Scream VI [Blu-Ray] 
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jack Champion
Release Date: July 11, 2023
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10
Synopsis:
The four survivors from the most recent Woodsboro Ghostface killings have moved to New York City for a fresh start. Just as they begin to feel a sense of normalcy, they receive that infamous call. Ghostface is more brutal and relentless than ever and will stop at nothing to hunt them down.
Please Note: Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.
‘Scream VI’ rejoins the survivors of the most recent batch of Woodsboro murders as they try to establish a new life in New York City, hoping to get away from the terror and unpleasant legacy that they’ve become synonymous with. But just as some semblance of normalcy is reintroduced into their lives, a new killer dons the infamous Ghostface mask and embarks upon a new killing spree in the big apple. Now these friends and survivors will have to take on a new killer that’s more ruthless and aggressive than before while trying to survive in a big city that they’re still largely unfamiliar with.
Directed once again by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Scream 2022, Ready or Not) from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (Scream 2022), Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett do a great job returning to the helm for ‘Scream VI’ and guiding along a refreshingly unique, brutal and immensely enjoyable new chapter in the series that offers some new twists and patterns to the franchise. The cast features numerous new and returning individuals from the series and includes Melissa Barrera (In The Heights), Jasmin Savoy Brown (TV’s Yellowjackets), Jack Champion (Avatar: The Way of Water), Henry Czerny (Ready or Not), Mason Gooding (Fall), Liana Liberato (Dig), Dermot Mulroney (Umma), Devyn Nekoda (TV’s Ginny & Georgia), Jenna Ortega (TV’s Wednesday), Tony Revolori (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Josh Segarra (TV’s The Other Two), Samara Weaving (Babylon) with Hayden Panettiere (Scream 4) and Courtney Cox (TV’s Shining Vale), the majority each offering generally solid or at least fitting performances for the most part in their respective roles.
‘Scream VI’ is a thrilling new chapter in the beloved slasher franchise that’s as brutal, tense and chaotic as it is rewarding and just downright fun from start to finish. Offering up some new twists on the somewhat familiar formula that will have viewers uncertain and thrown off from the opening sequence that’s drastically different than anything we’ve seen prior in the series, along with a more brutal and uncompromising Ghostface than we’re accustomed to, and one that doesn’t merely vanish when our characters end up in a public place but instead has no hesitations in following them into those public places and slaughtering anyone in the way. Some of the twists and reveals felt slightly less shocking this time around (or maybe I’m just starting to get too familiar with this franchise which I’ve been a massive fan of since the original was unleashed in 1996) but even if you’re able to piece together some surprises as the film progresses, it never detracts from the exciting fun and brutal thrills it serves up in ample quantities, with a higher body count and some mildly shocking moments to keep viewers on their toes.
The only real issue I had with the film was that it often seems to disregard the brutal violence and not always take itself seriously, something that can elicit some eye rolls on occasion but can also often be forgiven by the numerous smart choices and clever new ideas that are introduced and utilized within. It may not be the absolute best sequel in the series, but it’s also far from the worst and is even a step up from the fifth installment which was a rather impressive and rewarding installment in its own right. If you’re a fan of the franchise but haven’t yet had the opportunity to give ‘Scream VI’ a chance, I would strongly encourage rectifying that at your earliest convenience.
Overall, ‘Scream VI’ is a bloody, exciting, and fast-paced new installment in the franchise that ups the ante in nearly every department from the kills to the tension, with things building on a pace that’s often more akin to an action film than a horror sequel and the end result is a largely rewarding sequel that fans of the series should appreciate for multiple reasons. ‘Scream VI’ is definitely highly recommended for genre fans who are fond of the franchise, and especially those who enjoyed the previous installment from the Radio Silence team. It’s a fun, bloody and brutal new entry that introduces a more aggressive and unflinching Ghostface than we’ve seen prior and offers some new elements into the franchise that keeps things exciting and intense throughout, albeit with some mildly more predictable twists and reveal(s) but fortunately nothing that ever makes this wild ride any less fun to embark upon.
VIDEO:
The Blu-ray release of ‘Scream VI’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty great as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish that never falls victim to any unexpected issues arising along the way. It shows solid clarity and detail in everything from character faces, facial specifics and clothing down to the various interior and exterior settings throughout and it holds up capably at all times even during the various darkly lit and fast-moving sequences occurring throughout. Overall, this is a solid high definition video presentation that shouldn’t have any trouble pleasing fans and newcomers who tend to be pleased with the Blu-ray format in general.
AUDIO:
The Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack does its job quite well and offers a clean, crisp and occasionally quite aggressive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly takes advantage of all seven available channels in order to send music, along with action effects, some creepy background noises and plenty of vehicle and background chatter in the more heavily populated moments throughout the various speakers, all while never resulting in any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously becoming distorted or rendered problematic in the process. Overall, this is a very nice Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that holds up well every step of the way and should not disappoint.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-ray release of ‘Scream VI’ includes a nice collection of bonus content that fans of the film should enjoy. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Executive Producer Chad Villella, Co-writer Guy Busick and Co-Writer/Producer James Vanderbilt’, in addition the various Behind the Scenes Featurettes that explore the process of bringing the new film to life, featuring interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘Death Comes to the City’ (running approximately 8 minutes in length), ‘The Faces of Death’ (running approximately 14 minutes), ‘More Meta Than Meta’ (approximately 10 minutes), ‘Bloodbath at a Bodega’ (5 minutes), ‘An Apartment to Die For’ (7 minutes), ‘The Night Train to Terror’ (6 minutes) and Theater of Blood’ (11 minutes).
*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.
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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10
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‘Scream VI’ Arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD July 11, 2023 & is Now Available on Digital from Spyglass Media Group & Paramount Home Entertainment
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