Over 25 years, no other horror franchise has remained as consistently innovative as Scream. Younger cinephiles may have yet to be aware of the landfill that was the horror genre during the early 90s. The genre became the “direct to video” go-to and showed little signs of growth critically and financially. It felt like the charm and gloss of 80’s slashers were yesterday’s news until 1996.

That’s when Wes Craven sparked life into the genre with the release of Scream. Since then, the series has remained a relevant and consistent entity in the genre for four decades, and with the legacy sequel in 2022 and the “requel” in 2023, it’s safe to say the Scream franchise is one of the essential horror franchises of all time.

With the latest entry, I harken back to a quote from the franchise, “Movies don’t create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!” That is the case with Scream VI as it raises its red right hand with a brutal gory affair that stands as the franchise’s most intense outing. Ghostface has never been more terrifying, while the core 4 cement their place as the face of the franchise.

Scream VI continues the story of the Carpenter sisters and the Meeks duo as they leave the events of Woodsboro behind and set their sights on the Big Apple. Rather than look back on the past, the foursome look to settle into a new life and ignore the trauma of the previous year. However, when Ghostface begins to terrify the streets of New York, the core four must look to remove the masked killer with the help of some familiar faces.

James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick’s screenplay is razor sharp as they set their sights on conspiracy theories and the toxicity of internet character deconstruction. Most importantly, Vanderbilt and Busick’s script examines the effects subreddits and tweets can have on those victims and those surrounding them. Rather than our Final Girl remaining the hero of our story, the screenplay paints the picture of “what if society views our final girl as the culprit rather than the victim.” I can’t applaud the duo more for this unique take which shows why the series remains viable today.

Radio Silence’s direction remains exceptional. A few years back, imagining anyone replacing Wes Craven took a lot of work. Still, Radio Silence has shown impeccable confidence in directing these films, and this second outing adds more confidence for this horror cinephile as the series moves into the future.

Not only do they pay homage to past entries, but their respect for the genre, especially the 80’s horror era, is difficult to ignore. Scream VI continues that trend as not only is the gore upped, the kills in this film are some of the most intense in the 25+ years of the franchise, but the cold open of Scream VI may go down as the best of the series since Drew Barrymore was asked what her favorite scary movie was in 1996.

Of course, one of the big selling points of this entry was the change of scenery from Woodsboro to New York City. But, I have to say, for the film not being shot in New York, Brett Jutkiewicz’s lens breathes life into their version of NYC and adds what’s sure to become some of the series’ most iconic shots. Oh yes, speaking of NYC and Radio Silence’s respect for the genre, a delightful homage to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan was on full display, and this Chop Talker could not be any happier.

On the performance side, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are a force to be reckoned with. Barrera and Ortega shut down naysayers weary of the torch being passed from Sidney to the duo in 2022’s Scream. Ortega’s star rises with a confident portrayal and Barrera offers a vulnerability to Sam as she attempts to move on while dealing with the ghost of Billy Loomis continuing to haunt her. But, of course, it doesn’t hurt that Barrera and Ortega ooze chemistry, and for this Scream fan, I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Along with the Barrera and Ortega pairing, the Meek-Martin duo is incredibly likable. Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding have added such life to the franchise. Not only is their comedy always on point, but Mindy’s Randy-isms are incredibly infectious. There’s no doubt about it; the Scream Core 4 is a force.

Regarding the legacy characters, Courteney Cox offers one of her best portrayals in the series, while Hayden Panettiere is a welcomed sight to see. As a massive fan of the Kirby character in Scream 4, it was great to see her return. What’s even better about the legacy characters is they stay within their lane and allow for the character growth of the new faces of the series.

Not everyone will love Scream VI; At the end of the day, it is a slasher film. However, for this horror fan, Scream VI is how you do a slasher. Pay respect to what came before you while creating a new and original horrific journey for cinephiles. There’s no denying it; this one’s an absolute scream.