Scream VI film review: The horror franchise that just won't die

Using self-referential horror genre tropes, the film mixes the old with the new in an effort to please both franchise die-hards and newcomers.

With the return of two legacy characters and the addition of some new ones, returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett keep it fairly safe by giving the fans exactly what they want.

Screenwriters James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick and Kevin Williamson deliver, once again, a screenplay that is obsessed with its own folklore, often resorting to overlong and needlessly verbose pronouncements on the whole genre in the process.

The writers are at their best when they tackle the subject of true crime fanaticism, a phenomenon that can stray into conspiratorial thinking.

The ongoing Idaho University killings where thousands of so-called citizen journalists made themselves part of the investigation, being a case in point.

If you are willing to stomach characters who sound like they’ve swallowed a film studies manual and some fairly obvious plot-holes, Scream VI still manages to be gorier and truer to Wes Craven’s original movie than any of its predecessors.

As for the performances, Ortega is a mile ahead of everyone here, proving once again that she truly is the real deal and a true star in the making.