Photo Courtesy of People
The well-known horror franchise, “Scream,” once again delivered another satisfying and epic installment. “Scream VI” was released in theaters across the United States on March 10, and ever since its release, has become a box office success. The film has so far grossed $121.5 million against a budget of $33-35 million. The opening weekend of Scream VI became the highest-grossing opening weekend in the franchise’s history at $44 million.
The film stars Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Courtney Cox and Hayden Panettiere; all reprising their roles from previous “Scream” installments. Jack Champion, Dermot Mulroney, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda and Josh Segarra also starred in the film.
“Scream VI” is the first film not to feature Neve Campbell, who plays the critically acclaimed role of Sidney Prescott. Whilst offered to reprise her role, Campbell felt that her contract offer did not match the effort and notoriety she has brought to the franchise. Campbell’s official statement read:
“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”
Because of this, there was skepticism about the success of “Scream VI.” Thankfully for all “Scream” fans, the newest installment was a huge hit.
The creativity, the performances by the cast and the absolute brutality of all the kill scenes makes “Scream VI” an awesome sequel. However, the two standouts by far were once again Barrera and Ortega.
Barrera, reprising her role as Sam Carpenter, and Ortega, reprising her role as Tara Carpenter, were incredible. Both actors were captivating in their performances and stole the show in every scene they were in.
“Scream VI” also had great character development that will surely be used for another future installment. Sam was finally willing to let Tara go a bit, setting her off into the real world as an independent woman – though Tara thankfully admitted that she needs to seek help for the past Ghostface attacks. We also got to see the unexpected relationship between Tara and Chad (Gooding) blossom as a newly formed couple.
And finally, no “Scream” movie is memorable without a great opening kill scene and convincing Ghostface killers. The opening scene was long but effective, with twists and turns that put audiences on the edge of their seat. The Ghostface reveal was also nicely done, with “Scream VI” having three killers this time around, played by Champion, Mulroney and Liberato.
All in all, “Scream VI” will go down as a top-tier film in this epic franchise. Due to its success, it is almost a guarantee that “Scream 7” will soon be underway. With almost 80% on rotten tomatoes, as well as a 92% audience score, it is safe to say that “Scream VI” is a must-watch for all horror/slasher lovers.
