Scream VI

The new environment did not entirely benefit the series, but fortunately there is still something to build on. Courteney Cox is still great, we even got Hayden Panettiere back, and from the new party from the previous episode, the clear number one is Wednesday Jenna Ortega. If the creators keep their word, then I am already looking forward to the seventh film in the series. (05/31/2023)

"Liposuction for everyone!", or looking at Courteney Cox here, I wonder if this wasn't originally made as a sequel to The Mummy. Man, why can’t Hollywood actresses age naturally? And the film itself? Well, it actually it needs a heavy dose of botox, a dose of botox of invention, because this is nothing but a compilation of what we've seen many times before and even breaking the fourth wall in one scene doesn't help. (05/06/2023)

Perhaps no horror franchise has made it to a sixth installment without material fatigue, but here the fatigue is so minimal and hardly noticeable that it still feels fresh, fun and exciting. The horror sequences are a treat, the whole is laughable, but intentionally so. No Scream has ever really disappointed, not even this one. (03/15/2023)

This time, Ghostface is on the rampage in New York, where he takes on the surviving heroes from the previous film and plays with the rules not of sequels or remakes, but of entire franchises. After a terrific opening 20 minutes, the pace slows down a bit, but the murders themselves are pleasantly uncompromising this time around, with Ghostface as a total exterminator. The meta overlaps work, too, except that the entire sixth installment unfortunately hinges on not very interesting heroes who already were quite stale the last time around. Still, it's fine, and the Scream IV is more or less exactly what you'd expect. Whether that's enough or not enough is up to you. (03/09/2023)

Ghostface takes Manhattan. The final revelation is again pulled out of the filmmaker’s ass and this time it’s also a bit ridiculous. But the setting in New York City is nicely refreshing. There are a few surprising scenes, e.g. the store (the killer brazenly carries out his attacks in the public space), scenes with great but insufficiently exploited potential (the subway) and more multiple stabs to the gut after which the characters continue to function as if nothing had happened. The successfully revitalized franchise is becoming a strong but not very clever ditto machine for teenage audiences that could run forever. Scream VI is half a star weaker than the preceding instalment. The coolest scene is after the closing credits. (03/19/2023)