Scream VI

Scream VI
Director(s)	Matt Bettinelli-Olpin Tyler Gillett
Writer(s)	James Vanderbilt Guy Busick
Starring	Courteney Cox Hayden Panettiere Melissa Barrera Jenna Ortega Mason Gooding Jasmin Savoy Brown Jack Champion Liana Liberato Dermot Mulroney Devyn Nekoda Josh Segarra Samara Weaving Tony Revolori Henry Czerny
Producer(s)	William Sherak James Vanderbilt Paul Neinstein
Composer	Brian Tyler Sven Faulconer
Release Date	March 10, 2023
Running Time	123 minutes
Box Office	$168,961,389
Scream Franchise
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Next →	Scream 7

Scream VI (also known as Scream 6 and ScreaIVI) is a 2023 slasher film. The film serves as a sequel to Scream (2022)—also known as Scream 5—and is the sixth installment of the Scream franchise. It is the first film not to feature Neve Campbell or David Arquette.

Both Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return as directors from the previous film, and James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick return as co-writers. Production commenced in Canada in June 2022, serving as a stand-in for New York City.

It was officially announced on February 3, 2022. On March 18, 2022, it was announced that the film would be released on March 31, 2023 but its release date was pushed forward to March 10, 2023. It is the highest grossing film of the franchise since Scream 2 (1997).

Plot

Synopsis

In the next installment, the four survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Summary

One year after the events of the 2022 Woodsboro Murders, in New York City, Blackmore University film professor, Laura Crane, is in a bar waiting for her Flirtr date, Reggie, to show up. She gets a message from her date, revealing that he is lost and requests to call her. She accepts and the two speak on the phone, with the date revealing he went to the wrong place, but he is on his way. Laura goes outside and waits for him and he tells her he is coming down the alley and he can see her. Laura gets nervous when her date reveals that he is being followed by someone with a knife and she runs down the alley to meet him only to then be killed by Ghostface who is revealed to be her student, Jason Carvey. He abandons the body and returns to his dorm room where it is revealed that he and his roommate, Greg Bruckner, are fans of Richie Kirsch and want to finish the movie he was making.

Jason gets a call from 'Greg' who is using the Ghostface voice, and he plays a game of Hot and Cold with Jason, leading Jason to the refrigerator where Greg's body is mutilated inside. Ghostface, wearing Billy Loomis' mask, attacks Jason. Jason questions the killer about their movie to which Ghostface responds: "Who gives a f*ck about movies?" before killing Jason. Ghostface also in this attack leaves Richie Kirsch's mask behind.

That same night, Samantha Carpenter is in a therapy session with her therapist, Christopher Stone, where she opens up to him about how she has been pinned as the true mastermind of the Ghostface killings in 2022 and having framed Richie and Amber Freeman, showing him a subreddit dedicated to the topic. She opens up to her therapist that when she stabbed Richie, "it felt right", which makes the therapist uncomfortable and end their session revealing he'll have to pass this information on to the police. Sam returns to the apartment she shares with Tara and roommate Quinn Bailey and discovers from Quinn that Tara has gone out to a frat party. Being overprotecting of Tara, Sam goes to find her.

At the party, which is also attended by Woodsboro survivors Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, as well as Mindy's girlfriend, Anika Kayoko and Chad's roommate, Ethan Landry, Tara is coerced by a known date-raper student, Frankie, into his bedroom. However, a struggle ensues between him and Chad, ending with Sam showing up and tasing Frankie in the testicles. The group leave and Tara shouts at Sam for not giving her space and helicoptering over her. Sam is then attacked by a group of women who believe she framed Richie and Amber, to which Sam retaliates them against.

The group return to Tara and Sam's apartment where Tara and Chad share a moment with each other and move in to kiss before being interrupted by Quinn. In the foyer, Sam is sitting alone and fellow resident, Danny Brackett, returns home and it is revealed that the two are dating in secret. A news report reveals the news of Jason and Greg's murders, and Sam is called by NYPD Detective Wayne Bailey, who is also Quinn's father, and he reveals that her driver's license was found at the scene of the murders, and he calls her down to the station for questioning. Tara insists on going with her and along the way, Sam gets a call from Richie's number, which is still saved in her phone. On the other end, Ghostface threatens Sam and he emerges from an alleyway next to the sisters. The pair fight the killer off and run into a bodega where they seek help.

Ghostface follows them in and stabs a customer many times before stabbing another one in the neck for interfering before the bodega clerk tries to kill him with a shotgun. Ghostface avoids the bullet and Tara and Sam try to flee through the backdoor which is locked. As the clerk tries to give them the keys, Ghostface emerges from an aisle and stabs him in the heart. He takes the shotgun and shoots him dead and searches the bodega for the sisters. The police soon arrive and Ghostface flees the bodega.

At the police station, the sisters are interviewed by Detective Bailey who reveals that a mask left behind at Jason and Greg's murder had DNA inside that was a match to Richie. The interview is soon interrupted by the arrival of Kirby Reed, a survivor of Jill Roberts and Charlie Walker's killing spree in 2011 and now a special agent in the Atlanta office of the FBI, who has been investigating Ghostface killings. Detective Bailey reveals that another mask which was left behind at the bodega had DNA that matched to Jill and Charlie, the killers of the 2011 Woodsboro Murders.

Kirby agrees to work alongside Detective Bailey to solve the murders. As Sam and Tara leave the police station, they are questioned by reporters, including Gale Weathers, and it is revealed that there is bad blood between the sisters and Gale as she wrote a book about the 2022 murders when she said she wouldn't. In that book, she also wrote about how Sam could've been the killer. Before the sisters leave in a taxi, Gale reveals that she spoke to Sidney Prescott and that she is taking Mark Kincaid and their kids into hiding.

At the Blackmore University campus, Sam, Tara, Chad, Mindy, Ethan, Anika, and Quinn gather where Mindy explains the new rules for the "sequel to the requel" including that anyone can die, including the main cast and legacy characters, and that the blood and body count will be bigger. At his home, Dr. Stone is murdered and back at the police station, Detective Bailey reveals that another mask was uncovered from the scene with DNA matching to Roman Bridger, and he and Kirby track the timeline of Ghostface and deduce that the killer is counting down to the mask worn by Billy which is when they will kill Sam and Tara. That night, the group are all staying in Sam, Tara and Quinn's apartment, minus Ethan who has a class. Chad nicknames the four survivors the "core four" and Sam reveals that she is dating Danny. In his apartment, Danny looks into Quinn's room to see Ghostface standing above Quinn who is talking on the phone whilst her gentleman caller, Paul, is showering. Danny tries to warn Sam, but she ignores his call and the group hear grunting and screaming coming from Quinn's room which they deduce to be Quinn having sex.

After Danny airdrops a photo of the attack, the group brace themselves as Ghostface throws Quinn's dead body through the door and then stabs Anika. Tara and Chad manage to escape the apartment and the rest of the group barricade themselves in Quinn's bedroom. Danny passes a ladder between the windows of the apartments and Sam and Mindy manage to make it across. As Anika attempts to climb across, whilst also suffering a loss of blood, Ghostface breaks into the bedroom and flips the ladder, causing Anika to fall to her death.

As the sun rises, Sam reveals to Danny that someone took away their knives so they couldn’t fight back against the killer, leaving her unsure who to trust. Chad confronts Ethan, who shows up to the crime scene, accusing him of being the killer, but backs off after Ethan swears that he was in an economics class. Detective Bailey mourns the loss of Quinn and how he has lost both his kids, vowing to find the killer and kill them. Kirby arrives at the scene and is reunited with Gale, who reveals that she found something they'll want to see. Gale takes them all to an old theatre which was bought by Jason and Greg, and inside is a shrine dedicated to Ghostface which contains the costumes of all the past Ghostface killers, minus their masks, and crime scene photos, drawings, Stab memorabilia and clothes worn by past victims and killers. Sam looks over the costume of Billy and begins to have visions of him once again. Kirby and Mindy bond over horror movies, a love they share, and Tara expresses her desire to escape her past and Kirby talks her through how she got through being a survivor. Gale and Sam reconcile and Sam reveals to Gale that her mother, Christina Carpenter, has cut them off and she just wants a family, which Gale says she can make even with just Tara. Detective Bailey announces a plan he has to find the killer, however Kirby excludes Gale from the plan as she is not an authority figure.

Kirby, Mindy, Ethan and Chad hide in a police van where they plan to trace a phone call from the killer. Detective Bailey watches over Sam and Tara in the park as the two walk around and wait to lure Ghostface in with a phone call. The killer takes the bait and calls Sam and Kirby traces the phone call to a penthouse on the Upper East Side, an address Tara recognizes as Gale's home. Sam and Tara steal Detective Bailey's police car and race to Gale's penthouse. In the penthouse, Gale is with her boyfriend, Brooks, and gets a call from the killer, her first call ever, and he taunts her about Dewey Riley's murder the previous year and then kills Brooks and chases Gale through the penthouse, whilst wearing Billy's mask.

Gale manages to evade him and grabs her gun where she shoots him. Gale gets another call and Ghostface reveals that she wins and he is leaving the penthouse, however Gale knows this isn't true and tells him that she'll shoot him "in the f*cking head". She then hangs up on Ghostface and calls back his number and soon hears ringing behind two dooors to which she shoots at. Ghostface then breaks out of the doors and stabs Gale multiple times before fleeing after Sam and Tara arrive. As Gale falls unconscious, she asks the sisters to tell Sidney that he never got her. The paramedics soon come and take Gale away, saying that she has a weak pulse.

At the building where Gale's penthouse is located, the group waits for news on Gale's fate and Tara reveals a plan to lure Ghostface into a secure location and kill him. They share the plan with Detective Bailey who tells them to meet Kirby at the theatre which they can use for their plan, and he instructs them to travel in public. The group, along with Danny, get onto a subway, however, are separated from Mindy and Ethan who miss it and wait for the next one. The group are taunted by various people wearing Ghostface masks on the subway, but make it to their stop unharmed. On Mindy and Ethan's subway, Mindy stands separate to Ethan for safety, however Ghostface has followed her on and muffles her screams as he stabs her before disembarking at the next stop. Ethan notices Mindy bleeding and gets her off the subway and calls for help, leading Mindy to lament she guessed the killers wrong again.

The rest of the group arrive at the theatre and Sam instructs Danny to leave them, relaying the words he said to her earlier that he shouldn't trust anyone, not even him. He reluctantly agrees and leaves them. In the shrine, Kirby reveals a trap she set to hold the killer hostage and they prepare to fight back. Sam has another vision of Billy where he tells her to take the knife from the display case containing his costume, which she does. Sam then gets a call from Detective Bailey who reveals that Kirby, who has disappeared, was fired from the FBI two months ago because she was mentally unstable, to which he believes that she is the killer. Chad and Tara kiss, but the latter is attacked by the killer, whom Chad promptly fights off. Sam, Tara, and Chad try to escape, but the entrance has been chained up, but Tara notices another exit on the second floor. Before they can escape, Ghostface, wearing Stu Macher's mask, appears and chases after the trio who fight him. As Chad knocks the killer down and tries to crush them with a gumball machine so the sisters can flee, a second Ghostface, wearing Nancy Loomis' mask, arrives and stabs him. The two killers stab Chad multiple times and then chase the sisters back into the shrine where they prepare to fight. Kirby reappears and reveals that one of the two killers knocked her out and Detective Bailey arrives at the same time and shoots Kirby, revealing himself as a third killer. The first Ghostface takes off his mask revealing him to be Ethan, who is actually Detective Bailey's son, and the second Ghostface takes their mask off revealing them to be a still alive Quinn.

Detective Bailey reveals that the trio are seeking revenge for the 2022 Woodsboro Murders, however when Sam pleads with them that she wasn't the killer and was being framed, they reveal that they know this and that they want revenge for Sam killing Richie, who is revealed to be their son/brother. Detective Bailey reveals his mistake in nurturing Richie's love of the Stab series, sharing how he helped Richie build the shrine by stealing police evidence and shares a home Ghostface movie Richie made when he was a teenager. The trio worked together to go after Sam and Tara and Detective Bailey reveals how he swapped Quinn's body for a decoy to fake her death. Tara soon attacks Quinn with a brick after Quinn gets furious at Sam for insulting Richie and the sisters flee to the second floor. As they try to get across a railing, Tara slips from a gunshot from Detective Bailey and Sam grabs onto her. Tara pleads with Sam to let her go, to which Sam obliges and she gives Tara a knife she took from Billy's Ghostface case and lets go of her. Tara suffers a stab from Ethan, but manages to overcome him and stabs him in the mouth, presumably killing him, and Sam shoots Quinn through the head and kills her. Detective Bailey tries to attack Sam, but the two fall over the railing and Detective Bailey is knocked out.

When he wakes up, he gets a call from Tara posing as Sam who uses the Ghostface voice to threaten him. Sam then appears wearing Billy's costume and mask and stabs Detective Bailey an innumerable number of times. She takes off the mask and after an approving nod from Tara, stabs Detective Bailey through the eye and kills him. Ethan comes back for one last scare and Kirby finishes him off by dropping the same TV that killed Stu Macher on him. Danny arrives with officers from the NYPD and reveals that Gale and Mindy survived their attacks and that Mindy is on her way.

Outside the theatre, Kirby is put into an ambulance and tells Sam to call her if she needs anything. Tara cries as she mourns Chad's loss, but he is then wheeled out of the theatre on a stretcher, still alive, leading to Tara kissing him in happiness and affirming they are the “Core Four”. Mindy arrives, lamenting missing the monologue and leaves with Chad in an ambulance. Inside her jacket, Sam stares down at Billy's mask, but then drops it, not giving in to her urges. She, Tara and Danny leave the crime scene, another killing spree behind them.

Cast & Characters

Main Characters

• Melissa Barrera as Samantha Carpenter: A survivor of the 2022 Woodsboro Murders who is being accused of orchestrating the murders and framing Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman. She helicopters over Tara, acting as a new mother to her since being cut off by her own mother, Christina Carpenter.

• Jenna Ortega as Tara Carpenter: A survivor of the 2022 Woodsboro Murders who moved to New York City for college. She is desperate to live a normal life again and resents Sam helicoptering over her. She forms a romantic relationship with Chad.

• Mason Gooding as Chad Meeks-Martin: A survivor of the 2022 Woodsboro Murders who moved to New York City for college. He forms a romantic relationship with Tara and is roommates with Ethan Landry and just barely escapes death after being stabbed multiple times by Quinn and Ethan.

• Jasmin Savoy Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin: A survivor of the 2022 Woodsboro Murders who moved to New York City for college. She dates Anika, before her death, and bonds with Kirby over their shared love of horror movies. She is stabbed by Quinn as Ghostface on the subway, but survives her wounds.

• Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers: A former reporter from Woodsboro who now lives in New York. Her relationship with the Carpenter sisters is strained after she wrote and published a book about the 2022 Woodsboro Murders, titled Requel: Terror Returns To Woodsboro. She is attacked and stabbed by Quinn as Ghostface and just barely survives with a weak pulse.

• Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed: A survivor of the 2011 Woodsboro Murders who is now a special agent in the Atlanta office of the FBI. She comes to New York City to investigate the new Ghostface killings. She is framed as Ghostface by Detective Bailey and successfully kills Ethan by throwing a TV on his head.

• Jack Champion as Ethan Landry: A student at Blackmore University and Chad's roommate. He is revealed as the second Ghostface killer, and the son of Wayne, who seeks revenge against Sam for killing Richie. He meets his death after having a TV, the same TV that killed Stu Macher, thrown on his head.

• Liana Liberato as Quinn Bailey: A student at Blackmore University and Sam and Tara's roommate and Wayne's daughter. She is revealed as the third Ghostface killer who seeks revenge against Sam for killing Richie. She meets her death after being shot in the head by Sam.

• Dermot Mulroney as Detective Wayne Bailey: A Detective in the NYPD who is the father of Richie Kirsch, Quinn and Ethan. He seeks revenge against Sam for killing Richie. He meets his death after being stabbed forty times by Sam and one final time through the eye.

• Devyn Nekoda as Anika Kayoko: A student at Blackmore University and the girlfriend of Mindy Meeks-Martin. She meets her death after falling from a ladder trying to escape Ethan as Ghostface.

• Josh Segarra as Danny Brackett: Sam, Tara and Quinn's neighbor, and Sam's secret boyfriend. He warns Sam not to trust anyone, including him, in order to survive the new Ghostface killings.

Minor Characters

• Samara Weaving as Laura Crane: An Australian film professor at Blackmore University who meets her death after being lured by Jason Carvey, as Ghostface, on a dating app.

• Tony Revolori as Jason Carvey: A film student at Blackmore University who, along with his roommate, Greg Bruckner, wants to finish making Richie Kirsch's movie. He kills his professor as Ghostface and is then killed by Wayne Bailey.

• Thom Newell as Greg Bruckner: Jason's best friend and student at Blackmore University, who is also wanting to finish making Richie Kirsch's movie. He was killed and dismembered by Wayne Bailey before Jason looks in shock at his dead corpse in the fridge.

• Thomas Cadrot as Brooks: Gale's new boyfriend who meets his death after being stabbed to death by Quinn Bailey as Ghostface.

• Jason Cavalier as Bodega Clerk: He tries to help Sam and Tara when they are chased into Abe's Snake Bodega by Wayne as Ghostface, but he is overpowered and killed with his own shotgun.

• Andre Anthony as Frankie: Student at Blackmore University, who tried to take advantage of Tara at a frat party.

• Henry Czerny as Dr. Christopher Stone: Sam's therapist who begins to feel uncomfortable around her after she reveals that stabbing Richie 22 times "felt right". He meets his death after being stabbed in the eye by Wayne as Ghostface.

• Matthew Giuffrida as Paul 2.0: Quinn's lover. He was killed by Quinn's younger brother, Ethan in the bathroom before Mindy enters and looks in shock when finding his corpse.
  • As voice actor by Tim Robinson, who played the voice role for Paul 2.0.

Cameos

• Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis: The father of Samantha Carpenter and original killer in the Woodsboro Murders. When the murders begin again, Sam starts to hallucinate Billy again who tries to convince her to kill once more.

• Jack Quaid as Richie Kirsch: A killer in the 2022 Woodsboro Murders who fans believe was framed by Samantha Carpenter. He appears in old video footage of Stab fan films he made as a teenager shown to Sam by Wayne Bailey. Jack was uncredited for this appearence, but was given a special thanks in the credits.

• Additionally, Matthew Lillard, Timothy Olyphant, Laurie Metcalf, Scott Foley, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, and Mikey Madison appear in photos on a Ghostface investigation board in the police precinct.
  • Also shown are pictures of David Arquette as Dewey Riley (at various intervals).
  • Furthermore, Jamie Kennedy appears as Randy Meeks in archived audio from the first film.

The Rules

A signature device, started in the original Scream and continued in the future films, was the typical "rules" for that type of horror movie being stated by the characters. These rules were made up as the story moved along and shared by Mindy Meeks-Martin to the rest of the group. The rules are:

• 1. Everything is bigger than last time-- bigger budget, bigger cast, and bigger body count, with more beheadings, shoot-outs and longer chases.
• 2. Everything that happened last time, expect the opposite.
• 3. No one is safe, with legacy characters becoming disposable.
• 4. Main characters become expendable so the franchise can live on.

Production

Development

It was confirmed early on that Scream (2022) was set to relaunch the Scream franchise and it was believed that a sixth installment would happen. In January 2022, Campbell and the film's directors expressed interest in making future films in the series.

After the fifth film surpassed $100 million at the box office, a sixth film was officially green-lit on February 3, 2022, with the same creative team returning. Cox confirmed her involvement in March, while also stating she had received the script and production would begin in Canada in June 2022. On March 18, 2022, it was announced that the film would be released on March 31, 2023.

In April 2022, Production Weekly magazine confirmed that production would begin on June 6th, 2022 and end in August 2022 in Montreal, Canada. A sole scene featuring Gale Weathers is set to be filmed first. In May 2022, Paramount confirmed the return of Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy. The next day, it was confirmed that Hayden Panettiere would reprise her role as Kirby Reed. In June, it was announced that Dermot Mulroney had joined the cast as a police officer. On June 6th, the day filming was set to begin, Neve Campbell announced that she would not be returning to the franchise due to a pay dispute. Filming was then delayed by three days.

On June 16th, Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda and Josh Segarra were added to the cast. In July 2022, Tony Revolori and Samara Weaving were announced to have joined the cast.

Release

In March 2022, it was announced that Paramount Pictures would distribute the film and that it was aiming for a March 31, 2023 release. In November 2022, the release date was moved to March 10, 2023. In December 2022, the first teaser poster and trailer for the film were released. In January 2023, various new images from the film were released, as well as a second trailer.. A trailer was screened during the Superbowl in February 2023.

The film premiered on March 6, 2023 at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater, and in theaters on March 10, 2023.

Gallery

Scream VI has a Photo Gallery.

Notes and Trivia

In addition to Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, Scream VI was also the first film in the franchise not to feature Dewey Riley, played by David Arquette. Despite this, both characters are mentioned several times throughout the film, and Dewey also has a photographic appearance in the shrine, using archival footage with Arquette from past films. Gale Weathers, played by Courteney Cox, was the only character from the original trio to return in the film.

• The film was officially announced in February 2022, with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett returning and screenwriters Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt confirmed as well.
• Neve Campbell announced that she would reprise her role if the script was good.
• Courteney Cox confirmed in March 2022 that she would be reprising her role and had received the first draft of the script.
• Rumours arose in March 2022 that a leaked draft of the movie revealed that Christina Carpenter, Leslie Macher, and a character named Rory would all be new characters appearing in the film.
• Paramount confirmed in May 2022, that Hayden Panettiere would reprise her role as Kirby Reed.
• Dermot Mulroney was added to the cast in June 2022.
• There were rumors that Courteney Cox would no longer be returning due to scheduling conflicts, however, Jenna Ortega confirmed at the MTV Awards that Courteney would still be a part of the film.
• Neve Campbell announced on June 6th that she would not return to the franchise due to a pay dispute.
  • A day later, a group of Scream fans started a website showing their support to Neve and issuing a letter to Paramount Pictures.
• Filming officially commenced on June 10th, 2022, and leaked photos revealed the film would be set in New York City.
• In July 2022, Hayden Panettiere revealed in an interview that she called and asked to be involved in the new movie as she loved playing Kirby in Scream 4, and it was the perfect movie for her to come out of retirement for.
• David Arquette admitted that he was very sad to watch Scream VI: "It was hard for me to do it, but I also knew I wanted to see it. I loved it. It was sad. I had lots of FOMO". David also expressed hope that Neve Campbell will return in a future possible sequel: "I definitely miss Neve being a part of it. I’d love to see her come in and go real hardcore".
• Marks the first time a reference to the Scream TV Series has been made. The directors and the script confirmed in the subway scene that one of the passengers was wearing a Lakewood Slasher costume. However, as of now, no known footage or photos of the costume in that scene exist.
• In the original script of the movie, Tori Spelling and Joel appeared as cameos.
• With 123 minutes of runtime, Scream VI is currently the longest movie in the Scream franchise.

External links

• Scream VI at the Internet Movie Database
• Scream VI at Wikipedia