TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 of 2026 (No. 2051) by Leroy Douresseaux
Scream VI (2023)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
Rating: MPA – R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use
DIRECTORS: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
WRITER: James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (based on characters created by Kevin Williamson)
PRODUCERS: Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, and James Vanderbilt
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brett Jutkiewicz (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jay Prychidny
COMPOSERS: Sven Faulconer and Brian Tyler
HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Hayden Panettiere, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Samara Weaving, Henry Czerny, Andre Anthony, Skeet Ulrich, Max Laferriere, and Roger L. Jackson (voice)
Scream VI is a 2023 slasher horror film from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. It is the sixth film in the Scream film series and is a direct sequel to Scream (2022). In Scream VI, the survivors of the most recent Woodsboro murders move to New York City for a fresh start only to find that a new Ghostface killer is stalking them.
Scream VI opens one year after the latest Woodsboro murders that were orchestrated by Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman (as seen in the 2022 film). The survivors of the murders: sisters – Samantha “Sam” Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) – and their friends, siblings Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding), have moved to New York City for a fresh start.
Tara, Mindy, and Chad attend Blackmore University and have new roommates and friends: Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), Anika Kayoko (Devyn Nekoda), and Ethan Landry (Jack Champion). Sam attends therapy with Dr. Christopher Stone (Henry Czerny), who views her with a skeptical eye. Sam has also become the target of public ire because of an online conspiracy theory that says that she – not Richie and Amber – is the real killer behind the last Woodsboro murders. It doesn't help that many know that Sam is the biological daughter of one of the original Woodsboro killers, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich).
But “the Ghostface killer” (Max Laferriere and the voice of Roger L. Jackson) has returned, more brutal and vicious than ever. And he intends to pick up where the last Ghostface killer left off.
One then I didn't mention in my synopsis is that that two other franchise characters play a big role in Scream VI. They are Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), who has been with the franchise since the original Scream 1996), and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), a survivor of the Woodsboro murders depicted in Scream 4 (2011).
Personally, I find Scream VI to be the best Scream film since the original trilogy of films. It feels like this film's writers (James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick) and directors (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) had a freer hand to be wild and crazy, relentless and merciless, and imaginative and inventive in a way I don't think they did in Scream (2022). From the opening twist killings to the last act, Scream VI is edgy and adventurous. Only the best and most daring film franchises dig into the dysfunction of franchise characters, and Scream VI does that. The result is a slasher film that is as much a family drama and thriller as it is a scary movie, and it is excellent as all three.
I don't want to spoil Scream VI by talking about all the scenes that held me, thrilled me, kissed me, and killed me. Instead I will tell you, dear readers, that I highly recommend Scream VI, which easily one of the series' best entries.
7 of 10
A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars
Thursday, February 26, 2026
The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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