'Scream VI' Movie Review: A stab fest that is just about bearable

Scream VI

Film: Scream VI

Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Courteney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Dermot Mulroney, Liana Liberato

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Rating: 2.5/5

Runtime: 123 min

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's latest chapter in the "Scream" franchise is not a prequel or a ‘requel' like the characters in the film assert regarding the film within this film. It's now an IP so even the legacy characters could well be killed off without any qualms.

The latest generation of Woodsboro survivors has moved over to New York City, hoping for a new life far away from the suburban shadow of Ghostface. But their peace is short-lived. The movie opens with the killing of a film professor, and as the body count quickly escalates, the reluctantly minted ‘core four,' Samantha Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega), and twins Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding) prepare to escape yet again. But where will they go to escape the new Ghostface who seems to be multiplying even as the body count increments?

In this latest edition, they are joined by other returning characters Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) as well as newcomers including Anika (Devyn Nekoda), Josh (Danny Brackett), Ethan (Jack Champion), Quinn (Liana Liberato), and Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney).

The script by Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt is serviceable and intermittently entertaining. There are some interesting ideas thrown in through the dialogue and action but none of them achieve any kind of fulfillment. The mentions of trauma and coping skills are trivial in nature. They are just words thrown in before serious action happens. Horror nerd sight gags and corny references to horror directors and movie podcasts don't scale up the entertainment value because they've all been done before. Even the meta explanation of horror movie rules fails to make any valid point - and has been done to death. There are a few smartly crafted tense moments but they are so few that they get rather lost in the melee of trashy repetitiveness. Franchise regular Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is sorely missing from this line-up because, apparently, Campbell didn't receive a financial offer adequate enough for her to return.

"Scream VI" revels in regurgitating coagulated blood and the repetitive self-referencing sounds rather strange and defeatist. A screen full of gory stabbings with a little satire thrown in doesn't amount to a rollicking horror comedy. With fresh blood fast evaporating from this franchise, will the fans make do with such loosely evocative nostalgia trips? It's anybody's guess.