Last year, the Scream franchise was revived after an 11-year absence. Now it's back for another scare.
After terrorising Woodsboro for two decades, the masked killer known as Ghostface has taken his dastardly deeds to New York.
The core four survivors from the previous film have returned - now living in the Big Apple to attend college.
Of course, we don't see a lot of attending lectures or studying, but we do see a lot of running away screaming, covered in blood. Which is why we're all here, isn't it?
Scream (2022) was the first film in the franchise not to be directed by horror master Wes Craven - who passed away in 2015.
Instead, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, collectively known as Radio Silence, have taken over - after they proved themselves with the excellent horror-comedy 'Ready or Not'.
Scream (2022) was a roll of the dice and one I was incredibly apprehensive going into.
Scream is a near-perfect franchise, in my opinion. The first film is one of my favourites of all time, and the worst film in the series, the third, is still pretty good.
Radio Silence proved themselves again with Scream (2022), one of the most satisfying filmgoing experiences I've ever had, and so I went into Scream VI with faith in the directing duo.
Like Scream 2 back in 1997, Scream VI is about going bigger and bloodier.
The body count is higher than that of Scream (2022), the kills are gorier, and the customary meta-commentary on everything that's going on is even more meta.
The franchise deals a lot in legacy, and this film is no different.
While on the surface, it's very much a direct sequel to the previous film, as layers are peeled back, sure enough, we find out that this isn't just a monster-of-the-week chasing them down. This thing goes all the way back to film one, baby.
My only source of apprehension going into the film was that Scream VI is the first Scream not to feature Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott.
I will say her absence is felt in the film, but from a character standpoint, I think she's more than earned the right to sit one out.
In her place are sisters Sam and Tara, returning from the previous film; much like last time, Tara, played by Jenna Ortega, is the film's standout.
Her star has risen considerably in the last year for her turn as Wednesday Addams in Tim Burton's Netflix series, but here she once again shows that she's an incredibly charismatic and talented actress, capable of more than a thousand-yard dead-eyed stare (which she admittedly does very well).
I'm not currently sure about the future of the Scream franchise. It's one I hold very near and dear, and so I'm worried every time they release a new one. But hey, they haven't let me down yet. So I'll see you at Scream 7 on day one.
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