Warning: Major spoilers for ‘Scream VI’

Ghostface has officially returned in “Scream VI,” graduating from haunting the fictional town of Woodsboro to terrorizing the streets of New York City.

Other than the film’s new location, many things changed, making “Scream VI” the oddball of the franchise. The fans are now left with only one original character from the first “Scream” film, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), with Dewey Riley (David Arquette) being killed off in the last movie and Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell), the franchise’s beloved “final girl,” being absent from the film. In June 2022, Campbell announced she would not be returning to the franchise due to salary negotiations. This had many fans worried about the future of the franchise. 

Despite Campbell’s absence, her character is still briefly mentioned in the film, said to be out of town with her family, seeking safety from new Ghostface attacks. Nonetheless, “Scream VI” proved to be a major success even without one of its most iconic characters.  

Since “Scream 5,” Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding), also known as the core four, join Gale in moving to the Big Apple in an effort to escape their troubled past. Tara, Mindy and Chad enroll in Blackmore University. Sam follows her sister to the city, forced to wrestle the online rumors and her own fears that she is a killer just like her father, the original “Scream” antagonist Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). 

This introduction was wild, intense and completely unexpected, going down in “Scream” history as one of the best introductions in the entire franchise.

Additionally, we are joined with new characters, including Chad’s roommate Ethan Landry (Jack Champion); Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), roommate of Sam, Tara and Mindy; Quinn’s father Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), police officer on the Ghostface case; Sam’s love interest Danny Brackett (Josh Segarra); and Mindy’s girlfriend Anika Kayoko (Devyn Nekoda). Later, Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) from “Scream 4” returns as an FBI agent working on the Ghostface case with Wayne Bailey.  

The “Scream” franchise is known for its iconic opening scenes, and “Scream VI” did not disappoint. Like other films in the franchise, it opens with a phone call during which Laura Crane (Samara Weaving), a Blackmore University film professor, is waiting at a bar for her Tinder date. Unlike other movies, the voice on the phone is not Ghostface but her date letting her know he’s lost. She exits the bar to help him navigate and is tricked into entering a dark alley where she is stabbed to death by Ghostface. 

Normally, the introduction would end there. However, this time around, Ghostface takes off his mask to reveal the killer, Jason Carvey (Tony Revolori), a Blackmore University student. Revealing the killer five minutes into a movie was a shockingly bold move. 

We then follow Jason into his apartment where we learn that he and his roommate Greg had plans to start another wave of Ghostface murders, aiming to finish the movie that Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid), killer in “Scream 5,” started before he died. Jason gets a call from another Ghostface, who he assumes is Greg. He soon finds his roommate’s body in the fridge and proceeds to beg for his life before being killed by the anonymous Ghostface. 

The film was ecstatically killer, packed with immense detail that is definitely worth not only a watch — but multiple watches as well.

This introduction was wild, intense and completely unexpected, going down in “Scream” history as one of the best introductions in the entire franchise. 

Part of what sets the “Scream” franchise apart is that it revolves around horror fans themselves. This movie continues its pattern of referencing other horror movies in many ways including background horror posters, Jason watching “Friday the 13th Part VIII,” and civilians roaming the streets dressed as recognizable horror icons during Halloween. 

Music also played a prominent role in this movie, with “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds making multiple appearances, reminiscent of “Scream 2.” Personally, I can’t get enough of the original song “Still Alive” written for the film by Demi Lovato.

Before the epic Ghostface reveal took place, fans were greeted with another familiar face, Billy Loomis, appearing as one of Sam’s visions. The writers also take a moment to entertain the never ending fan theories regarding Stu Macher (one of the original Ghostfaces in “Scream”) in a scene with Kirby and Mindy examining the tv that “killed” Stu in the first “Scream,” in which Mindy makes a comment about the possibility that Stu is still alive. 

We get a closer look at a Ghostface shrine, located in an abandoned theater, containing all sorts of easter eggs from preceding “Scream” films — including the robes and masks of previous killers. Ethan, Quinn and Wayne are revealed to be the three ghostfaces, with Ethan wearing Nancy Loomis’ (Laurie Metcalf) old Ghostface mask and Quinn wearing Stu Macher’s (Matthew Lillard). Wayne is revealed to be Richie’s dad — and Ethan’s — and the one who helped Richie build the shrine. 

The biggest reveal had to be Quinn, as she was previously shown to be killed by Ghostface in Sam’s apartment. Wayne was the first officer on scene, switching her “dead” body with another. It was the most epic reveal of the film, as Wayne gave a performance of a lifetime “grieving” his daughter after she was found “dead.” The killer family reveal how Quinn was the one to start Sam’s online rumors in an effort to frame their murders on her. They killed the two film students in order to get to Sam first, using the students’ Ghostface obsession as a coverup by transferring ownership of the shrine to their name. 

By the end of the movie, the core four and Gale Weathers all remain standing, which came as a big surprise. 

Overall, “Scream VI” was a major improvement from its preceding film, allowing for Sam’s badass personality to shine through and her relationship with her sister Tara to strengthen. The film was ecstatically killer, packed with immense detail that is definitely worth not only a watch — but multiple watches as well.