Reviews
TIME TO GHOST-FACE THE MUSIC: A Completely SPOILER-FREE ‘Scream 6’ Review
To all my Amber Freemans of the world that the lovely Ian wrote about in his latest article, put your “Welcome to Act Three” guns DOWN. Don’t shoot. I like Scream 6! I would go as far even to say it’s a pretty good movie! But it isn’t without its fair share of issues.
As was prominently featured in the promotional material for this film, Ghostface’s mask has been weathered by time and the changing of hands; in a way, this brave new installment also carries the scars of past entries as much as that signature screaming white plastic does, for better and for worse.
WHERE’D I LEAVE THAT MASK?
Scream 6 picks up a year after the last film, and brings us to New York to follow survivors Samantha and Tara Carpenter, as well as the wonderful Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin as they’ve slowly settled into a life beyond Woodsboro’s horrors…do I even have to say ‘as if’? Soon, the crew is terrorized by Ghostface, hellbent on getting to Sam by picking off her friends and family. Who will live to see another day as Ghostface slashes through Manhattan?
…Oh, also, Gale is there too!
NO MORE GAMES FOR SIDNEY, PLEASE
I kid Miss Weathers, but one of the most important things for fans to get used to going forward, beyond the change of location (something last attempted in Scream 3), is the hotly discussed absence of Sidney. In turn, Gale gets reduced screen time as the new blood of the series takes center stage.
Beyond the controversy surrounding Neve Campbell and Paramount lowballing her (which, studios shooting themselves in the foot, what’s new?), I think the departure of Sidney was for the best. I sincerely hope Radio Silence doesn’t start jamming additional pages into the proverbial Book of Prescott; her saga is completed in a great way.
They are (for now) letting the final girl have the final word with her own happy ending. Besides, focusing on Samantha’s story of inner turmoil and bloodlust in this one is the right choice because it is every bit as compelling as Sidney’s evolution as a character. I can’t wait to see where the Carpenter sister’s tale takes us.
BIG APPLE, BIGGER KILLS
Speaking of Radio Silence (that’s the production team headed by director duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett for the uninitiated), another thing I have to give them credit for is a sense of escalation when it comes to how brutal the Scream movies are.
Scream 3 blew up an entire house to kill one person, but when people die in the Radio Silence films, they die hard, and the camerawork forces you to look at it with uncomfortable close-ups. Scream 5 was the bloodiest in the franchise…until this one came along. Every kill has weight behind it, and no one feels safe from a traumatic and devastatingly painful death when the knives come out. It’s all a testament to how good the directing is, solidly the film’s greatest technical strength, and I wonder how they will keep this momentum going into Scream 7.
BUT THAT OPENING…
It all looks great on camera, but this brings us to one of the first things I wasn’t sold on: the opening kill, the tradition that perfectly encapsulates what Scream is about. 6’s opening is a unique “first in the series” but isn’t particularly shocking thinking back to the other inaugural stabs of the franchise. Is it entertaining for a slasher opening? Yes! The most gruesome? Probably, the whole affair is a meat grinder. But does it stun the senses and downright shock like Scream usually does?
No, not really.
The opening will only really get you if you don’t know how these movies operate, which is hard to believe given this series’ fanbase. It certainly could have been cut by a few minutes for that classic Scream opening gut-punch feeling. In isolation, it drags on too long; compared to the other openings, it’s tough to beat 1, 2, & 4’s, and frankly doesn’t dethrone any of them in the top 3.
GHOSTFACE OFTEN STUMBLES, BUT THE PACING AND CAST DON’T
Barring the very lengthy opening, Scream 6 is paced perfectly and very well edited. I felt silly being so worried about the runtime, given how hefty it is coming in at over 2 hours, another first for the series. Nonetheless, they make it work, and there isn’t a minute of wasted screen time. When you’re not being thrilled, you’re being genuinely pulled in by the cast’s chemistry and camaraderie that’s beyond charismatic.
Melissa Barrera gets more screen time than in Scream 5, and the relationship portrayed by her and Jenna Ortega is the dense and well-acted emotional core of the movie. Is it even a spoiler to say the long-awaited return of Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed and her inevitable meeting with Mindy would be wonderful? And if Mason Gooding is in frame, you know it will be a fun scene.
FUNNY LIKE A BUCK KNIFE TO THE GUT
Sadly, that brings me to some of the dialogue these characters share. While it is often endearing with its humor and has two of the franchise’s funniest moments courtesy of Gale Weathers, Scream 6 can also be too jokey for a Screamfilm.
Comedic relief is pretty much thrown out the window by the end of act 2 in almost all these entries, but there is a persistent bug of humor in 6 that puts a thorn in my side; one of our leads gets stabbed and feels the need to make a callback joke as they’re being dragged away for medical attention, which is way too quippy for as late in the movie as it comes, especially when Brett Jutkiewicz’s cinematography sets up the scene in a way that wracks more tension than Ghostface pumping out a shotgun shell.
Some characters also survive in a way that doubles down on deeply, deeply deflating the tension of the film and the would-be great ending. The reveal of one survivor in particular audibly elicited laughter from myself and several other theatergoers, and I don’t think it was the kind of laugh they were going for.
IT’S REALLY THAT SOUND THAT’S KILLING ME
Surprisingly, my most glaring problem with this film is the soundtrack. The music is always too loud and slightly off-tone when it’s not part of the OST. The chase scenes are frenetic, and the musical stings during deaths are bombastic, but during downtime and the moments where we’re getting to watch the cast at ease, the licensed songs chafe the eardrums. They even have the gall to cut off Red Right Hand at one point, which should be a crime against humanity if it isn’t.
Demi Lovato’s Still Alive is pretty catchy, though, so I’ll let that one slide.
WILL THE REAL GHOSTFACE PLEASE STAND UP?
Finally, you can’t talk about a Scream movie without mentioning the Ghostface reveal (still, no spoilers!). Something about the execution this time around just felt dry for the very juicy stage it’s set in. Take this with a grain of salt, given that I am a Roman Bridger fan, but I think the problem with the reveal this time around is that the motivations feel a little too plain and simple.
While the beat drop of who is under the mask is underwhelming, this film ultimately makes up for it with an explosive and enjoyable finale that will have your theater hooting and hollering like Stu Macher losing a lot of blood. Scream 6might have the most stabs in any Scream movie to date, and if you’re looking for carnage to close out your movie going experience, you’ll get your fill here. Scream 6’s ending is a glorious finale of brick lobbing, knife swinging, and deep cutting action that never disappoints in rounding out the runtime.
There’s that old adage about pizza: when it’s good, it’s good, and when it’s bad…et cetera. Scream 6isn’t perfect, but it is totally understandable why this would be someone’s favorite entry in the franchise; its landmark levels of bloody, undeniably funny at points, and it has all the elements you need from a Scream movie. I had a lot of fun watching this in a packed theater, and if you can do the same this opening weekend, see it while it’s still on the silver screen cause that’s the ideal way to experience Scream 6.
Most people find that stretching their dollar still barely gets them by in today’s economy. I am very particular about what I spend my spare money on regarding extracurriculars. And no one likes to feel like their money is wasted. Madame Morbid Trolley Tours wasn’t an experience I had been familiar with. Maybe that’s because I’m chronically offline for most of my life. So this leads to the perfect question: in today’s turbulent economy, is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours worth the price? The short answer is unquestionably, yes. But it’s more than just a simple yes.
My wife and I arrived at the designated meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. A handful of minutes later, a gorgeous, e-candle-lit trolley pulled up to the side of the road. We were greeted by impeccably on-brand Allison Chase, our tour guide, and trolley driver ‘Mad’ Matt Zaller. The wonderfully cheery duo invited us on the trolley, and the tour was set to begin.
400 Years of Death, Destruction, and Infrastructure
After a welcoming video intro from someone who knows a thing or two about busting ghosts, we set off on the inaugural Madame Morbid Trolley Tour in its ninth year of operation. From the Brooklyn Naval Yard all the way to Dumbo, and more, this tour magnificently chronicles 400 years of history, the good and the bad, expertly. No matter how much you think you may know about Brooklyn history, I can bet there will be something new learned within the first 15 minutes of the tour. From the first-ever plane crash to one of the worst theater fires in history, this tour covers tragedies that the greatest horror writers couldn’t conceive.
The Deadly [Charming] Docent
Allison Chase led the fascinating tour in character from the moment we stepped on the trolley until our departure. But Allison’s character was not forced or fake; you could feel Allison’s passion for not just morbid history, but the accuracy of it. Some of the stories we heard were steeped in historical context, and it was not boring for a single second. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is not your standard full-talking tour. It’s a mixed-media adventure of some of Brooklyn’s darkest moments.
During “downtime” (the times between locations), we were edutained by mini documentaries (that were quite funny). Some of the “downtime” was filled with traffic trivia (I won a needle pen!). And other times were show-and-tell-like, with objects passed around for us to examine. But there was never a moment of silence that wasn’t purposeful. All in all, Allison’s knowledge and passion shone like the luminosity of a full moon.
Is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours Worth It?
The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour was not just a fun night out for my wife and me, but it was a delightfully dark night of edutainment. It should also be noted that ‘Mad’ Matt’s driving skills were fantastic. There was a time when I had become enamored with how Matt handled the narrow streets of Brooklyn before realizing that I needed to refocus my attention on Allison. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is an exceptionally fun evening of horror and history that will make you think twice next time you walk down the streets of Brooklyn. It is worth the money, and then some. There’s no better activity for a cold, dark October night than the Madame Morbid Trolley Tour.
For more information on Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, and to get your tickets, click here!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should have watched the Stephen King adaptation Cujo a million years ago. First of all, I was a voracious King reader in middle school. The other thing I was obsessed with during those years was Friends. You know, the show that hinges a major episode’s subplot on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) watching Cujo for the first time. Whatever the reason was, I never got around to it, but I’m rectifying that oversight now.
What is Cujo About?
Cujo tells a relatively simple story. Donna Trenton’s (Dee Wallace) a housewife who’s cheating on her husband Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) with local handyman Steve (Christopher Stone). There’s no accounting for taste, because Vic is 10 times hotter and Steve doesn’t own a bed frame. Look, Donna. I know Vic has that awful David Hasselhoff hair, but I promise the 1980s will end sooner or later. It’ll be OK.
Donna’s attempted termination of this affair ultimately leads to its discovery. Amid this drama, her car breaks down at a mechanic’s isolated farmhouse, trapping her and her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). You see, the mechanic’s dog, Cujo, freshly christened with rabies, is patrolling the area and attacking everything in sight.
Dee Wallace Is Cujo’s Not-So-Secret Weapon
It would be impossible to start a worthwhile review of Cujo without praising Dee Wallace. The woman is a genre icon, naturally. Think about this: She had only appeared in seven theatrical movies before starring in Cujo. Four of those movies are The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, E.T., and The Howling. But this woman didn’t become an icon simply by accidentally stumbling into some iconic titles. She is simply terrific as Donna, using her darting eyes and taut expression to deliver oodles of subtext. You instantly get the sense of how trapped she feels by marriage and motherhood without her uttering a single word.
A good performance is vital, here. Because there’s a hell of a lot of drama to get through before she’s trapped in that damn car. But Wallace instantly shoves you into Donna’s perspective, whether you like it or not. This makes it all the more potent when she is menaced by Cujo. Her desperate attempts for survival, also impeccably performed, have true weight because she seems like a real person. She is also given an incredible scene partner in Danny Pintauro. The future Who’s the Boss? star, who was only six when shooting Cujo, has a perfect everychild quality. His innocence heightens the peril. But so does that fact that he is just as irritating as every six-year-old you’ve ever met.
This movie truly captures how annoying it must be to be stuck in a life-and-death situation with a child. This is a compliment, I swear! Donna is worn down by every aspect of the situation, including her own son’s inability to cope with it. And this ratchets up the tension even further, to an almost unbearable degree.
Cujo Is a Mixed Bag, But Worthwhile Overall
The movie doesn’t work if Cujo himself doesn’t work, and at first I was real worried that he wouldn’t. In the first half, the St. Bernards that play Cujo onscreen are often shown to be wagging their tails in delight. Which kind of undercuts the reality of the situation, I’d say. But the editing and the special effects step in to fix what animal training couldn’t. The attack scenes in the second half are constructed with quick cuts that never let you get too much purchase. It’s a good approach for keeping viewers off-kilter.
Also, Cujo becomes less and less recognizable as a cuddly canine the further the movie gets. It’s a simple trick, really. He ends up getting coated with more and more slime. Saliva, pus, blood, and what have you. This is good for making him feel like a true movie monster. Plus, it’s a good mirror for the sliminess inside the car as it gets covered in sweat, blood, and grime.
The second half of the movie ultimately works like gangbusters. It’s a shame that Cujo is too cowardly to get Donna and Tad in the car before the halfway point. This decision is somewhat faithful to the book’s structure as I remember it. However, it diminishes the weight of the long days that they spend in the car. We really need to feel that crushing stretch of time, and we don’t. When Tad is suffering from dehydration, it’s not a gut punch. Honestly, I just found myself asking, “Already?” It’s good that they gave the movie a happier ending, because the classic grimdark Stephen King finale wouldn’t have landed.
Is Cujo Worth Watching in 2026?
At the end of the day, Cujo is a solid movie and I’m glad I finally watched it. However, it’s not such a stone-cold classic that I’m not at least a little intrigued by that upcoming Netflix remake…
