When Scream was released in 2022, franchise fans and horror hounds were instantly hooked. The very fresh take featuring a new cast, while also respecting the legacy characters, looked to elevate the franchise by becoming a "requel" or a sequel and acting as a soft reboot to the franchise. Only a year later, the franchise was back, and it continued to branch into new territory and look for ways to keep the slasher genre active with Ghostface running amok.

Update October 22, 2023: Scream VI was one of the biggest horror movies of 2023, so in honor of the Halloween spirit, this article has been updated with more ways how the film elevated the franchise.

Scream VI continued to make the franchise one of the most exciting entries in horror — covering aspects such as what made the film different from its predecessors as well as the nods that are made to previous entries. Scream VI elevated the franchise to new heights and set the stage for some exciting developments in the sequel.

Spoiler alert: Scream VI

All-New Setting

The Ghostface murders have happened in several locations. First taking place in Woodsboro in Scream (1996) and again in Scream 4 (2011). Between those events, there were also killing sprees in Ohio during Scream 2 (1997) and Hollywood in Scream 3 (2000). The events of the requel would take the horror back to Woodsboro again in Scream (2022).

Now, for the first time, the series is taking a stab at New York City. With Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) moving to the city that never sleeps, they're shocked to discover that the legacy of Ghostface has continued to haunt them. This time around, Ghostface has more proclivity towards violence, not even caring if some bodega customers witness his attack.

With much more ground to cover, this setting also offers unique scenes that were impossible in previous entries, such as the subway scene where Ghostface's movements were hidden by the moments of darkness throughout the trip. While at first putting Ghostface in New York seemed like a nice meta-joke to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, it is clear the setting also provides a whole host of new possibilities for kills.

Raising the Violence

Throughout the course of the franchise, Ghostface has been known for his levels of personal violence. From the very first kill, where he stalked Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) and left her strung up on a tree for display when her parents came home, most of Ghostface's kills followed a particular modus operandi. Usually stalking his victims and taunting them over the phone with a voice changer, this time around, Ghostface seems to be much more aggressive in his hunt.

At the film's beginning, it is revealed that Ghostface has gone to lengths to kill a person and leave the dismembered remains inside a fridge for his next victim to discover. As mentioned previously, there is a scene inside a bodega where Ghostface seems to drop all sense of stealth and enters the shop, hunting Sam and Tara despite the multiple witnesses inside the shop. There had always been a high intensity when it came to the kills in the franchise, but most of them were done in a one-on-one scenario, where there was a low risk of being caught. In this film, the killer(s) seem to care less if they're witnessed and take extra pleasure in causing as much pain as possible. Oh yeah, that and the use of a shotgun is a whole new thing for the franchise.

Empowering the Heroes

Something the franchise hasn't shied away from is empowering the franchise's heroes. In the initial film, Dewey Riley (David Arquette) had no authority despite being a police officer and would often be brutally attacked and overpowered throughout the franchise. Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) would be an annoying news reporter who served as a red herring for the killer's identity. And Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), while ultimately the final girl of the franchise, would take time to grow into the ultimate badass that we see in Scream (2022).

In Scream VI, Gale has fully grown into herself, having started a new relationship and preparing herself for the day the killer would go after her, owning a firearm and being well-practiced in using it. Fan favorite Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) is back to the stage and takes over the role of legal authority when she reveals she's an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After surviving the events of Scream 4, Kirby proves that the traumatic events in Woodsboro pushed her to take control of her life and help others.

Sam and Tara are the new final girls of the franchise, and they have both been empowered in exciting ways. It's not quite common that horror films have two final girls, and in this new storyline, it's inevitable to have the two sisters supporting each other all the way and being central to the film. We'll see if this continues in the seventh installment.

Recognizing the Past

After Scream (2022), it had been established that the rules of a "requel" involve recognizing the events of the past as well as including legacy characters that could also potentially die. While in the film, it was agreed upon that Sidney deserved her happy ending and didn't need to get involved, that didn't stop Gale and Kirby from getting involved.

More than that, however, is the theme that the Ghostface killer(s) follow when fleeing their latest crime scene. Upon committing their fatal act, the killer leaves behind a mask. After the mask goes through DNA processing, it's revealed that the masks had previously belonged to previous Ghostface killers. Before this film, nine individuals were recognized as Ghostface killers, leading to quite a legacy to live up to—quite a way to recognize and keep the past alive.

Killers With a Twist

With the exception of Scream 3, every film has had two people acting cooperatively as Ghostface. In the opening moments of Scream VI, viewers witness Laura Crane (Samara Weaving) get murdered by Ghostface, only for the killer to be immediately revealed as one of her students, Jason Carvey (Tony Revolori). Jason would soon be brutally murdered, revealing that all is not as it seems to the audience.

There are many red herrings laid throughout the film as to the identity of the killer or killers. Still, it is ultimately revealed that for the first time in franchise history, Ghostface is actually three people working in unison to take the others down. Working together, audiences would be tricked into believing that each character had some alibi, whether they were there to witness Ghostface attack their friends or if they were "murdered" themselves.

Shifts The Conversation To True Crime

The Scream movies have always been deconstructions. The first film is slashers, the second film is sequels, and the third movie is trilogies. The fourth one, despite being a continuation, looked to tackle horror remakes as that was the horror craze at the time, and the movie is about an in-universe remake of Scream. The fifth film was about legacy sequels. The sixth film instead shifts focus outside of the film and onto a new subject: true crime.

True crime podcast has become incredibly popular and is even the basis for a popular Hulu television series, Only Murders in the Building. Scream VI looks to examine the fascination people have with it and the unhealthy narratives that come from it. The movie constantly references how people harass Sam because they think she is the real killer. People form their narratives and become "experts" on stories, even speaking over real-life victims. Scream VI indeed updates the franchise and brings it into the 21st century by updating the relevant cultural focus of stories based around killers.

But Perhaps, a Little Too Empowered

As the film's post-credits scene explains, rules don't necessarily apply to the franchise's refreshed approach. Characters shouldn't be expected to lie dormant and wait for Ghostface to strike again. The future doesn't look great for the Carpenter sisters, and again, we'll have to see how the seventh film treats them from a motivational perspective. However, in Scream VI, Sam's attitude and maniacal glance when "performing" may be too revealing.

Sam is constantly haunted by the fear that she may be more like her father, original Ghostface, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), than she'd like to admit. Tara is working to be better than the victims that came before her, wishing not to let an event that happened over three days affect the rest of her life. Sam would find her power over Ghostface by giving in to her darkest desires and stalking the killer in a reversed game of cat and mouse. Tara finally finds her strength when Sam trusts Tara to take care of herself, and for a brief moment, we see Tara may share more in common with Sam than initially believed.

The film never corrects their stance as survivors because, since the last film, that's what they are inevitable. They are sisters, and the sibling rivalry is tangible, but their moment of union goes beyond standards and rules. Just look at them go, accomplishing revenge and being the violent creatures final girls seldom are. Are we possibly looking at something else here? Is there a truth to their persona that we need the writers to explore? It is a very, very interesting approach if our theories have a bit of truth in them.

You can stream Scream VI on Paramount+.