This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

The four survivors from the most recent Woodsboro Ghostface killings have moved to New York City for a fresh start. Just as they begin to feel a sense of normalcy, they receive that infamous call. Ghostface is more brutal and relentless than ever and will stop at nothing to hunt them down.

For in-depth thoughts on Scream VI, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Scream VI offers a tremendous presentation, but the lack of an accompanying Blu-Ray makes it hard to judge the level of improvement over the Blu-Ray. There is a striking amount of detail present in nearly every shot. From the production design to the costumes, you are gaining so much raw texture that allows the film to feel more immediate. Even the gory bits are more goopy and squirm-inducing. The change in location allows for less gorgeous foliage, but the facades of the buildings are impressive in their own way. Skin tones appear natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores.

The Dolby Vision elevates all of the nuances within the colors to capture their most rich and vibrant form. The black levels are especially strong here, staying deep and inky with great detail in the shadows. Highlights are more defined with whites pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Elements in the various interiors are more vivid and distinctly delineated. This 4K UHD presentation delivers an ideal presentation on all fronts including color, clarity and detail. Paramount has knocked this one out of the park.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a Dolby Atmos presentation that fully delivers on all fronts. From the opening moments, dialogue comes through clearly without getting overshadowed by the music or any sound effects. The experience feels very focused on immersion, as various environmental sounds flow out of your side, rear and height channels. Each sound is carefully placed with precise spatial awareness. The track engages all of the channels with a carefully mixed experience that captures the bustling city that serves as the new locale. This is expressed even more in the height channels, which rarely take on the focus of any moment but always adds some expansion.

This is a film that has put the utmost thought into sound design and this disc executes everything better than you could have hoped. When the film gets particularly active, this disc brings these horrific moments right into your living room with a depth and clarity of sound that will knock you sideways. Every minor bump in the darkness is given the appropriate heft to the thematic scenario. The low end always digs deep when the situation warrants it. Paramount has delivered the ideal audio experience, so fans will have a great and unsettling time traversing the big city.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, and Executive Producer Chad Villella provide a very lively and informative commentary track in which they discuss the excitement coming off the production of the last entry, shaking up the setting, working with the cast members, secrets behind how they executed certain kills, production woes and more.

Death Comes To The City: An eight-minute piece which takes a look at the decision to move out of the comfort zone of the series and into the Big Apple with a fresh perspective on where the series could go and how the characters would respond.

The Faces of Death: A 14-minute featurette in which we explore the dynamics of the core four survivors and how their stories evolve after the events of the previous film.

More Meta Than Meta: A nearly 11-minute look at the place of this movie within the larger franchise, the hidden easter eggs dropped throughout, returning cast members and more.

Bloodbath at a Bodega: A five-minute dive into the deadly confrontation at the bodega, the stunt performances and more.

An Apartment To Die For: A nearly eight-minute exploration of the attack at the apartment, how they staged the elaborate sequence, the practical effects implemented and more.

The Night Train To Terror: A six-minute look at all the facets that went into pulling off the subway sequence on Halloween night.

Theater of Blood: An 11-minute featurette which explores how this film captures nostalgia and weaves it into the narrative.

Final Thoughts

Scream VI is a very welcome next step in this long-running franchise as it transitions from what came before into an exciting, uncertain future. Filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett once again handle the tonal balance of wit and thrills with great aplomb. Some of the most brutal moments from the series reside in this one, but there is not a sense that the franchise has lost what made it special. The resolution of this is sure to be polarizing, but we once again cannot wait to follow where this series leads. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a fantastic A/V presentation and a good selection of supplemental features. If you are a fan of the franchise, this is just as good as ever. Recommended

Scream VI is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.