On March 10th, 2023, the horror slasher film, Scream VI, hit theaters, breaking through box office records and receiving the highest ranking since Scream II. This newest addition to the Scream franchise delivered a heightened sense of fear, tension, and brutality to the audience, fighting to reclaim its name in the horror movie industry. 

“I’ve seen all of the Scream movies and I actually liked Scream VI the most. It was more bloody and violent than the others, but I feel like I was engaged the whole time since it had a good balance between the fighting and mystery scenes,” said Maya Boorman (‘25).

Scream originally gained its popularity with Wes Craven taking on a project to try to revive the so-called dying horror genre. The director took on a unique angle, formulating an intricate plot that kept the audience on their toes.

“I think the first Scream movie was a really great way to start off the franchise. It was a new approach to horror movies at that time since the concept hadn’t been done before. But the other movies weren’t as good as the original since it got a little repetitive in my opinion,” said Aubrey Tran (‘23).

The films in the Scream franchise center around the killers and their targets. Scream VI has a similar plot to the rest, but it differs slightly in the way the script was written. This was partly because this was the first movie where the main character, Sidney Prescott, was not in the movie. 

“When I heard that Sidney wasn’t going to be in the movie, I was really surprised. She’s basically a legend in these movies. But there are a ton of new actors that I feel are more relevant to teens these days, which is maybe why this movie is so popular,” said Caydence Likeness (‘25).

Despite not having their main actress, the screenwriter and director of Scream VI were still able to take the horror aspects to the next level and built up a suspenseful, appealing plot. New rising actors are included in this movie, such as Jack Champion, who plays Ethan Landry, and Jenna Ortega, who plays Tara Carpenter. 

“I wouldn’t say that I’m a total horror movie enthusiast, but I am a huge fan of Jenna Ortega because [she is] such an amazing actress. Also, Jack Champion starred in Avatar: The Way of Water, and so I think he became really popular,” said Likeness.

Overall, Scream VI proved to be a success in the box office. Although Scream VII is not officially confirmed yet, the high ratings and popularity of Scream VI may be a contributing factor to their decision of adding more to the franchise.