After the success of Scream 5, the filmmakers decided to release yet another sequel early next year. From what I gather, most of the issues that I had with the last are still present here...and then some. This time, the filmmakers are going for a bigger, broader approach by switching the setting to New York. Okay, I guess that's an interesting choice. They also decided to bring back fan favorite Kirby as well. I can accept that. But let's talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? Neve Campbell, the main star of the Scream films is not in this sequel. Do you want to know why? Salary disputes. Can you honestly believe that? Neve Campbell is the soul of the series and the studios won't even pay her the salary that she deserves? It's baffling. Yeah, in a narrative sense, Sidney has moved on and has a quiet life with a husband and two kids, not wanting to get involved with the Ghostface murders but it's kind of odd to not have Neve Campbell in this outing. But anywho, what do I think of this movie? Kind of disappointing. Though it's not all bad. The opening scene was very promising, the New York setting gives away some really cool suspenseful scenes we haven't seen before, and they added some much-needed character development. Is it any better? Not quite, but at least Melissa Barrera has some much-needed range this time around. Other than that, the rest is kind of forgettable. I get that the filmmakers are trying new things but in the end, it's kind of formulaic. I never thought I say that about a Scream movie but here we are. Oh well, let's begin shall we?
The Story: After the ordeal she experienced back in Woodsboro, Sam Carpenter decides to move to New York with her sister Tara, who's starting her first year in college. But it seems as though the past always comes to haunt those who run from it and Sam's situation is no different. With an unsalvagable reputation and a crippling mental illness, Sam must stop another Ghostface from threatening her and sister's lives.
First, let's talk about the opening scene...
The scene starts with University professor Laura Crane (get it?) played by Scream Queen Samara Weaving who starred in The Babysitter films and Radio Silence's own Ready or Not. She's at a busy New York restaurant waiting for her date when she gets a phone call....who turns out to be her date. He apologizes for being late and wants to meet her in the alleyway. And you know what? She actually goes there! I get the feeling she never met this guy physically, so it's impossible to believe that this professional, seemingly intelligent woman would want to meet some random guy she met online in an alleyway. It just doesn't make sense for her character but, then again, this is a horror film, and in horror films, something has to happen. So yeah, she walks in the alleyway and hears the guy getting attacked on the phone. She runs out until...there's a familiar voice on the phone. It's none other than Ghostface luring Laura into her doom...Then, out of nowhere, he strikes!
And Ghostface really goes to town on her as if it's really, really personal. However, the scene doesn't end there. The camera stays steadily on the Ghostface Killer and then suddenly, he reveals his mask...
It turns out to be a random guy. Okay, I guess I'll go with that. But here's where things get really interesting.
He runs into Tara (yes, Tara Carpenter) and they have a friendly little chit-chat before he goes to his dorm. Oh yeah, the guy's name is Jason by the way. How convenient. Oh and get this. Once he goes inside his dorm room, guess what he's playing on TV. You guessed it! Jason Takes Manhattan. And that's where I was like, "Okay, this movie is a little too on the nose."
So, Jason calls up his partner in crime Greg, gloating about his killing of Laura, all because she gave him a C- on the subject of Giallo. Wow, is it that serious? But the person on the other line isn't Greg. But Jason doesn't know that considering that Greg is just fucking around with his Ghostface voice. During this back and forth, we figure out that Jason and Greg are conducting an evil plan to stalk Tara and Sam and kill their friends. But that all seems to come to a close when the voice on the other line tells Jason to check the fridge...
When he opens it, Jason sees Greg literally stuffed in the fridge, and out comes...
The actual Ghostface, giving Jason a taste of his own medicine.
Wow! What an opening! They sort of do the bait-and-switch thing, which I totally love. What makes it interesting is that the killers are revealed right away only to be killed off by the REAL killer of the movie and it plays into the notion that there might be a cult of Ghostfaces. Well, at least that's what I thought it would turn out to be. But it just goes completely left field. More on that later.
Before I get to the "Core Four", as Chad would like to call them (oh god), I would like to focus on the lesser characters.
Here we have Danny Brackett played by Josh Segarra. All that we know about him is that he's really good-looking and Sam's love interest. Though Danny is not totally useless, he does help around but he's just there for the most part with very little screentime. And whatever chemistry Danny and Sam have is so non-existent. The relationship just comes out of nowhere, there's no build-up or anything. They just kiss and they're suddenly a couple. Oh well, I guess it's part of the really rushed nature of the film.
Then we have Anika Kayoko, Mindy's girlfriend, played by Devyn Nekoda, who really doesn't have any scenes of her own. She is always around Mindy, which makes her kind of like a satellite character. So yeah, that's all I got to say about her. She's Mindy's girlfriend and that's that.
Then there's Sam's roommate Quinn Bailey, played by Liana Libertero, who is the daughter of Detective Wayne Bailey and has a habit of sleeping around. Quinn does have her moments but she barely gets any screentime, though I will say that Liana Libertero is naturally charismatic.
Lastly, we have Ethan Landry, played by Jack Champion, who is barely a character. He's just there where jokes are usually made at his expense because he's a virgin and a nerd. That's all. That's all that we know about him.
Okay, now we're working towards the more interesting characters:
There's Wayne Bailey, played by Dermot Mulroney, the detective who's investigating the murder case which somehow involves Sam. Dermot Mulroney does okay with the role. At times, he's kind of phoning it in but he gets a little better once his character becomes more proactive but oh boy, once we get to the third act, it all goes downhill from there. More on that later.
In the place of Sidney, we have the one, the only Kirby Reed played by Hayden Panettiere. Would I call it a triumphant return? Um, I don't know. She just doesn't seem like the same type of character this time around. I just see her as this hard-boiled FBI agent since her entire character in the fourth film was about how she was a horror film fanatic. What if she was a screenwriter writing the new Stab film based on her experiences. That comes off much more organic to me. To put the cherry on top, she can collaborate with Gale. Anywho, I thought Hayden Panettiere did an okay job. She doesn't have the spunk that she has from the fourth film but it was passable.
Then have the quick-witted Gale Weathers, played by Courtney Cox, who's always on the case. Did she learn anything in the last film? Not really. She was going to write a book about Dewey but instead, she goes for the "If It Bleeds, It Leads" approach, which is a detriment to her character development. She writes a book about Sam and the Woodsboro murders from last year as if Sam has enough problems on her belt. Like I said with the Kirby segment, it would've been more organic if she was a consultant for Kirby who's making the next Stab film, you know instead of banking on controversy. Despite all that, Gale still does have a heart and she helps out the Core Four with sharp investigative skills. She gets a close call with the killer and gets almost killed as a result but, as always, Gale gets better. Courtney Cox is great as always. There may be a few mistakes with the writing of her characters but she pulls through fine.
Okay, now we've made it to the Core Four and we're gonna start with the Meeks Twins:
Mindy Meeks, played by Jasmine Savoy Brown, is still pretty likable here but there are times when she comes off a bit annoying. There's the whole horror movie rules monologue that was built off from the last film that felt so unnecessary here. It just wasn't needed and it dragged the film down a bit. Then after somebody that she was close to dies horribly, she instantly blames Ethan. I get that she's traumatized but it makes her come off as irrational and I don't like it. Oh and here's a slight spoiler here, there's a moment where she gets stabbed in the subway and her reaction is, "Fuck this franchise." Really? You just got stabbed two times and that's all you have to say? And that's when the movie went down on the hills of cheesetopia. Ho-ly crap! Anywho, despite the (very terrible) writing issues, Jasmine Savoy Brown still does her best with the role.
Then there's Chad Meeks played by the very gorgreous Mason Gooding. He's relegated to being Tara's love interest, which is fine, I do like the chemistry between them but it comes out of nowhere. Just to mention, there was no interaction between Chad and Tara in the last film, so it comes out of left field when they suddenly have feelings for each other. But besides all that, Chad is still the loveable, adorable jock that we all love and Mason Gooding is still his sweet and charming self.
Now we focus on Tara, played by the ever-so-talented Jenna Ortega. This time around, Tara tries to move on from her past and starts a new life in college but her constantly paranoid sister Sam keeps hovering over her, but then again, her first scene starts with her almost getting date-raped by a college jock so she's lucky that her sister and friends were around at all. That's pretty much the core of Tara's arc is how she wants to take control of her life and let the past die. As always, Jenna Ortega kills it (no pun intended) and it would be nice if she became the ultimate heroine in the next sequel.
Lastly, we have Sam, played by Melissa Barrera. The filmmakers give her a lot more to do this time and it gives Melissa Barrera a better acting performance. Sam's character is actually explored, which was definitely needed from the last movie. Now I never really jived with her being Billy Loomis' daughter. It was cheesy then and it's cheesy now but at least the filmmakers made Sam a more complex character. She frets over her sister's safety, goes to therapy to deal with her mental illness, and deals with the scrutiny of being a serial killer's daughter. It gives a lot of weight to her situation and it makes Sam more...tolerable. Not better but tolerable.
The biggest draw of the movie is the amazing set pieces that are made for some tight-knit suspenseful scenes. The highlights are The Convenient Store Scene, The Ladder Scene, and The Subway Scene. Let's talk about the Convenient Store Scene. Oh man, that was intense! This was actually the first time a Ghostface killer used a gun. And gives the clue that maybe this Ghostface is skilled at what he/she does. They're not clumsy, they're not bumbling, they're a true hunter looking for their prey. Then we have the Ladder Scene, which was done extremely well. So, the characters are trapped with the Ghostface who sneaked in and killed one of their friends. They barricade the door and from across the street, Danny takes out a ladder that reaches towards the window. The entire scene is agonizingly suspenseful as the characters have to slowly climb on the ladder without falling. Holy shit! I was totally on the edge of my seat! My favorite scene of all, however, is the Subway Scene. Maybe I'm in the minority but subways are the best settings for horror films. What I also like about his scene is that there are special little horror easter eggs. Since this is set around Halloween, people are dressed up in all sorts of costumes, including our favorite slasher movie villains, Michael, Freddy, Jason, and especially Ghostface. That's the real kicker of the scene and that's why it's so suspenseful.
Okay, out with the good and in with the bad. I have to say, the dialogue this time around is...kind of cheesy. I would never say that about a Scream film but here we are. I could probably count about 50 f-bombs, some daytime soap opera dialogue, terrible quips, and the usual movie references. It's not all bad but it gets a little grating at times. However, the real kick in the balls has got to be the third act.
Since this is set in a big city, it would be impossible to have two Ghostfaces running around, so it would've been an awesome concept to have a cult of Ghostfaces but...this is not what we get here. It's far worse than you can imagine.
There are at least three killers in the movie, and those three killers are:
Quinn, Ethan, and Wayne revealing themselves to be the sister, the brother, and the father of Richie Kirsch. So it's basically a retread of Scream 2. The climax is even set in a movie theater. Wow, just wow. I never thought the writing could be that lazier. First off, I don't give a fuck about the character of Richie and I don't even know why this is a thing. Secondly, the acting from these three has gotten extremely over-the-top, especially from Dermot Mulroney. He is hella hammy and not in a good way. Lastly, how the hell can he afford a theater with years worth of police evidence on a detective's salary? Again, it leaves more plot holes than it should. So Tara and Sam go toe to toe with the family of psychos and there are a lot of punches, beatings, and stabbings until Tara takes down Ethan by stabbing him in the mouth and Sam takes down Quinn with a shot in the head. Finally, Sam makes her move on Detective Bailey where her CGI ghost dad Billy (yes they bring him back and I don't know why) convinces her to put on the Ghostface costume to give Bailey a good stabbing. And that, Sam does, practically mutilating the guy. It seems to be all over but Ethan (who just got stabbed multiple times including the mouth, mind you) runs out to attack until Kirby smashes him with the very same TV that killed Stu Macher. Woop di do.
So everybody's reunited, which also includes Chad, who was stabbed multiple times by two killers, somehow survives and is pulled out on a stretcher where Tara runs into his arms in a romantic embrace. There's also Mindy, who was also stabbed two times in the stomach, but for some reason seems perfectly fine, running across two feet without a limp or no pain. What the hell is going on here? Shouldn't this take place at the same hospital where Gale is? And even though, I'm glad that Chad is alive, there's no way anybody could survive his attack. I'm pretty sure they've hit an artery somewhere but oh well. Like I said this series is getting a bit cartoonish at this point where everyone can just have casual conversations while having bloody open wounds. It just makes me appreciate how realistic the first two films were. So as everything comes to a close, Sam gazes at the Ghostface mask, hinting that she might get the thrill of being a serial killer after all...
Wow, what a movie. The sad part is that it had so much potential and it went crumbling down once it got started. The really rushed nature is pretty much evident and the fact that they couldn't afford Neve Campbell is ludicrous to me considering that each of these movies makes a substantial amount of money. Even in the worst box office openings, they still make money, including merchandise. Oh and just to mention, half of the movie is not even set in New York because of budget reasons. Shocker! Plus, the writing issues are very apparent here, so I can see why they would have those amazing setpieces to distract us from the not-so-good writing. Like I said, it's not bad but it's sure as hell disappointing.
They're making yet another sequel, this time replacing the Radio Silence team with Christoper Landon (the director of the Happy Death Day films and Freaky) to which I might check those movies out for reference but until I hope this is the last one because this series is balancing on a thin line of self-parody. Let's just hope the eighth film won't involve time travel like the Stab films...
My Last Word: Not bad but not great either. It's probably good for a rental.
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