AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! CUE SCREAMS! CUE BLOOD SPLATTER! CUE AWFUL STABBING SOUNDS! BETRAYAL! BLOOD! FEAR! BLOOD! AAANNNDDD…..DEATH.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, then boy, do I have the movie for you.

On March 10, 2023, a new “Scream” movie hit the box offices…for the sixth time. That’s right, six. How many people can be killed before there are no more movies to make?

The slasher film starred Jenna Ortega as Tara Carpenter; Melissa Barrera as Tara’s sister, Sam Carpenter; Liana Liberato as Tara’s college roommate, Quinn Bailey; Jack Champion as Ethan Landry; and Dermot Mulroney as Quinn’s father, Wayne Bailey. Ortega and Barerra, as well as Courtney Cox, Skeet Ulrich, and Hayden Panettiere all are returning characters in the “Scream” franchise. Sadly, “final-girl” Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) did not return due to a salary dispute.

There were many similarities between this new “Scream” and previous ones, such as a death within the first five minutes of the movie, like the original movie with Drew Barrymore. However, there were also many differences like the reveal of the killer immediately following the first murder. Even more surprising–the initial murderer was one of Tara’s friends.

Another difference in this movie was the location. Each previous film was set in the small, fictional town of Woodsboro, CA. My question: if people kept getting murdered in your town, why wouldn’t you move? I mean, honestly, if my neighborhood was famous for recurring serial killers, I might not feel right at home. Just a thought.

Thankfully, the Carpenter sisters and a few of their friends seem to have been wondering the same thing. The newest movie, “Scream VI,” takes place right in the heart of the Big Apple, New York City. Tara is in college and Sam is extremely protective of her, so they live near each other. 

One significant plot point is Sam’s overprotectiveness of Tara. This makes Tara very angry because she wants to have a real-college experience and forget what she went through. 

Also, the film is set in late October, which means…Yep, you guessed it. Halloween. And just what costume might be the most popular? I’ll give you a hint. It starts with “Ghost” and ends with “face.” So not only are the Carpenters and their friends being targeted by an anonymous serial killer, 90% of NYC residents are wearing the exact same outfit as their killer.

I love a good horror movie, but I feel that many modern horror movies aren’t actually entertaining. Many that I have watched recently just scare me and don’t actually have an interesting plot or leave me waiting for a sequel. This movie, however, was captivating and suspenseful.

I like to pride myself on my ability to figure out “whodunit,” but this time I was stumped.  The misdirection kept me guessing who this film’s “Ghostface” was until the very end. Luckily, the killer, or killers, had a great connection to the story and the characters, which put all of the puzzle pieces together. It even connected to a killer in “Scream 5.” That’s all I’ll tell you, though.

The only thing that I didn’t particularly like was the implausibility of some characters’ injuries. I mean, if I was stabbed SEVEN TIMES and then left to bleed, I probably wouldn’t be smiling on the stretcher on my way to the ambulance. But that’s just me.

I honestly have no idea how each person has lasted this long in the franchise. They have all had too many near-death experiences to count, and if I was them, I would probably take on a new identity as a hermit in another country. But again, that’s just me.

Nevertheless, this was a fantastic movie that I would recommend to anyone, despite the absurd amount of gore. Though it isn’t still in theaters, “Scream VI” is now available to watch on Paramount Plus.

Now that we have covered everything, I just have one question for you: What’s your favorite scary movie?