Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Scream VI.Scream VIhas made its arrival at theaters and isalready slashing up the box office. It’s a superb addition to the franchise and kept its promise of being the goriest in the franchise. But just because it has some gnarly kills doesn’t necessarily mean each one paid off. Quite the opposite, actually. There was certainly no shortage of deaths, but there was a lack of commitment to the fan-favorite deaths that were so heavily threatened throughout the film’s run. As tough as it may be to fans, especially when it comes to killing legacy characters, it’s the hard truth.
Killing off Dewey Riley (David Arquette) was a huge risk, and while it hurt like hell, it set a precedent and raised the stakes to astronomical new heights. No one felt safe anymore, notGale Weathers(Courteney Cox), and not evenSidney Prescott(Neve Campbell). But that was part of the appeal. Was this revival of theScreamfranchise going to undo over twenty years of legacy? Nothing seemed off the table, and it was terrifying… but also kind of thrilling. After Dewey’s fatal end inScream 5, it had fans wondering what could possibly happen inScream VI. Would they kill off our final girl Sidney? Would Gale meet a fatal and tragic end? Would they bringKirby (Hayden Panettiere)back just to kill her off? It was anybody’s guess.
Scream (2022) Set a Precedent for Shocking Deaths
When a fifthScreammovie was announced to release in 2022 it became a fear among fans that at least one of the legacy characters wouldn’t make it to the end. Unfortunately, that came true and Dewey was killed off in a gut-wrenching twist. And just when he seemed to be safe. Sure, Gale and Sidney made it through, but Dewey had become sort of the heart of the franchise, a comic relief among the dark and dreary terror thatGhostfacerained down upon Woodsboro.
Naturally, Dewey’s death had fans nervous for both Gale and Sidney, but once it was announced thatNeve Campbell wouldn’t be returning for the sixth film, all eyes fell on Gale and what that would mean for her going forward. Gale may not have been the final girl like Sidney, or the warm comic relief like Dewey, but she was a badass and a fighter, and throughout the series, she had some incredible character development. But when the trailer for the sixth installment dropped, a large focus was shone on Gale as she received her first one-on-one Ghostface call. It’s far from her first showdown with the masked killer, but after the fate Dewey suffered in the previous film, this one felt much more perilous.
RELATED:The ‘Scream’ Franchise: All of Ghostface’s Kills, Ranked
‘Scream VI’ Has Too Many Fakeout Deaths
But it wasn’t just Gale who faced a nearly fatal showdown with Ghostface. Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Kirby, and especially Chad (Mason Gooding) all nearly met their end. Only… they didn’t, and that’s where the problem lies. Gale’s near death was especially painful, she’s already lost Dewey after his own many near-misses. To see her almost be taken down by Ghostface after such a hearty fight was hard to watch. And while the thought of Gale dying had me clawing at my seat in upset, there’s no denying that it would have been a bold choice to just wipe out legacy character after legacy character in this revival of the series.
But it’s specifically Chad’s “death” that grinds my gears the most. His being revealed as alive at the end ofScream 5was a shock in and of itself, so for him to make it out yet again just felt almost cowardly on the film’s part. His “death” scene was heroic, as he urged Tara to find safety, sacrificing himself for it. Sure, it’s wonderful to see him make it out in the end, but it just feels wholly unrealistic and gives the impression that the stakes aren’t high as we thought they were.
‘Scream VI’ Struggles With Follow Through
Early on in the movie, Mindy flat out tells us that no one is safe (hello, we’re in a franchise now!) not even Sam (Melissa Barrera) or Tara (Jenna Ortega). The stakes are high and so are tensions, and audiences are prepared then for potential tragedy to come down upon their favorite characters. But it never happens. Some may argue that not having any of the main characters die is a good thing, after all, we’ve grown attached to them by now, and it would hurt to say goodbye — but that’s exactly why it should happen. It’s time forScreamto pull the trigger and prove that it’s not messing around anymore.Scream 5felt like it was breaking a mold by daring to kill off a fan favorite, butScream VIwent back to the safe route, and while it’s surely nice to see our heroes come out on top once again, sometimes, the safe route is a little too safe.
Sure, we lose some of the newly introduced characters, and those hurt badly too (here’s looking at you Anika!) but every time we meet new characters we know not to get attached. They’re almost always disposable to the plot, either there to be a red herring or to add another tally to Ghostface’s victim list. But the ones we already know? We root for them, we want to see them fight, and that’s why seeing them die would be all the more shocking and impactful.
As much as it hurts to hear, it’s time theScreamfranchise just ups the ante and leans into the rules of a franchise, as Mindy so delicately told us. That’s not to say every character has to drop like flies, but if you’re going to tease a death, a miraculous second coming at the end of the movie just feels cheesy. We all would have loved to see Dewey walk out alive, but it was far more poignant and upsetting that he didn’t, and it just proved that the newScreamera wasn’t here to mess around. And it still isn’t, but if it isn’t going to commit its deaths, can it at least stop with the fakeouts? It’s getting old.
