How to Watch Scream VI… and is it Worth Watching?

Written by Tu

May 9, 2023

After landing in theaters on March 10, the latest installment of Wes Craven’s Scream movie franchise is now on streaming. We gave Scream VI a full 2 hours of our time and we’re here to tell you where you can watch it and – perhaps more importantly – if it’s worth your time.

⚠ Spoiler Alert

Before you read further, we assume you’ve seen all or most Screams 1 through 5. If you haven’t, just be warned that there are some (major) spoilers regarding the earlier movies. But don’t worry, there are NOT any major spoilers about Scream VI.

Do you need to watch Scream 5 before watching Scream VI?

You don’t absolutely need to watch Scream (as the 5th movie is officially titled) before watching Scream VI, because you could probably still enjoy it enough as a slasher. However, we strongly recommend watching it, because there are a lot of callbacks to it throughout the movie. (So much so, that you’ll have a fairly good idea about what happened in “Scream 5” just from watching “Scream 6”.)

Another reason to watch it first is that the movie’s main characters (and their backstories) are introduced in the previous film. And one of the franchise’s regular characters is also killed off.

Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers in Scream VI
Courtney Cox returns as Gale Weathers

Who is in Scream VI?

Three characters appeared in all of the first 5 films: Sidney, Gale, and Dewey. They were like the Holy Trinity of Ghostface Slayers. However, only one of them returns for Scream VI.

Neve Campbell chose not to reprise her role, making this the first Scream movie without Sidney Prescott. But we figure she’ll be back one day – maybe for Scream X. Dewey, due to his heroism and an unfortunately timed text message, was mortally unable to return. 

Therefore, Courtney Cox became the only person to appear on the screen in all 6 Scream movies. (Roger L. Jackson continued to be the voice of Ghostface in all six.)

Also returning, are the “Core 4” characters from the last movie: sisters Sam and Tara and twins Chad and Mindy. A couple of others return as well, but if you haven’t seen the movie poster, we won’t spoil the surprise.

Other notable actors include Dermot Mulroney, Henry Josh Segarra, and Henry Czerny. And in a stroke of genius casting, there’s also Samara Weaving, who starred as the titular character in the horror black comedy The Babysitter and its sequel, The Babysitter: Killer Queen. We’ll give you one guess as to her role in the latest Scream movie.

A censored frame from Scream VI.
Scream VI cranks up the gore factor.

Is Scream VI worth watching?

Paying homage to its roots while updating to reflect the current zeitgeist (as all Screams do), the movie starts with a pretty blonde answering the phone. But instead of a babysitter in a kitchen, she’s a college prof in a bar – trying to connect with her Tinder Flirtr date. And anyone who’s seen a Scream movie knows where this hookup is heading.

After an opening scene that adds some new twists, we discover that similar to Scream 2, our heroines have moved away to college. And this time they’re in NYC, à la Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan – but this movie’s actually good.

There’s still the film buff who explains sequels and prequels and requels, laying out the rules of the “franchise”, where films are only made to boost an IP and even the main characters are expendable. 

“No one is safe. Legacy characters? Cannon fodder at this point. Usually brought back only to be killed off in some cheap bid for nostalgia.”

-Mindy Meeks-Martin

It just needs to be bigger, badder, and the opposite of last time. And that certainly comes true here. The gore factor is cranked up a notch, so if Scream 3 (the tamest in the series) is your favorite in the franchise, this may not be for you. It’s not Hostel, but it’s a bloody far cry from Scary Movie.

Let’s be blunt. If you enjoyed Scream “5”, the answer is undoubtedly yes. If you like slashers, the answer is also yes. And if you’re even asking this question, the answer is most likely still yes.

Film buff Mindy explains The Rules of the Franchise to the groups of friends. She's wearing a t-shirt  with "Strong femme lead" written on the front.
Film buff Mindy explains The Rules of the Franchise

Where to stream Scream VI

For now, you can only stream Scream VI on Paramount+. For all you need to know about the streamer’s features and prices, and what we think about it, check out our in-depth Paramount+ Review.

It is not available to rent yet, but you can buy it for around $20 at the usual places: Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Redbox, Vudu, and more. 

Where to watch all Scream movies online

Scream (1996)

Director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson essentially revived the horror movie genre in 1996 with Scream. It openly mocked the genre’s clichés, but embraced them just as hard, injecting life into a tired and dying genre that had become a straight-to-video boneyard.

After hauling in $173 million at the box office on a $15 million budget, the movie has since found a place on many Best of lists, including Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments and Empire’s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

You can stream the original Scream on:

  • DirectTV STREAM
  • STARZ

It’s also available for rent for around $4 on plenty of platforms, like Apple TV, Amazon, Redbox, Vudu, and more.

Scream 2 (1997)

Sidney, Gale, and Dewey were back just a year later! And the first Stab movie is already in theaters. Also back – of course – is the next iteration of Ghostface, who follows Sidney to college in Ohio. 

Faced with production problems and plot leaks, Scream 2 almost did as well as the original at the box office, taking in just $680k less than the first one. It’s the highest-rated sequel in the series on Rotten Tomatoes, and many consider it the best film in the franchise.

The impressive cast is like a Who’s Who? of the 90s, with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Heather Graham, Joshua Jackson, Omar Epps, Tori Spelling, and Rebecca Gayheart. Liev Schreiber also returns, along with Timothy Olyphant and Jada Pinkett Smith, a quarter-century before The Slap Heard Around the World.

You can stream Scream 2 on:

  • Paramount+
  • Hoopla (with ads)
  • Pluto TV (with ads)

It’s also available for rent for around $3 to $4 on platforms like the Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Amazon, Redbox, Vudu, and more.

Scream 3 (2000)

Three years after the events of the previous film, Scream 3 has Sidney living far away from Woodsboro, hoping to never see Ghostface again. But, of course, she gets called back into action. As do Gale and Dewy. But this time they’re in Hollywood, where the movie folks are filming Stab 3, the latest installment of the meta film series that’s a running thread throughout the real-life franchise.

Hot on the heels of the Columbine Massacre, this installment leans more heavily on comedic elements than violence and horror, an approach that Scream VI definitely did not take. This makes it, in our opinion, the weakest film in the series.

You can stream Scream 3 on:

  • Paramount+
  • Hoopla (with ads)
  • Pluto TV (with ads)

It’s also available for rent for around $3 to $4 on platforms like the Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Amazon, Redbox, Vudu, and more.

Scream 4 (2011)

Officially stylized as SCRE4M, the 4th in the series was better than the previous film, but it still felt like the cow was running out of milk. The 3 mainstay characters – Sidney, Gale, and Dewey – are back, and it’s the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro murders. 

On tour to promote her self-help book, Sidney swings through Woodsboro for a reunion with old friends. And there’s no way Ghostface is going to miss it!

You can stream Scream 4 on:

  • DirectTV STREAM
  • STARZ

It’s also available for rent for around $4 on plenty of platforms, like Apple TV, Amazon, Redbox, Vudu, and more.

Scream (2022)

With another 11-year gap between Scream movies, the 5th installment indicated it was rebooting the franchise by titling itself simply Scream. However, it wasn’t a complete scorched-earth reboot as Sidney, Gale, and Dewey were all present and accounted for. But it did introduce new, younger heroines for Sidney to pass the torch to.

You can stream Scream exclusively on:

  • Paramount+

It’s also available for rent for around $3 to $4 on platforms like the Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Amazon, Flix Fling, Redbox, Vudu, and more.

Scream VI (2023)

We’ve already given the rundown on what Scream VI is about and where you can stream it, but we’re adding it here for those of you who prefer to jump to the end.

You can stream Scream exclusively on:

  • Paramount+

It is not available to rent yet, but you can buy it for around $20 at the usual places: Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Redbox, Vudu, and more.

Ghostface holding a shotgun in a bodega.
Not somebody who you want to see when you hit up the bodega.

That’s it for our round up of all the Scream movies and how to watch them. What’s your favorite of the bunch? Let us know in the comments below!

👀 CHECK OUT: The 17 Best Back-to-School Horror Movies Now on Streaming and The 11 Best Summer Horror Movies for more ways to scream.

More in Movies

15 Of The Most Overlooked Gen X Movies

There's no shortage of Gen X movie lists. (And lists about underrated or underappreciated Gen X films probably aren't suffering either.) But what's more Gen X than a list of the most overlooked Gen X movies? After all, the generation started the whole "I liked it...

The 11 Best Summer Horror Movies & How to Watch Them

We're still a long ways from Huluween, and what better way to beat the dog days of summer than hiding away inside, cranking the AC, and watching a horror flick? That's why we put together a list of our favorite summer horror...

22 of the Best Horror Movies on Netflix in 2024

There are currently over 360 horror movies on Netflix. That's almost one for every day of the year. Of course, they're not all worth watching. We've curated a horrifying list of some favorites, some classics, and even some for the family to watch together. 👀 CHECK IT...

10 Best Punk Movies & How to Stream Them

We're not talking about Dirty Harry's idea of a punk. Obviously. We're talking about good ole punk rock. And before you scan the list and freak out because you don't see The Decline of Western Civilization or American Hardcore or A Band Called Death, relax — we're...

9 of the Best International Horror Movies on Netflix in 2024

When saying "International movies" people typically mean non-English movies. British and Canadian movies aren't usually listed under International on streaming services or found in the video store's Foreign section. (If you happen to zip back in time in your...

👋 This post may contain affiliate links. They don’t cost you anything, but if you make a purchase we may get a small bonus to help in our fight against robots. See our Disclosure page for more info.

Related topics

You may also like…

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *