‘Scream VI’ Non-Spoiler Review – Bettinelli-Olpin And Gillett Make Masked Monsters Out Of Misinformation

The Radio Silence team (V/H/S, Southbound, Ready or Not)—co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett—is back with a new Scream film nearly fourteen months following their fifth franchise installment, Scream (2022). James Vanderbilt (Darkness Falls, Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, White House Down, Murder Mystery) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not, Castle Rock) return to pen the screenplay of this slasher horror mystery thriller. I finally got the chance to see it myself, and it is extravagant in its own right.

If you haven’t yet seen last year’s installment or want to avoid spoilers from that, watch the film and/or read my spoiler-free review. Likewise with this current installment.

In this review, I will be discussing Radio Silence’s Scream VI/ Scream 6. There will be no spoilers present, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion.

Discussion

Personally, Scream VI might be my favorite film in Craven’s beloved slasher horror meta-mystery franchise. This new installment has more territory to traverse than in Woodsboro, a college campus in Ohio, or Hollywood itself. Even with its impressive marketing through countless creative posters, it has so much more of New York City to explore. Although, I do not find that to be a detriment to the narrative. On the other hand, there are some minor details that need to be addressed. Of course, going too far into matters would mean discussing spoilers, and that is not what we are here to do. Still, I believe it is in my best interest to strike a balance, and I feel that the film is stronger for it.

First of all, the film’s opening scene and the kill(s) thereof showcase the previous film’s deviation from what is normal. As I had expected, we are never done with toxic fandoms, or in other words, “stan culture”. Similar to what Don Mancini did with Cult of Chucky (2017) leading into his Chucky television series, Scream VI establishes—or at the very least, builds up to—a chilling conspiracy organization. Extrapolating what we know about stans, this fascination toward a film, franchise, or figure is enough to drive anyone mad. Such is the case with this new Ghostface killer who possesses a fixation on Samantha “Sam” Carpenter (Melissa Barrera).

Scream VI‘s entirety, from its opening scene onward, continues to veer the franchise in a whole new direction. This was another idea that I had a feeling would happen. Scream 4 revitalized the franchise with fresh takes regarding digital technology’s realistic negative effects on society. Scream (2022), then, scrutinizes those on social media who are “chronically online”.

Piecing Together a Masterpiece

Jutkiewicz’s cinematography is a major improvement from the previous film. It could just be Laliberté et al’s set pieces and set decorations that lend to the deluge of minutiae that fill up the frames. The bodega scene and the Ghostface shrine museum are prime examples of this. The latter consists of glass cases containing objects that killed the franchise’s numerous victims, along with mannequins on a stage to exhibit the different appearances that the serial killer put on throughout the years in ’96. Even the opaque window in a certain character’s front door as well as the living room that serves as an office are good. Although, that does not last too long.

I also believe that it could be Breton and Nepton’s extras that pack themselves into the frames here and there. Mind you, Scream VI takes place during Halloween time, a festive period before the holiday season when people of all ages dress up in costume. This was made evident since the first teaser for the film was released. It does seem unusual to put out a horror film set in this specific part of the year during the month of March. Then again, even John Carpenter’s Halloween franchise had a few installments released somewhere within the month of August.

I cannot imagine the efforts that Plewes and her costuming team had made to color up the screen. If you thought the subway scenes might have been anxiety-inducing for our characters, there are others in the film that the footage does not seem to show. Lastly, who can forget about the music curation, such as the Denzel Curry “Walkin'” scene at a frat party? The music team did so well in this aspect of the film.

Misinformation

“Who gives a f-ck about movies?”

—Ghostface (voiced by Roger L. Jackson)

In spite of the film’s kairos with the spooky season, it is not so much about the obsession with horror anymore. Outside of that, the Scream franchise has always also been about media literacy and society’s handling of social media. Pertaining to past antagonists’ motives, we have seen some yearn for stature, others leaking information online, and others have their crimes seen by the world. Following in the footsteps of Mickey (Timothy Olyphant), Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), and Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin), all of that seemed to be the case with last year’s co-villain, Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid). It is unsurprisingly peculiar to see that pattern repeat itself. I mean, when has it never been?

With Kirsch being part of the so-called die-hard fandom communities online, you would think his death suggested the end of it, right? Right? Wrong. In the world that we live today, there is no running from corruption. That is to say, corruption of our minds, of our bodies, and of our souls. How can you deny the socio-political sphere that is traveling into a downward spiral? Facebook comments sections, subreddits/ various forum communities, and billionaires usurping control over social platforms.

Imagine how easy to post something fake and claim it as true. For example:

This is the new external conflict that our young protagonists face this time around. And boy, when I tell you I relate to this all too well… Surely, people cannot be that gullible!

“All the best lies are based on the truth.”

—[CHARARCTER NAME REDACTED]

Massive Expansions

With Scream 4 establishing the era of horror remakes and reboots, and Scream (2022) establishing reimagined sequels to the original, Scream VI brings us to a new metamorphosed era—sequels to re-quels. The rules that Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) presents are intriguing, and they are something that we have dealt with for several years now. She points to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as kind of an example of what that could mean.

Interestingly enough, even though Scream VI has numerous references to the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises, I could not help but mentally return to Mancini’s Child’s Play series. Curse of Chucky involved a return to form as a sort-of reboot sequel (re-quel) to the original. Cult of Chucky, then, fulfills the rules that Mindy asserts. Seeing that we now have a Chucky television series, could it be possible that Scream‘s seventh film could see us run into the MTV actors and characters from 2015, 2016, and maybe 2019?

Scream VI continues to write Radio Silence’s love letter to Craven and his franchise. However, several of its plot points and character developments eerily mirror that of Scream 2. With that said, it is possible that the seventh could close the franchise a la David Gordon Green’s Halloween or Star Wars‘ Skywalker Saga. I mean, an accumulation of Craven’s work has to end somewhere.

Masks

Finally, I must commend the film for acknowledging how Gothic it is for people to wear the Ghostface mask. Ghostface represents phantasms. They—Ghostface have been both male and female—are quite literally a figure who resides in the past and never looks brightly at the future. Therefore, it would make sense for Sam to continue dealing with her late-father Billy Loomis’s ghost. Akin to what Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) did in the first and third installments, Sam puts on a Ghostface mask at one point. A character tells her that she has put on her “true face”.

As I said in a previous film review earlier this year, masks serve as bridges between binaries/ dualities. For Sam, is the double worlds of good/bad and the past/present. If anything, the final few minutes of Scream VI suggest what could happen to her. Australian author, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas writes in her critical text, Masks in Horror Cinema: Eyes Without Faces:

[L]iminality ‘is frequently linked to death, to being in the womb, to invisibility, to darkness, to bisexuality, to the wilderness and to the eclipse of the sun and moon.

“Situating Masks and Horror Cinema”, page 31 of Alexandra Heller-Nicholas’s ‘Masks in Horror Cinema: Eyes Without Faces’

The Crew Behind Scream VI

The Scream franchise is created by Kevin Williamson (Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Dawson’s Creek, Cursed, The Vampire Diaries, Sick) and was spearheaded by legendary horror filmmaker, Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Shocker, My Soul to Take).

Gary Barber (True Romance, Unbreakable, The Legend of Zorro, Stay Alive, The Ruins, Glass, Hellraiser (2022)), Courteney Cox, Cathy Konrad (Scream film and television franchise, Cop Land, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Girl Interrupted), Ron Lynch, Marianne Maddalena (Shocker, The People Under the Stairs, New Nightmare, Vampire in Brooklyn, Cursed, Red Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and its sequel, Scream film and television franchise), Peter Oillataguerre (Van Helsing, Doom, Skyfall, Spectre, Creed, Creed II, No Time to Die), Chad Villella (V/H/S, Southbound, Ready or Not, V/H/S/94, V/H/S/99, V/H/S/85), and Kevin Williamson serve as the executive producers of the film.

Paul Neinstein, William Sherak (Darkness Falls, Suspiria (2018), Ready or Not, Ambulance), and James Vanderbilt serve as the producers. Chris Stone (Scream: The TV Series Season 3—”Resurrection”, Hellraiser (2022)) is the co-producer of the film.

Brett Jutkiewicz (Ready or Not, The Black Phone, Stranger Things Season 4) returns as the director of photography. Jay Prychidny (Orphan Black, Wednesday) serves as the editor for the film.

Alex Cadieux plays the stunt coordinator for the film.

The Casting Team

Rich Delia (Don’t Breathe, Lights Out, It: Chapter One, The Disaster Artist, The Babysitter, Game Night, The Nun, Brightburn, Swamp Thing, It: Chapter Two, Birds of Prey, Mortal Kombat, Black Adam) returns as the casting director. Adam Richards (The Final Girls, Jessica Jones Season 1, Game Night, Brightburn, Always Be My Maybe, Swamp Thing, Birds of Prey, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) serves as the casting associate. Meghan Reed is the casting assistant.

Andrea Kenyon (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Warm Bodies, White House Down, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Murder Mystery) and Randi Wells (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Warm Bodies, White House Down, X-Men: Days of Future Past) are the Canadian casting directors.

Julie Breton and Mélissa Nepton are the extras casting directors.

The Music Department

Brian Tyler (Darkness Falls, Constantine, Fast & Furious, The Final Destination, Fast Five, Final Destination 5, Iron Man 3, Now You See Me, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Power Rangers, Escape Room, Swamp Thing, F9, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions) and Sven Faulconer score the music of the film. Chris Ryan (The Binge, It’s A Wonderful Binge), Matthew Thomas (Castlevania, Dug Days, Willow), and Peter Bateman (Drag Me to Hell, The Purge: Anarchy, 11.22.63, It: Chapter Two) score additional music.

Kevin McKeever (World War Z, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Bumblebee, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) is the music editor.

Karen Baker Landers (Blade Runner, the Bourne franchise, Van Helsing, Freedom Writers, American Gangster, Eagle Eye, Skyfall, Spectre, Pearl, Violent Night) is the supervising sound editor. Peter Staubli (Halloween II, Fast Five, Safe House, Skyfall, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Fast & Furious 6, Spectre, Life, Malignant, Scream, Pearl, Violent Night) and Ann Scibelli (Cruella, F9, Snake Eyes, Fresh, Black Adam) are sound designers.

Aesthetics

Michèle Laliberté (Death Race, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Murder Mystery) is the production designer of the film. Tyler Gibb (Future Man) serves as the storyboard artist.

Véronique Meunier (Warm Bodies, White House Down, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Mother!) serves as the supervising art director. Mathieu Giguère (X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse) and Philippe Lord (300, Moonfall) are the art directors. Victoria Enfedaque and Yves Allard are the assistant art directors.

Guy Pigeon, Céline Lampron, and Radia Slaimi are the set designers. Léa Valérie Létourneau (Moonfall), Louis Dandonneau (Moonfall), and Vincent Aird (Death Race) are the set decorators of the film.

Avery Plewes (Everything Everything, Ready or Not) is the costume designer.

Manuelle Savoie (The Voyeurs, Moonfall) and Catherine La Haye are makeup artists. Lindsay Thomas, Nathan Blacksmith, Christine Carrière (Punisher: War Zone, Murder Mystery), and Catherine Laniel are the assistant makeup artists. Caroline Aquin (300, Enemy, The Revenant, Mother!, Long Shot, Murder Mystery, Moonfall) and Vague Vartanian (X-Men: Apocalypse, Cult of Chucky, Mother!, Murder Mystery, M3GAN) are the makeup effects artists for the film.

Frédéric Duguay (X-Men: Apocalypse, Mother!, Murder Mystery, The Voyeurs) is the hair department head. He is assisted by Colette Martel (X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Mother!, Long Shot, The Voyeurs).

Kevin McAllister (Terminator Genisys, A Cure of Wellness, Deadpool 2, Doom Patrol, Lovecraft Country, Cocaine Bear) and Alizée Plourde (Ambulance) are the VFX producers. Christopher Rucinski (War for the Planet of the Apes, Deadpool 2) and Cho Park serve as the VFX editors. André Bustanoby is the VFX supervisor.

The Cast of Scream VI

Melissa Barrera (In the Heights, Carmen, All the World is Sleeping) stars as Samantha “Sam” Carpenter, the main female lead. Jenna Ortega (The Babysitter: Killer Queen, The Fallout, Studio 666, X, Wednesday) portrays Tara Carpenter, Sam’s younger sister.

Mason Gooding (Booksmart, How I Met Your Father, I Want You Back, Fall) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sound of Violence, Yellowjackets, Missing) portray twin siblings Chad Meeks-Martin and Mindy Meeks-Martin, respectively.

Hayden Panettiere (A Bug’s Life, Heroes, I Love You Beth Cooper, Until Dawn, Nashville) portrays Kirby Reed. Reed is the sole teenage survivor of 2011’s Scream 4.

Courteney Cox (Friends, Zoom, Cougar Town) portrays Gale Weathers, one of two surviving legacy characters of the franchise. Josh Segarra (Red Dead Redemption, Orange Is the New Black, Arrow, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) portrays Danny Brackett, a neighbor in the Carpenter sisters’ apartment building.

Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Zodiac, Shameless, Arrested Development, The Purge television series, Umma) portrays Detective Wayne Bailey. Liana Liberato (Haunt, The Beach House) plays Quinn Bailey. Jack Champion (Avatar: The Way of Water) plays Ethan Landry, Chad’s roommate.

Devyn Nekoda (Ginny & Georgia, Sneakerella) portrays Anika Kayoko, Mindy’s girlfriend.

Henry Czerny (Mission: Impossible, The A-Team, Ready or Not, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Parts 1 & 2) appears as Dr. Christopher Stone, Sam Carpenter’s psychologist in New York City.

Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Dope, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man franchise, The French Dispatch, Servant) portrays Jason Carvey, a film student at the local university.

Samara Weaving (The Babysitter, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Ready or Not, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Snake Eyes, The Valet, Babylon) portrays Laura Crane. She is an associate professor at Blackmore University who focuses on 20th-century slasher films and their tropes.

Skeet Ulrich (The Craft, Robot Chicken) returns as Billy Loomis through visions that Sam Carpenter has.

Roger L. Jackson (The Powerpuff Girls, The Wolf Among Us) portrays “the voice” of the franchise’s iconic Ghostface killer. Max Laferriere (Arrival) plays Ghostface.

Minor Characters

Andre Anthony appears as Frankie, a student at Blackmore University who attends a frat party. Matthew Giuffrida appears as “Paul 2.0”.

Thomas Cadrot appears as Brooks, Gale Weathers’s boyfriend in New York City. Barry Morgan plays a TV reporter.

Chanel Mings plays a restaurant hostess. Erika Prevost plays a frat party girl, while Jesse Camacho plays a frat dude. Jenna Wheeler-Hughes plays an angry woman who attacks Sam Carpenter with a diet soda.

Mizinga Mwinga, Céleste Dubé, and Andre Bedard play police officers in the city. Eric Davis and Lydia Zadel play two reporters. Elizabeth Neale plays an EMT. Justin Johnson plays Gale’s cameraman. Stephane Ishmael plays an MTA worker.

Performances and Character Developments

In comparison to last year’s installment, Sam and Tara have more scenes together. This consequently allows them to reconnect and develop their bond as sisters. As we know from Scream (2022), the latter was not sired by a cruel parent. Thus, she feels she has no place amidst all the insanity and mayhem. At this point in the franchise, Tara knows how to overcome fear and instead fight for herself and her loved ones. Ortega continues to give us more reasons to love her as an actor, and we will be here for it all.

Also, as a result, both Barrera and Ortega have more space to perform their roles. I do like Sam’s struggle with her dark side like Kylo Ren did in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. While many have disagreed with this element in the Scream re-quels, I do see it as a means to mend what Craven had done with My Soul to Take, which I pointed out last year. Unlike past Scream villains, Sam is not trying to build up stature but instead trying to defend it from the world. This film’s events prove just how tough that can be, especially in the social climate that we are dealing with. This piece of her character is something I relate to all too well.

The Twins

I also appreciate that Savoy Brown and Gooding are given more screen time in this film. Mindy continues to take on the nerdy role that her late uncle had in the main trilogy. Although, at the same time, it is admirable of the writers to have her flourish as a tough queer character. There is one scene that had me worried for her. Because of that, I have to commend the marketing team for how that was presented.

Chad is not the sexual jock that he was as a high schooler. Instead, we now see him as a protective family member character. I like his chemistry with Tara and where that leads to at the end of the film. In some way, I see him as the new Dewey Riley of the franchise, covered with scars yet still a lovable male role.

Some Newbies

Having seen her 2013 film, Haunt, as well as her 2019 film, The Beach House, Liberato is perhaps a prominent addition to the franchise’s roster in Scream VI. Along with Mulroney, who portrays her character’s father, there is an obvious piece of the story that we are not being shown. It reminds me of Spiral: From the Book of Saw, but to say more and get into detail is to tread spoiler territory. Although, I will say that Mulroney is not too much like his character in My Best Friend’s Wedding. Detective Bailey is determined, and like most officers of the law these days, he makes for a great wild card.

Legacy Characters

Of course, Kirby is definitely a fan favorite. I appreciate the juxtaposition between her and Mindy, sharing opinions on A Nightmare on Elm Street, Candyman, and Psycho 2. However, I cannot help but want just more of her in this film. A part of me feels that she might be just a tad sloppy at her age. One character does reveal the truth about her background. Although again, this film is about misinformation, so we probably do not know all that much about her.

Cox as Gale Weathers is pretty much the same as she has been throughout the film franchise. There is one scene she is in that is quite thrilling. What makes it harsher are the taunts that she receives as a means to diminish her ethos. I do agree with some sentiments that viewers do not appreciate this character as much as they do Sidney and Dewey. However, as a female reporter, she has a lot to offer in terms of wisdom and strength. She just does not get sufficient credit for it.

Minor Characters

Jason Carvey makes for a noteworthy addition to the franchise’s character roster. This is a side of Revolori that we only get slight hints of in Rick Famuyiwa’s Dope and the MCU’s Spider-Man films. The actor does get a good amount of screen time to perform and deliver. During that time, he behaves in a creepy manner in private and in public. It reminds me of Corey Cunningham in Halloween Ends, yet with Carvey, the intention is already present.

Laura Crane is an excellent addition to the roster as well. Weaving exhibits a side of herself that is not as wise as her character in Ready or Not, nor is she as sinister in the Babysitter films, nor is she a stoner type like in Bill & Ted Face the Music. With Crane, the actor provides a window into a new personality like Dr. Stone. This personality is one that is supposed to be intelligent but loses all sense of conscience when placed into a life-or-death situation.

Czerny’s role as Sam Carpenter’s therapist is quite small. For someone who specializes in psychology, you would think that he would survive a bit longer against a serial killer. However, if you look at the medical professionals in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) and in Halloween (2018), it is just unfortunate to see these kinds of people be outsmarted and, ultimately, killed. There is a reason why Stone is not present in much of the marketing footage. His fate is a brutal one, and it is probably for the better when you learn about his screen time.

Final Thoughts on Scream VI

Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s Scream VI is a radical installment to Williamson and Craven’s franchise in ways I did not think would top last year’s film. Vanderbilt and Busick make risky narrative decisions, such as keeping Sidney Prescott alive but refusing to be a part of the matters this time around. Ultimately, the points that the film makes are truthful to its core. With a slightly longer runtime than previous installments, it allows for more rhetorical appeals to be seen.

Despite its vast ups and minimal downs, I can definitely see myself coming back to this film more than others. The action is tremendous, the chemistry is hot, the balance between drama and horror is great, and the kills are dialed up tenfold. If you were freaked out about Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison) last year, then you have not seen anything yet.

Also, if you love Marvel movies, then you will love Scream VI‘s post-credits scene. It teases what to expect for the future of Scream and its surviving characters. A seventh film has reportedly been greenlit earlier this week ahead of the sixth film’s release. Until we get an update, all we can do is wait.

Scream VI is now playing in theaters!

Have you seen the fifth installment of the Scream film series? What are your thoughts on it? If not, do you plan to see it soon? Let us know! For more horror and slasher-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!