By Jamie Miller
Greetings Nightlighters it is I, “the perpetually hyperactive, always nerdy, horror movie-loving night owl” Jamie Miller here with yet another issue of Nightlight. Now as some readers likely know if they follow this column, I absolutely love horror movies, with one of my favorites being the ‘’Scream’’ series, in fact I actually reviewed the last film in the series. So upon learning they were making a sixth film in the series, of course I left the dark safety of my basement and stepped into the harsh light of day to see it. And, boy howdy, I’m glad that I did.
‘‘Scream VI’’ which was released on the sixth of March continues the tale of Samantha Carpenter, daughter of Billy Loomis, one of the original Ghostface killers, even after stopping the killers in the previous installment she is still demonized for her origin and is constantly harassed for it. Her mental health while not completely in the gutter is unsteady. Her mother wants nothing to do with her and as a result she has devoted almost the entirety of her time toward protecting and looking after her younger sister, Tara, to Tara’s dismay. She views this as unnecessary. After all, they are in New York city, so very far away from Woodsboro. Tara just wants to bury the past, move on and live her life. However, little does she realize that the past has a habit of rising from the grave to wreak havoc on the here and now, and this time is no different. Like some kind of movie-obsessed specter, Ghostface is back to bring carnage to the Big Apple, and the Carpenter sisters must do battle for not just their very lives but their very reputations against a faceless remorseless killer who wants nothing more or less than their complete and total destruction.
‘’Scream VI’’ brings back Melissa Barrera as Sam. Jasmine Savoy Brown of ‘’Leftovers’’ fame reprises her role as nerdy horror movie buff Mindy Meeks-Martin. Mason Gooding, known for roles in shows such as “Star Trek: Picard’’ and ‘’Ballers” reprises his role as Chad Meeks-Martin, a somewhat more jockey, yet still nerdy, horror movie buff and one of my favorite characters in this movie. Jenna Ortega, now known for her role as the titular character in ‘‘Wednesday’’ returns as Tara Carpenter. Courtney Cox of ‘’Friends’’ fame returns as Gale Weathers, a veteran reporter and survivor of the very first Ghostface killing spree. Joining the cast are Dermont Mulroney known for roles in films and shows such as “Insidious: Chapter 3”, ‘‘Heroine of Hell’’ and ‘‘Bad Girls’’ playing Detective Wayne Bailey who is investigating the killings. Liana Liberato who had parts in films such as ‘’Haunt’’ plays his daughter Quinn, Josh Segarra known for roles in shows such as ‘’Arrow’’ and ‘‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’’ plays the part as Danny Brackett, Tara and Quinns neighbor and Sam’s boyfriend. Hayden Panettiere known for playing Claire Bennet in “Heroes” and Lizzie Spaulding on “Guiding Light” as Kirby Reed, a horror movie buff and survivor of the fourth movie’s killing spree and now an FBI agent investigating the current killings. Roger L Jackson also returns as the voice of Ghostface.
This film was great. The kills are brutal, the characters are likable and relatable, and the movie manages to call out the fact that idiotic and easily disproven conspiracy theories seem to spread like a virus these days. The killer reveals were also well done. The effects are also well done per usual. The movie definitely keeps the streak of the ‘’Scream’’ franchise not having a single truly bad movie. I rate this one 9.5 torches out of 10 just like its predecessor. I can’t recommend it highly enough, though for the parents I would advise leaving the kids at home. This is one bloody film.
