Tear Jerker / Scream VI

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

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• Laura's savage murder by Jason in the opening. She's a humble associate professor trying to make a living in a city she's clearly native to, and also trying to make an emotional connection to someone through a dating app, but it turns out she's being catfished by a student who's not only mad that she gave him a bad grade, but is also a wannabe Ghostface eager to test out the chance to kill someone convenient. This makes her death all the more senseless and disturbing — even without her being lured into a dark alley where she screams at the top of her lungs while being attacked, to no avail. That she's barely brought up again further drives home the point of how much she not only didn't deserve to die, but didn't have to, either.
• Even after all the trauma she went through a year earlier, Sam is blamed as being responsible for the killing spree of the last movie because of her relation to Billy Loomis. In the city, she is called "the psycho chick", gets harassed by clout-chasing girls who throw a drink at her and call her a murderer, and a video recorded by one of the girls is used on the news as evidence in support of Sam being the prime suspect, although the video appears to show Sam indiscriminately attacking them, even though they initiated the conflict.
  • Sam even breaks down later and tells Tara how hard it is to be hated like that, which is doubly sad when interpreted as her commenting on her own divisiveness as the new protagonist of the franchise. Even though the sisters start the film with tension between them, Tara is willing to completely put that aside to acknowledge how shitty her situation is.
    "I know you're not a fan of the way that I've been handling things, and that I've been giving you a really hard time. But I can say that none of us can relate to what you are experiencing...and I'm really, really sorry that you have to do that alone."
  • On the same note, Sam tries to get therapy for her mental issues and her fear that she’s becoming like her father, but because of her reputation, her therapist rejects her and lies to make sure she can’t see him again.
  • According to Tara, the sisters’ relationships with their mother have deteriorated to the point that they’re not on speaking terms with her; their mom cut off Sam for revealing the truth about Billy, so Tara stopped talking to their mom for not talking to Sam.
• Gale falling back into her bad habits and writing a book about the events of Scream (2022). After the Bittersweet Ending of her arc in that film, with her deciding to instead write about Dewey and let the killers die anonymous, seeing her fall back down the same path can be utterly heartrending.
  • While the Carpenters are right to be upset with Gale, she still considers it a low blow when Sam asks her what Dewey would think of her making another book on the last spree.
• It's vaguely implied that while Chad's shared suffering romance with Tara gets way more focus that his girlfriend Liv getting murdered a year prior, it still hurts so much that he can't even mention her or say her name.
  Chad: Okay, we've all been through some fucked up stuff, and we're coping with it differently…
• Gale being mortally wounded by Ghostface and nearly dying in Sam and Tara’s arms. The way the scene initially plays out makes it look like she won't make it (meaning that for two movies in a row, a legacy character wouldn't be spared), with her telling Sam and Tara what sounds like her last words ("Tell Sidney he never got me.") and then falling completely still. However, paramedics arrive and are able to just barely save her. Sam and Tara's genuine anguish at finding her shows that even after the book, it’s pretty clear that the trio still care for one another.
  • Gale's request regarding Sidney is especially poignant considering Dewey's death was what led Sidney to return to Woodsboro, in spite of her earlier refusal. Who would want to be the reason their friend put themselves in danger?
• Anika’s death is both horrific and saddening. Not only is her death far more prolonged and brutal than she could possibly deserve, but she is clearly terrified when she gets attacked by Ghostface and gets so close to safety on the other side of the ladder before she falls. The devastated wailing of Mindy, Anika's girlfriend, at witnessing her dying makes it worse.
  • Her desperately screaming "Baby, I don't want to die!" right before falling from the ladder only adds to the heartbreak.
  • Mindy and Anika clearly adore each other, yet Mindy can't help but suspect Anika of being one of the killers (as she says, "never trust the love interest"). Now, she has proof she isn't...in the worst possible way.
• Tara and Sam witnessing Chad getting attacked by both masked Ghostfaces, especially as Tara is devastated and has to be pulled away by her sister. Chad ultimately survives, but it’s still a sad moment.
• Kirby looking at the memorabilia of Jill and Charlie at the shrine, showing her inner turmoil at having to deal with death yet again.
  • One small exchange drives it home:
    Tara: Is that—
    Kirby: The knife I was stabbed with.
• The film explains away Sidney's absence by revealing she's taken her husband, Mark, and their kids somewhere safe to hunker down. Not only are the Core Four deprived of a crucial ally, but one must have to imagine how Sidney is feeling. No matter what happens, everything she's done over the course of the last 27 years has barely slowed down the slew of Ghostface attacks.
• Ghostface gloating about Dewey's murder while on the phone with Gale, bringing her to tears. The emotion on her face is heartbreaking; she tries to put on a brave face and threaten the killer, but his sadistic words are clearly getting to her all the while.
  Ghostface: Richie and Amber managed to butcher Dewey. Carved him up like a Christmas goose. How does it feel to lose the only man who ever loved you?
  Gale: Fuck you!
  Ghostface: How does it feel to know that you weren't there for him at the end? Not there to give him comfort as he died screaming in his own guts?
• Before Quinn pulls off her mask, Sam considers out loud that, with Ethan and Wayne revealed as Ghostfaces, the last killer might actually be Mindy. The legacy of Ghostface has sewn so much paranoia and distrust that she considers a close friend and fellow survivor who she’d known her entire life a suspect, and there’s heartbreak in her voice when she asks if it's really her.
  • The last killer being Quinn in general still counts; every moment where she bonded with both Sam and Tara was totally false the whole time.
  • It stings all the more if you consider that it also likely means Quinn is the one who hid the knives in the apartment, and that in turn led to Anika's death.
• Ghostface's motive for killing this time around is to avenge Richie, with his whole family taking up the mantle. While they're obviously monsters, it's also sad to watch them all fall quiet as Richie's home movies play in the theatre shrine. And while he’s still in the wrong, Wayne even mentions that seeing a photo of Richie's body — stabbed twenty-two times, throat slit and shot up — was what made him so passionate about getting revenge. The sight of their child brutalized like that would drive any parent mad.
• It's heavily implied a secondary motive for Ethan was to gain his father's love/approval; he's shown to be noticeably upset when Wayne says, "There's a special bond between a father and his first son."
• While they all completely deserve it for what they put the Core Four through, there is some sadness that the entire Kirsch family is dead. Instead of trying to honor their fallen family member in a meaningful way or warning others to not make the same mistakes Richie did, they become murderers themselves. What's worse is that they didn't even accomplish their main goal, and each is killed by the sisters in agonizing ways. What a Senseless Waste of Human Life. Even then, you still get the sense of Bailey — who himself was never a fan of the Stab movies — was so hurt over Richie's death that he paid tribute to him in the best way he thought he could (as twisted as it is): a Ghostface killing spree.
• After the climax, Tara breaks down into tears over Chad's apparent death. Fortunately, it soon becomes a heartwarming moment when he's revealed to be alive.
• Both original songs created for the film, despite being energetic, can hit close to home for some listeners. They definitely interpret what the beloved characters of the franchise and the singers themselves went through, but anyone suffering from anxiety, depression or addiction can relate to the lyrical messages.
  • "Still Alive" by Demi Lovato emphasizes the physical and mental struggle of fighting for your life.
    Callin' and callin', but nobody comes
    Fallin' and fallin', no air in my lungs
    Gettin' so comfortably numb
    Don't know how I opened up my eyes...
  • "In My Head" by Mike Shinoda and Kailee Morgan touches on the difficulty of overcoming inner demons and negative thinking.
    Buried underneath the noises
    There's a million little voices
    Saying "You'll never make it
    And there's no way to escape it"