Critics can't decide if Scream 6 is "treading water" or "sturdy and familiar"

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Scream 6 is the latest installment in the beloved slasher franchise and, this time, things are a little different. For one thing, the action has moved from Woodsboro to New York City as survivors Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and Chad (Mason Gooding) find themselves terrorized by Ghostface once again. But what do the critics make of the latest outing of everyone's favorite scary movie?

"Though Scream 6 doesn’t want for slash 'n' splatter or tense set pieces, its half-baked meta-matter makes for a mid-ranking series entry, closer to a brusquely effective wallop with a brick than a clever killer jab," writes Total Film's Kevin Harley, rating the movie three stars out of five.

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey is much more positive about the slasher sequel, writing: "For all that Scream 6 may feel sturdy and familiar, you just know some academic in 20 or so years will be picking apart its bones to tell us how much it really said about who we are. Scream is a long way from losing its purpose."

However, according to Associated Press' Mark Kennedy, "Scream 6 is less a sequel and more a stutter-step, a half-movie with some very satisfying stabbings but no real progress or even movement. It’s like treading water in gore."

"Ultimately, Scream 6 delivers exactly what the fans expect, which is more of the same," says The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck, while Digital Spy's Ian Sandwell echoes: "Scream 6 is sure to satisfy fans, even if it ends up being a bit too familiar for its own good.".

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.