Considering rebranding the blog as the Jasmin Savoy Brown fanpage. Thoughts?
Of course I loved the Scream franchise pre-relaunch in 2022 with Scream, the straight sequel– er, requel–that dared to buck tradition and drop the 5 (presumably for fear that it would drive away viewers too young to have caught the original wave), but Scream and Scream VI have wormed their way into my heart and may have supplanted my love of the originals.
Casting plays a huge role here. Again: Jasmin. Savoy. Brown. As Mindy. Jenna Ortega as Tara. Melissa Barrerra as Sam. Mason Gooding as Chad. Yes, I am all in for team Core Four. Plus a smart sprinkling of legacy characters for nostalgia (Courtney Cox has STILL got it) without overwhelming the present-day story, a fatal misstep other recent reboots have made (looking at you, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)).
So let’s get into it. I was sold from the opening scene when the killing spree kicks off with none other than goddess Samara Weaving (light spoiler: this murder’s a clever red herring). Weaving vaulted Scream and Scream 6 directors Tyler Gillet and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin into blockbuster horror status with 2019’s Ready or Not, one of my favorite movies that year. Her appearance here, brief though it was, is a lovely nod to their previous collaboration and a fun transition and set up to our new world, far away from Woodsboro, CA and in the big, bad streets of New York. From the opening, the film spends plenty of time nodding to previous Scream films both real and fictional, like reminding us that Stab 2 (the movie-within-a-movie about the Ghostface Killer – it’s meta, okay?) was set at college, a not-coincidental parallel to the fictional Blackmore College that’s brought Tara, Mindy, and Chad to NYC. We get the return of another legacy character, Kirby from Scream IV (played by Hayden Panettiere, who despite all she’s done will always be The Cheerleader to me), plus a host of other potential suspects in the form of a brand new friend group. Who is the Core Four to trust?
No one. Obviously.
I haven’t surveyed anyone who isn’t at least a casual fan of the franchise, but I imagine this installment is a little less enjoyable for the uninitiated because the central mystery involves a Ghostface who is dropping the masks of previous Ghostfaces at each crime scene. The killer countdown concept was fun, starting with Richie and Amber and going full circle back to the OG, Sam’s dad Billy Loomis. Along the way, there were some heartbreaking losses and some inventive, brutal killings. I’m consistently impressed by how much I’m made to care about these characters. Not just Mindy.
Though mostly Mindy.
The original Scream, penned by gay screenwriter Kevin Williamson, threw us a bone with the coded queerness of Billy and Stu’s relationship, but Mindy is openly and unapologetically queer, and she even gets a nice (but let’s be honest, doomed) girlfriend for approximately half of this film. Double bonus points for casting Jasmin Savoy Brown, who is openly and unapologetically queer.
Triple bonus points to Scream VI costume designer Avery Plewes, who did the lord’s work when she costumed JSB for this film. Badass feminist queer is exclusively the vibe I want from now on.
Where were we? Sceam VI has some solid twists and turns, and a reveal that at least some folks won’t see coming. I will not lie – spoiler ahead – I would watch 10 more installments in this franchise if they can keep finding creative ways to keep my favorite character from dying. Inexplicably, they’ve pulled it off for two films in a row. I’m not mad about it.
Rating:
By Tiffany Albright
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