Although each Scream film attempts to introduce slight changes to the story, the plotlines of the Scream franchise haven’t changed much over the years except for bringing in the next generation of victims and killers to the plot. However, moving the location from Woodsboro to New York City infuses new life into the film allowing the cast to react to their new surroundings while adding new ideas to the mix. First, Scream VI is a much bloodier and more brutal affair than its predecessors. This time, Ghostface isn’t afraid of using a gun to murder its victims; the kills are more violent and feature copious amounts of blood.
Unfortunately, figuring out who Ghostface is is more manageable this time around, which takes out half the fun. Most of the Scream films’ fun has been figuring out who the Ghostface killer or killers are. There are a lot of red herrings placed in the movie. Still, if you’re paying close attention to everything, you can quickly determine who the killer(s) are.
Nevertheless, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are talented young women who seamlessly step into this iconic horror franchise. Like the franchise’s original final girl, Sidney Prescott, Sam and Tara are strong characters who decide to take matters into their own hands and aren’t afraid to fight back. The rest of the cast, Jasmin Savoy-Brown, Mason Gooding, Jack Champion, and Liana Liberato, portray their characters well.
Overall, Scream VI is a nice change of pace for the franchise despite the ease of figuring out Ghostface’s identity. The various setpieces and this brutal new Ghostface work well to escalate the tension. You don’t know who will survive and who will meet their doom. After all, it’s the only thing that’ll keep you invested in the movie if you figure out who Ghostface is.
Movie Review: 3/5 atoms
Video
Scream VI hits Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC HD presentation with a 2.39 aspect ratio. The highlights leap off the screen with excellent depth and zero bloom. Black levels are fantastic and offer fine details and depth within the shadows and Ghostface costume. The colors are bold throughout. Red, unsurprisingly, is the most vibrant out of the bunch. Likewise, the skin tones are healthy and natural-looking. The picture has substantial detail clarity in everything from faces and clothing to various interior and exterior settings.
Video Review: 4.5/5 atoms
Audio
Scream VI hits Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos or a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio presentation if Atmos is not supported. This review will cover the Blu-ray’s Dolby Atmos mix. Much like the film, the Atmos mix is a solid track of very quiet quiets and stunningly loud louds. It repeatedly uses the soundstage to send music, sound effects, creepy atmospheric noises, and plenty of city noises to immerse the viewers. Unfortunately, the overheads are the only underused area of the Atmos track—primarily used to expand the front channels over the listener’s heads. The music ranges from Sven Faulconer and Brian Tyler’s score to the film’s soundtrack; all sound full-bodied and clear. Despite all of the action around the soundstage, the dialogue is crisp, clean, and perfectly audible throughout.
Audio Review: 4/5 atoms
Special Features
Scream VI hits Blu-ray with the following bonus features on the disc:
- Commentary by Filmmakers
- Death Comes to the City
- The Faces of Death
- More Meta than Meta
- Bloodbath at a Bodega
- An Apartment to Die For
- The Night Train to Terror
- Theater of Blood
Features Assessment
The best feature on that list is easily the audio commentary with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, executive producer Chad Villella, and co-writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. The track is fun and full of interesting information that’s also a relatively easy and engaging listen. Next, the three setpiece featurettes (Bloodbath, Apartment, and Night Train) are solid, in-depth featurettes that highlight the film’s excellent stunt work. Unfortunately, the rest of the featurettes are all marketing pieces that are more about selling the movie than giving viewers a revealing look into the production.
Special Features Review: 3.5/5 atoms
Despite several shortcomings, Scream VI is a fun and entertaining installment in the franchise. The video and audio presentations are excellent, and the bonus features contain several solid features.
Overall Review: 4/5 atoms
Scream VI is now available in stores on Blu-ray.
This Blu-ray was provided by Paramount Home Media Distribution for review purposes.
