Following the successful re-quel that was the fifth entry, what started out as a teen-friendly but savvy slasher series has evolved into something a bit more mature and interesting, whilst still retaining some of the signature elements to reward long-term fans. Although the slasher element remains, this entry focusses more on paranoia and the inability to trust even the closest friends/authority figures, together with a determinedly brutal and overtly visceral feel to the violence. With a focus on the new generation of characters, Courteney Cox remains as a reassuring franchise presence and performs well, and whilst Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega perform adequately as the central Carpenter sisters neither are particularly interesting, but there are thankfully more engaging and watchable performances from Jasmin Savoy Brown (as Mindy) and Mason Gooding (as Chad). Apart from the obvious charms of a change of location (and this is authentic New York, unlike Friday The 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan, from which the directors have said they learned very clear lessons!), standout sequences set in the flats of the Core Four (survivors of the last instalment) and Gale Weathers, where they are pitched against a particularly physical and fast iteration of GhostFace, are particularly well-staged and enjoyable, as is the subway sequence with carriages full of horror-icons-bemasked Halloween revellers including GhostFaces. The end reveal is handled well, and the opening sequence surprise guest star is a treat. The set designers have clearly had a field day, the directors and writers clearly know and love the genre, and they all seem determined to deliver quality horror that will please the fans as well as deliver on content and style, all of which Scream VI does very well indeed.
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