I am willing to argue that “Scream” is the greatest slasher movie franchise of all time. Not only is the 1996 original a meta-horror classic, but prior to “Scream VI,” three of the five movies in the series were halfway decent. Can any other slasher property with at least five installments boast that kind of ratio of good to bad? “A Nightmare on Elm Street” got too silly with jokes that didn’t land, “Friday the 13th” was overrated in the first place, and fans got sick of “Halloween” constantly reinventing itself. “Scream” has thus far needed only one clear reboot, and last year’s fifth installment was a rousing success. A mere 14 months later, we’ve got a sixth chapter, and it… keeps the property out of trouble.
After a prologue where we follow a film professor (Samara Weaving) and a student (Tony Revolori) and their encounters with the latest incarnation of the terrifyingly-masked killer known as Ghostface, it’s time to catch up with some familiar faces. Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) has moved to New York City to be with her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega). Yes, I can finally reveal a twist I was keeping under wraps in my review of the last movie: after an impressive performance by Ortega in the opening scene, Tara survived the Ghostface attack, and in fact the whole movie, a rarity for this series. Will Weaving or Revolori be so lucky? Also returning are twins Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) from the fifth movie, Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) from the fourth, and reporter Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), from every single one of these.
