Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Scream VI Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 14, 2023

Horror has a history of leaving the comfortable confines of its murderous roots to travel beyond and spill blood in new places, not just from different faces. Jason left Camp Crystal Lake for Manhattan and outer space. Leprechaun did its thing in "The Hood" not only once but twice and also, curiously enough, in space. The Scream franchise's Ghostface has not yet been to space, but the acclaimed slasher (or at least the persona of the acclaimed slasher) has, like Jason Voorhees, sought to expand the reign of terror in the Big Apple: New York City. In this sixth franchise film, the action shifts from small Woodsboro to the big city but otherwise remains the same, following basic franchise structure almost to a fault but working in a few surprises that elevate otherwise stale material just enough beyond expectations (or maybe better said too sequel expectations) to keep audiences both comfortably familiar and on its toes at the same time.

Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter. In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera ("Sam Carpenter"), Jasmin Savoy Brown ("Mindy Meeks-Martin"), Mason Gooding ("Chad Meeks-Martin"), Jenna Ortega ("Tara Carpenter"), Hayden Panettiere ("Kirby Reed") and Courteney Cox ("Gale Weathers") return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving.

The Scream VI plot is at once both new (new in terms of starting a new chapter in the story) and old (old in terms of repurposed elements, recurring themes, and returning characters). The film never quite blends new and old to satisfaction, playing like the proverbial oil and water that cannot mix together with any level of legitimate cohesion and satisfaction. The film follows a lot of the essential elements from the franchise, even with the location change: the phone calls, the film students, the character tropes, and of course the gathered character scene in which the “in-the-know” character breaks down film, Horror sequels, and the chances each character has of living or dying, of being targeted or being relatively safe from the slasher(s). This is the film’s greatest strength and its greatest weakness. For all the bluster in this scene about a sequel needing to subvert expectations and essentially telegraphing much of what is to come, the film plays with an air of familiarity and same-ness that it cannot overcome simply by moving the pin on a map. There is connective tissue beyond the style and tropes, dating not only to more recent installments but also all the way back to the beginning, but the end result is simply a film that, despite some legitimate surprises, plays fairly flat in an effort to replicate Wes Craven magic but offering only a crude facsimile thereof.

The movie has its moments of logic-defying silliness. The film begins with a Ghostface murder in a New York alley, and it seems impossible that the killer would disrobe, unmask, and casually walk away in 2023 in a world full of cameras all over the place. Maybe 40 years ago, sure, but today? Not so much. Of course, there is much more to the movie beyond this open, but the entire thing follows a similar pattern of illogic and head-scratching scenarios that were plausible in the mid-to-late 1990s but today feel wrenched into a radically different world. Nevertheless, Craven’s original vision is strong enough to carry a copycat into the future given that audiences can sit back and enjoy the ride for what it is at its center rather than around its periphery. The movie works, the actors are fine, and the pacing is solid enough, even through wave upon wave of familiarity, to carry the movie to modest genre satisfaction.

Scream VI Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream VI arrives on Blu-ray with a good, clean, and efficient 1080p transfer. Aside from some source noise, there is no reason to be sour on this picture which chronicles the franchise's shift to the Big Apple. The picture's clarity is excellent, and viewers will appreciate intricate and in-depth facial elements, high quality clothing definition, and wonderful detail to various city elements, whether interior or exterior. There's not a soft or smudgy spot or edge throughout the film. Colors are bold with vivid red blood the highlight. Additional tones in various locales and across a variety of clothing hues leap off the screen with excellent depth and saturation. Temperature and contrast are neutral. Black levels are excellent and offer fine depth in both shadows and the Ghostface costume. Skin tones are healthy and appealing.

Scream VI Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream VI slashes onto Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. "Solid" rather than "prolific" is the word for the review, defining a sound experience that is not supercharged and a core listening experience is that not all that memorable. The track holds more to a base level of audio excellence, never quite pushing boundaries or presenting even thumping gun blasts, intense musical cues, or piercing screams with the sort of volume or extreme stage filling goodness one might expect of a new film in this style and genre. The track is not fully tepid either, though, but it is best described as a basic listen that offers faultless clarity but no serious aggression beyond those basics. Musical elements are nicely positioned along the front channels while integrating some mild-to-modest surround wrap. Action elements offer satisfactory full stage engagement and subwoofer support, but listeners should not expect that sort of high yield, high intensity sort of "Memorex Blown Away Guy" type of audio assault. The extra Atmos channels don't offer much of significance, either, but the extra spatial help is welcome, both in action and an ambience, the latter of which does well enough to drop listeners into the experience. Dialogue is consistently clear and centered for the duration. This is a very good listen; it's just not a notch above the rest.

Scream VI Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Scream VI includes a commentary track and a handful of featurettes. No DVD copy is included with purchase. Paramount has included a digital copy voucher. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Executive Producer Chad Villella, and Co-Writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick discuss the film from a number of divergent, yet still interconnected, perspectives.
• Death Comes to the City (1080p, 7:57): Exploring the franchise's lore, moving the story to New York, subverting expectations, the film's energy, shooting details, and more.
• The Faces of Death (1080p, 14:10): A closer look at the characters in the film, with focus on the "Core Four."
• More Meta Than Meta (1080p, 10:22): Discussing franchise history and the basic and overreaching themes that run through the films.
• Bloodbath at the Bodega (1080p, 4:53): A behind-the-scenes look at one of the film's bloody murder scenes and how it subverts classic Scream elements.
• An Apartment to Die For (1080p, 7:30): Exploring the Ghostface performance, key scene stunt work, and more.
• The Night Train to Terror (1080p, 6:18): Making the subway scene.
• Theater of Blood (1080p, 10:52): A detailed look at one of the film's key set pieces and its place in the film.

Scream VI Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scream VI is more repetition than rebel away from the formula, but to the film's credit it is part of a franchise that is built on expectations and understandings of how things work. There is no denying, however, that things are getting very long in the tooth here. Long gone is the excellent cast of characters from the first film, and even the second, replaced by a collection of forgettable faces that are merely pawns in the bigger picture. The film plays well enough as a mindless follow-up, but even if the same DNA is here, and it follows so many familiar tropes, the film feels at the same time far removed from the original classic. Paramount's Blu-ray is satisfying for its video and audio presentations. A decent allotment of extras are included. Recommended to fans.