The Morning Call (Sunday)

Horror franchise still has life in latest brawny, bloody take

- By Katie Walsh

“Scream” movies are like pizza — when they’re good, they’re great, and even when they’re not as good, they’re still satisfying. Thankfully, “Scream VI” is a tasty slice. Even though with each new installmen­t, the “Scream” franchise creeps closer and closer to the fictional in-movie “Stab” franchise that these films are ostensibly skewering, writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick keep the blade sharp, while directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett bring a brawny, bruising and bloody style to this “requel sequel.”

This is the second “Scream” movie not directed by Wes Craven (“Ready or Not” directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett took over with 2021’s “Scream”), and the first without franchise star Neve Campbell as Sydney Prescott. While it’s a shame that Campbell didn’t return due to an inadequate salary offer, it was time to release Sydney from Ghostface-chasing duty. There’s a new “Scream” queen in town — Melissa Barrera — and she stabs back.

This time, the Woodsboro crew of most recent Ghostface survivors are in New York City — one could say it’s “Ghostface Takes Manhattan.” Tara (Jenna Ortega) is attending fictional Blackmore University, trying to live a normal life but with her overprotec­tive big sis Sam (Barrera) in tow. As usual, the film opens with a call from Ghostface, who would like to play a game, this time elevating the horror nerd trivia to the level of the ivory tower, with references to a 20th-century slasher film studies class taught at Blackmore. From the beginning, it’s a Ghostface inception, the copycats folding into themselves, unclear who is targeting whom and why.

The closest analogue to “Scream VI” is “Scream 2,” which is directly stated by the film’s resident Randy, his niece Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown). Both films leave the high school setting for college, introduce new characters and tangle with the academic side of horror. It’s bigger, shaggier and messier than its predecesso­r.

The script of this team’s previous “Scream” outing felt a bit more incisive, cutting straight to the heart of the toxic fanboy matter. Here, the message is scattered. Is it film students who are the problem? Letterboxd users? Redditors? There’s a swirling message about the power of misinforma­tion, as Sam has become public enemy No. 1 thanks to a few trolls and the revelation of her genetic lineage as the daughter of original “Scream” villain Billy Loomis.

What makes Sam the Evolved Final Girl is her killer instinct. While the vulnerable Sydney harnessed her emotions to fight back, Sam’s Loomis DNA makes her Ghostface’s most dangerous foe: She is physically powerful, and possessed of a near feral energy. Barrera walks that tightrope of fearful and menacing well, and she and Ortega make a winning sisterly duo.

Cinematogr­apher

Brett Jutkiewicz takes us through New York City with his disorienti­ng camera. The centerpiec­e sequence, on a subway packed with Halloween revelers, is a beautiful piece of suspense filmmaking, utilizing the space to create an all-too-real sense of public terror.

2022’s “Scream” proved that this filmmaking team were worthy heirs to Craven’s iconic franchise. “Scream VI” also illustrate­s that there’s still a rich vein to tap in the franchise, using establishe­d lore to take the preeminent slasher movie franchise of 20th and 21st centuries in new, fascinatin­g directions.

MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use)

Running time: 2:03

How to watch: In theaters

 ?? PARAMOUNT PICTURES ?? Melissa Barrera, from left, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding in the Manhattan-set “Scream VI.”
PARAMOUNT PICTURES Melissa Barrera, from left, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding in the Manhattan-set “Scream VI.”

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