Scream 6 is a film deserving of a few stabs, and with that in mind, I feel it is best to go in for the kill, especially now that this bloody knife of mine currently lies embedded through its skull, so I may as well just be able to discuss it with you all as I now wait for the body to bleed out. So shall we?

So Scream 6, or as I refer to it, "Ghostface: Pig in the City," is a highly entertaining film that outperforms its predecessor in many ways, delivering many exciting and engaging set pieces that elevate the tension and stakes in ways that the previous movie may have lacked.

From the film's beginning, it is quite clear that the filmmakers had greater creative freedom to bring their vision to the screen than in the previous installment. As a result, the film features exciting and intense scenes like the thrilling subway chase and the nerve-wracking ladder sequence in the apartment. This time, the filmmakers had greater creative freedom, unlike before, when they had to work with limited sets and locations due to COVID-19 restrictions during filming.

What's more, the characters in the movie are also quite self-aware and in on the joke that this is happening as well. They recognize the larger budget that comes with a new installment and a new city, adding to the series' meta-nature and staying true to what we expect from each entry.

However, while the characters acknowledge the bigger budget and city, they can't help but notice that the film falls short of fully utilizing the potential of its New York City setting. Just like another popular horror franchise that set one of its installments in the Big Apple, which is directly referenced in the film's cold opening, this movie had the potential to do so much more with its New York setting. Still, it ended up doing very little with it.

It's not like I wanted them to have a big finale with Ghostface chasing the entire cast around the Empire State Building. Still, it would have been wonderful that instead of them to utilize more of the city integrated into the film somehow than the finished product seen here, as it would have added to the tension and mood of the movie and allowed the audience to immerse themselves fully in the city setting.

In terms of the cast, I was pleased to see that Melissa Barrera's performance had improved from the last movie, demonstrating her growth as an actress, or, as I assume, that she received better direction from the same two guys as in the last time.

Jenna Ortega, as always, delivers a fantastic performance and has much more screen time than in the previous film, where she was largely absent due to her being hospitalized for the entire damn runtime of the film.

Mason Gooding's Chad, in particular, stands out as the film's MVP. Damn, I love where his character's direction seems to be going, but I'll hush now, given that it would require me to spoil some things for me to do so.

To conclude for today, and to keep in theme with the movie, if the Ghostface killer were to call and ask for my favorite Scream film, I wouldn't hesitate to insult him and tell him that Scream 5 is still the best. After all, if he has my number, I must already be marked for death. Haha.

All joking aside, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Scream 6 and commend Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett for directing another worthy addition to the franchise. Here's hoping this Scream reboot trilogy's third and final installment will be a true banger for the ages.