of becoming more of a trivia game than a movie series. Still, for the initiated, the third time's a charm. For everyone else, it's just a scream. Guaranteed to have audiences shrieking and jumping out of their seats, the film is the most brutal, bloodiest and best film since the original. The film radically reinvigorates the franchise in ferocious fashion, serving up spooky spectacle and masterful meta commentary on modern horror and fandom.

Simon says Scream VI receives:

Also, see my review for Scream.