SCREAM VI and The Art of the Franchise

Earlier this month Scream VI was released to the pleasure of many fans, and while someone could easily give a traditional review or lament about how it’s “nothing like the original” the long short of it is, Scream VI just works. And that’s all it ever has had to do. *There are minor spoilers in this post. No big reveals just hints at one or two scenes! Sorry, but at least you had time to see it ;) *

Reboot sequels are a hit and miss in today’s film environment, and the team behind Scream VI (Directors Matt Bettinelli-Oplin & Tyler Gillet + Writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick) handled Wes Craven’s satirical masterpiece with care. Some viewers even say Scream VI is a contender to be one of the strongest entries in the franchise, next to the original. I saw this film twice and rewatched the first Scream flicks shortly after opening night. Ultimately, this film gets an 8/10 from Idle Screen Media with some of the complaints ranging from minor nitpicks, to one or two actual issues that other fans have pointed out a dozen times. Scream VI is a fun time and its narrative is so impactful it gives the audience time to truly care about the characters, something horror films (especially slashers) are notoriously bad at.

“What’s your favorite scary movie?” is one of the most iconic lines in cinema, and the Scream franchise has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to dialogue in horror. The first film was drenched in satire, and with Wes Craven at the helm, it was easy to poke fun at his own work and the tropes he helped to perpetuate within the genre. With its sequels, a franchise like Scream could easily fall into Scary Movie levels of parody. Somehow Scream VI feels even more grounded in reality than its predecessor, making the dialogue feel authentic, and comical right when it needs to.

Moments

of authenticity are even more impactful when legacy characters interact with one another, like Meeks-Martin and Reed bonding over the Candyman franchise, or Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) getting punched in the face by Tara Carpenter (Jenny Ortega). It goes without saying the meta-movie jokes are abundant, but Scream VI mirrors the first Scream and captures a relatable feeling that the other sequels just missed up until this point.

While Ghostface thirst is unmatched in 2023, it’s undeniable that most of the fanbase still consists of viewers who know how to appreciate the classics, this would now include 1996’s original Scream. With that in mind, the bit of “here’s how to survive a horror movie” could potentially be stagnant after so many years, but Scream VI only built upon it with Mindy Meeks-Martin’s (Jasmin Savoy Brown) comical yet sincere delivery of the archetypes and pitfalls of every horror franchise. This running gag was built upon when Meeks-Martin interacts with returning fan-favorite Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere). Scream VI is jampacked with eye candy and easter eggs for cinephiles, but the interactions between Reed and Meeks-Martin truly are a love letter to fans of the franchise, or fans of any horror franchise in general. These lighthearted moments give the audience a moment to breathe between Ghostface sitings and stabbings, allowing for fantastic pacing that doesn’t seem too campy or disjointed from what’s going on with the killer.

2022’s Scream was one of the weaker entries in the film, but the play on its returning legacy characters does up the anty, knowing anyone could die at any moment. The main cast is aware of this, and it allows for a handful of red herrings when considering new players on the field, such as “the slutty roommate,” “the cute new boy next door”, and “the virgin nerd”. Few films can match the “whodunit” feeling that the original film gave, as they do grow more predictable with time, but Scream VI is perfectly self-aware and this makes the twist even more rewarding. Despite the new setting, with the core cast being from Woodsboro the stakes are still very real and, the looming feeling of knowing that Billy Loomis’ (half of the original Ghostface persona) children could turn at any moment adds a feeling of suspense for the viewers as well as the characters surrounding them.

Scream VI looks back at previous Ghostface killers, with one of its most memorable moments showcasing a physical manifest of Woodsboro’s gruesome past. In the age of true crime fanatics and sensationalism of serial killers, a character being obsessed with a mantle like Ghostface isn’t too far-fetched. When half the city of New York decides to dawn the Ghostface mask for Halloween, the cast has less security in the world around them. With the survivors lamenting how terrifying (and insensitive) this costume trend is, viewers, realize how stressed the characters are, much like the real-life survivors and family members having to recount “true crime” stories. With how self-aware the franchise has always been, Scream has had the opportunity to world-build in a way few slashers can.

This worldbuilding not only perfectly mirrors the real world, but it allows the franchise to build on its satirical nature flawlessly. Scream VI shows audiences the evolution and growing fascination towards the Ghostface murders, killers, and the “Stab” franchise that came from it. Citizens of Woodsboro are treated to the longest series of copycat killers imaginable, and a bloodline who’s literally plagued with the sins of Billy Loomis. The irony is, only one of those things requires viewers to suspend disbelief for a second.

The Scream franchise can attribute much of its success to its subtle yet unique evolution. By continuing with the Ghostface killings, but changing the Ghostface character, the killer takes a mind of his own. Ghostface becomes a persona that isn’t tied to any one character- unlike the Freddy Kruegers and Micheal Myers of the world. The passing down of the mantle means each film has a contained easier-to-follow narrative, that allows for wiggle room within the realm of belief. Ghostface isn’t “the boogeyman” or someone that only comes in dreams…he’s just “some guy” (until it's revealed it's usually two guys). Ghostface (as a character) evolves as the Scream franchise evolves.

The Halloween franchise found its most successful sequels when it continued a narrative - Laurie Strode vs Micheal, similarly with Craven’s own Nightmare on Elm Steet and its own final girl returning, and even Friday the 13th to a point (except this time with the Vorhees killers being directly connected). Whenever slasher films gave a disconnected narrative, completely avoiding character (or killer) relationships, there was a disconnect with audiences. When slasher films become successful, there’s more of an investment in the killers than there is in the characters. Capitalizing on interests in the killer isn't a problem on its own, but it does take away from an investment in the film and its story overall. If audiences know the killer always wins, and that newly inserted characters barely stand a chance, the threat of horror is gone. The flaw of predictability is not exclusive to horror, but it is multiplied when “franchise fatigue” sets in. Scream sidesteps this issue with a down-to-Earth killer like Ghostface, and characters who’ve lived to tell the tale.

With the Scream franchise, there’s always a level of “what’s next” and in almost any franchise, there’s a deeper element of “when will it end?” Horror as a genre is only successful when there’s a level of suspense or fear. Part of why subgenres (like slashers, found footage, supernatural, etc) fall out of popularity is because they’re no longer scary to most audiences. Scream has always capitalized on this evolution of slasher films specifically, and Scream VI perpetuates this evolution flawlessly.

One observation many critics have is that Scream VI is much more gratuitous in gore levels. Some fans believe that since slashers no longer have the “fear factor” the visceral nature of the kills is what makes slashers entertaining. More classical slasher fans are often quick to point out that the “original slasher” - John Carpenter’s Halloween- didn’t have a drop of blood, and that’s what made it more thrilling. The lack of on-screen gore allows for the mind to go wild. Scream VI capitalizes on this phenomenon. There is one particularly gruesome moment within Scream VI, but when comparing this entry to previous Scream films (especially the first), it’s rather tame. The first Scream opens with not one, but two deaths by complete disembowelment. Viewers don’t witness the carving, just the aftermath. The Ghostface of Scream VI shows audiences he’s capable of that same method, but the viewers never have to see the same voyeuristic killing. These subtle changes not only evolve the franchise but show how each Ghostface is slightly different, indulging in the “passing down of the mask” motif unique to this franchise.

While it began as a statement on horror films of the 70s and 80s, the Scream franchise has become the ultimate love letter to fans of horror, but especially slashers. Scream VI, is not only a love letter to fans of the franchise but fans of any film franchise. The inclusion of “the movie buff” character in each film leaves room enough for enthusiastic films to truly see themselves in each entry, which they may not have been able to do with more traditional slasher tropes (the jock, the cheerleader, etc) because characters are often never so aware of the events around them. This letter continues as legacy characters get loose ends tied up, alleged happy endings, the repeated question of “will there be more?” and the repeated answer of “there could be more”, forever adding a level of suspense to the narrative (and franchise) as a whole. The comedic elements do not overshadow the horror elements, and instead, make it much more realistic, and even more jarring when there’s a killing. Scream began in 1996, and it’s had its horror rite of passage by staggering through an ill-received sequel or two, but as time marches on, Scream sprints, like a victim escaping a knife-wielding killer.