"SCREAM IV" Movie Review

Scream VI - Review

By Kurt Kreeger

Scream VI is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olphin and Tyler Gillett and continues the self aware horror that started in 1996. Considering this franchise is quite literally as old as me, this franchise had a rather interesting journey. The first installment made for one of my favorite horror films of all time with the way it addressed horror tropes in a nearly comedic way while still remaining a bone chilling experience deeply planted in horror. This film was so successful, that naturally a sequel was made and, while still being an effective horror, had a weaker story and characters. This film was immediately tampered with a fan favorite character’s death which, while it was a bold move that I would normally applaud, killed the heart of the franchise. While the character arc of Cotton Weary was a highlight moving forward in this film, the complete slap in the face to the fans of his fate at the beginning of the third film soured the franchise even worse. The rest of the third film was so stupid and forgettable that it killed the franchise, that is until the fourth film which worked as a reboot in 2011. I loved this film. This film was a return to form with even gorier kills and an interesting twist. Sadly, most audiences didn’t like this film nearly as much as I did and the film flopped, killing the franchise yet again. That is, until 2022 had the courage to try again to reboot the franchise, even by simply calling the film Scream, and aimed at a “requel” to the franchise. If I loved Scream 4, Scream (2022) was even better. Thankfully, audiences finally are back on board to the horror franchise and a sequel, Scream VI, was released this year. And it was even better.

Admittedly, I had hesitations finding out this film was going to take place in New York City. The trailers teased the ghostface killer stalking the surviving characters of the last film in city stores and subways. This instantly gave me flashbacks of what I would consider the worst Friday the 13th film, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. When you put a horror villain in a big city, they tend to feel smaller and less threatening compared to the big atmosphere they are killing in. While there were sillier and “worse” films, Jason Takes Manhattan both lacked the fear that Jason typically imposes and the creativity of silly kills. Even Jason X was creatively funny where Part VIII was just boring. However, I didn’t take into account two facts. One is that the Ghostface Killer was never particularly big, menacing or super strong. The fear of the Ghostface Killer came from surprise and the way they blend in. Their kills are unexpected. You never know where they are. And that works even more in a big city. The second fact is that this isn’t a supernatural killer. This is a human who stumbles and gets overpowered in all of their films. That too worked in the sense of how obstacles are used in the film. The atmosphere, when the characters weren’t just in an apartment or warehouse actually made this one of the most tense Scream films ever and was a huge benefit to the film. Even when the film was not utilizing the big city, it felt a lot like the college environment of Scream 2 and it felt good to feel we got a better version of that film in that sense.

The film also thankfully paid tribute to the underrated 4th film with the return of a character only teased to be alive by outside of the film. Seeing this particular character was a treat and her inclusion was a big nod to true fans of the franchise such as myself. It was very cathartic as a fan through the franchise’s ups and downs to be heard and acknowledged and to see a great character have bigger moments than she got in her previous appearance.

The other characters were also wonderful and arguably even better than the characters of the original films. They were never just stupid teens with attitude, as much as I love the original characters, but rather had more depth than the archetypal characters they represent. Unlike most horror films, these characters actually seem to care and act human. Not to say that every character in a horror film is narcissistic or psychopathic, but there is an inherent self-centered nature to most horror characters. In Scream (2022), the “four core” were more self-centered, but in this film they act more like a family and it is very refreshing to see that and even Scream 2 didn’t have the characters express that as they should, even if they were individually relatable or entertaining. A personal favorite character was Chad played by Mason Gooding as he really stole the show. The new characters weren’t terribly interesting, but they were serviceable and fit in the dynamic, but overall, I like the characters in this film at least in the way they were written better than ever.

The overall story was also written better than ever. The Scream franchise is known for a shock introduction, and this one, without spoilers, might be one of the most interesting. The twist killer reveal at the end was also more interesting than ever. The little moments of fear were also in action more interesting than ever. I am specifying the writing though. Even though the first film is more simple and has less dynamic characters and moments, the direction was so good that it did feel like a more impactful film. In the case of the first film, less was in fact more, but still, more in this case more compelling than any of the other films in the franchise.

The film does have a couple glaring flaws. The franchise in general has a track record with keeping alive characters that should clearly be dead. This happened so much in this film, that it literally became a joke. On one hand, this joke doesn’t land and almost feels like a lazy way to have cool kills and keep good characters too. At the same time, keeping alive fan favorite characters makes for better sequels. It is something I wish Scream 2 did for their fan favorite character, so I’m glad they did that with some characters here. Of course, there were still some kills despite what the ending may have you think so don’t think all your favorite characters are safe.

Other than that the climax had a few goofy moments despite the cool reveal. That third act may not have been perfect, but there was so much I loved here, so much that felt like the original Scream I loved, yet also so much new that made this a film for the modern day, that I am thankful that this film was able to come out. This is a film worth your time along with the rest of the franchise (except maybe the third one). This franchise is what carved a path for other self-aware films like Deadpool and if you love that film, I implore you to watch this franchise. I only hope they keep making Scream films that are better and better.

Final Verdict: 8.2/10

-Written by Kurt Kreeger, Film Critic