Harefooted Halloween: Scream VI

What I Liked: Somehow the image of Ghostface with a shotgun is striking.  I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is but maybe it makes the character seem more down and dirty.  Like he’s resorting to killing folks from a distance and doing whatever it takes in this particular situation to get the job done instead of relying on the ol’ knife stabbing.  After his identity is revealed he might use a handgun but not while in costume.  It’s something different that stands out after six movies.  For a franchise that desperately avoids straying from its own path I appreciate this small moment.

What I Didn’t Like: Everything else.

Overall Impressions: This film probably expects you to buy the most bullshit presented since part 3.  From the setup to the number of murderers to a previous character suddenly becoming an FBI agent to motivations to the killer’s Ghostface museum located inside an abandoned movie theater filled with props, er, I mean all the police evidence from all the homicides from every previous installment lovingly displayed in glass cases to Ghostface being able to successfully coordinate a highly intricate plan in New York fuckin’ City without any issues to characters sustaining multiple horrific (read: fatal) injuries without consequence.  That last bit is especially absurd.  One character gets stabbed in the back and the gut and brushes both off.  Another one gets stabbed in the mouth all the way through to the back of the head and keeps on tickin’.

Yes I know, these pictures are just supposed to be fun.  Relax, eat your popcorn and enjoy the scares.  For the first time though I might go as far as to say I kind of, uh, strongly dislike this entry.  Aside from the list of nonsense above the meta stuff really got to me here.  The characters mention how this one’s different because all the rules are out the window, no one’s safe, anything goes.  Except none of that is true.  It’s a whodunit with Ghostface taunting his victims on the phone, appearing out of thin air whenever he attacks, the protagonists try to figure out who’s behind the mask and the killer’s motivations end up being revenge.  What’s different?  A Halloween train with several people dressed as Ghostface so you don’t know if the real one is mixed in there?  They already pulled that gimmick with a rowdy movie theater full of the sonsabitches all the way back in part 2, twenty six years ago.

Well the big selling point for this one is the NYC setting as opposed to California like all the rest.  While the new location does offer a change of scenery the filmmakers don’t take advantage of the city.  The only thing I can point to is when Ghostface stabs someone in a crowded subway car and no one notices or cares.  Aside from that the story could’ve taken place in the west coast suburbs.  Actually, I argue it would’ve made more sense.  You transported all your survivors from the previous installment across the country just to have shit play out the same way it always does.  Plus the entire city’s on camera which should make it significantly harder for Ghostface to carry out his scheme (naturally this is ignored).  And if someone’s going to create a secret museum dedicated to the Woodsboro murders why would they place it in New York?  If you’re that crazy about this shit wouldn’t you put it closer to where all the crimes went down?  The underutilization of the Big Apple isn’t quite as bad as Jason Takes Manhattan but it’s certainly not satisfying.

*Sigh* this is a dumb fuckin’ movie guys.  More than any of the others it comes off like bad fan fiction.  I know that sounds harsh but it’s becoming harder and harder to find value in the franchise.  They’re too much the same but progressively worse each time.  I’ve already gone over in my Scream series wrap up from last year how bafflingly popular these films continue to be despite lacking anything interesting going on visually, story-wise, effects-wise, character-wise and so forth.  What it boils down to is the Ghostface image, the Scooby Doo style mystery and the self-referential dialogue which was charming and fresh in the 90’s but is downright aggravating now.

Say what you want about the Exorcist, Alien and Child’s Play sequels but at least they all took chances and explored new territory within their respective realms.