'Scream VI' review: Ghostface takes Manhattan in a solid but familiar stab-filled outing

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
·4 min read

Start spreading the news: Ghostface is loose in New York City and leaving a bloody trail of bodies, pop-culture riffs and slasher tropes.

“Scream VI" moves the buzzy young cast of 2022's fifth chapter from the usual haunts of Woodsboro to the big city. With a pedal to the metal when it comes to nasty kills, “VI” is an improvement overall on the last installment. However, the new film struggles to mine clever new ground: A great spin on the usual signature opening – the best since Drew Barrymore met the business end of Ghostface’s blade – eventually leads to an underwhelming, familiar finale.

For Jenna Ortega and Co., ‘Stab’ fans still are kind of the worst

Sam (Melissa Barrera, left) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) move across the country but can't escape Ghostface in "Scream VI."
Sam (Melissa Barrera, left) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) move across the country but can't escape Ghostface in "Scream VI."

The popular horror franchise's latest whodunit (★★★ out of four; rated R; in theaters y) catches up with the survivors of the latest Woodsboro massacre less than a year after their ordeal with Ghostface. (In the last film, the "killer" was revealed as a pair of psychopathic fans wanting a redo on a below-average movie-within-the-movie “Stab” film.)

Sam (Melissa Barrera) and her younger sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) have relocated to New York alongside their friends, twin siblings Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown). Sam stays mostly to herself since corners of the internet blame her as the real villain of the recent slaughter, but she fosters an overprotective streak with Tara, who attends fictional Blackmore University and desperately wants to move on from what’s happened.

Former ‘Scream’ queen Hayden Panettiere reenters the fray

Hayden Panettiere is back in her "Scream 4" role as Kirby Reed, who's now an FBI agent on the hunt for a killer.
Hayden Panettiere is back in her "Scream 4" role as Kirby Reed, who's now an FBI agent on the hunt for a killer.

Suffice it to say, this is a “Scream” movie, so the story turns dark quickly. Murder victims begin popping up connected to the youngsters, with aged Ghostface masks being left at the scene, and Sam, Tara and their friends – old and new – are targeted by the villain yet again. Local cop Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) is on the case as is FBI agent Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), a survivor from the 2011 Ghostface killings (see: “Scream 4”), and their investigation eventually leads to a museum of old artifacts from previous massacres.

Our heroes get ambushed at a bodega (where Ghostface makes excellent use of a shotgun) and at home, with a harrowing sequence involving neighboring apartment building windows and a ladder that's not for the acrophobic. The meta aspects also return, including cinephile Mindy explaining to her pals how they’re not just in a sequel, they’re in a franchise now, so different rules are at play. (For example, legacy characters are “cannon fodder.”)

Familiar faces blend with new blood (though sadly, no Neve Campbell)

Original "Scream" star Courteney Cox reprises her role as Gale Weathers in the sixth installment.
Original "Scream" star Courteney Cox reprises her role as Gale Weathers in the sixth installment.

Let’s be honest, it’s weird watching a “Scream” movie without original star Neve Campbell (who turned down a role in a pay dispute). Courteney Cox’s punchable newswoman Gale Weathers is back in a supporting role, though Panettiere is the most welcome return, taking over authority-figure duties from David Arquette. (RIP, Dewey Riley!)

The debuting friend group – including Sam and Tara’s roommate Quinn (Liana Liberato), Chad’s buddy Ethan (Jack Champion), Mindy’s girlfriend Anika (Devyn Nekoda) and Sam’s secret beau Danny (Josh Segarra) – is a mixed bag of victims/suspects with not a lot of personality. And of the assorted cameos it's best not to talk too much about, Samara Weaving is a scene-stealing gem.

But really, 'Scream VI' is all about the returning youngsters

The “Core Four” – the pet name Chad gives the Woodsboro crew – are all a joy to watch amid the gory carnage and make Campbell’s noticeable absence a little easier to manage. Ortega was on the cusp of her stardom when the last movie came out, and she gets a lot more to do here.

As Sam, who gets eerie pep talks from her dead serial killing dad Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), Barrera balances sisterly love with a dark unpredictability. Brown’s Mindy is a snarky wonder with the best lines, while Gooding’s Chad is a good-hearted take on decades of the jerky movie jock.

Manhattan is an A-plus choice to be slasher central in a 'Scream' flick

Ghostface runs amok in New York City in "Scream VI."
Ghostface runs amok in New York City in "Scream VI."

By setting “Scream VI” in New York City, returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (“Ready or Not”) tap into a realism the franchise has never had before. Constant sirens around our protagonists could mean Ghostface is at large or it's just a normal violent crime, which gives the movie an extra bit of edge to go alongside the impressive brutality. Those positives make the dubious narrative choices and underwhelming final act that much more frustrating.

This “Scream” is neither king of the hill nor top of the heap, but you can’t to be too mad at a picture that makes a cathartic treat out of a plunged knife in the eye.

Read more movie reviews:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Scream 6' review: Ghostface chases Jenna Ortega, new cast in NYC

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next