Entertainment Movies 'Scream VI' First Reactions: Critics Praise Film's Ensemble Cast, 'Especially Vicious' Ghostface Scream VI is in theaters March 10 By Tommy McArdle Tommy McArdle Tommy McArdle is an editorial assistant on the Movies team at PEOPLE. Tommy joined PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 8, 2023 10:58AM EST Ghostface has arrived in New York City for the latest installment in the Scream franchise — and so have the first critical reactions for Scream VI! The new sequel in the franchise, co-directed again by Scream (2022)'s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and starring Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere in her return to movies, sees the survivors of the last film's Ghostface murders move to New York City to start a new life together — only for a new masked killer to emerge over Halloween. Critics have shared their initial reactions to the movie on social media in recent days, with many praising how its filmmakers upped the ante with Ghostface's attacks throughout the movie and overall praise for returning stars Barrera, Ortega and Panettiere. Paramount Pictures As of Wednesday morning, Scream VI's Rotten Tomatoes critical score stands at 80% approval from 44 critic ratings. Scream Creator Recalls Phone Call with Hayden Panettiere That Got Her to Return: 'It All Worked Out' Collider's Perri Nemiroff called the film "another win for the series" in a Twitter thread posted last Friday, writing that the film's Ghostface attacks are "especially vicious" and that Barrera's performance as Sam Carpenter "in particular is a FORCE in this movie." "She takes everything they set up in 5 and just soars with it," Nemiroff wrote. "What an exceptional balance of heart and ferocity." Philippe Bossé/PARAMOUNT PICTURES Rotten Tomatoes critic Tessa Smith praised the movie's action and sequences, though she wrote that its twists came across "a TAD predictable." "Love seeing Hayden Panettiere back.. she's amazing," Smith wrote on Twitter early Wednesday. "Jenna Ortega crushes it, of course. Perfectly meta & FUN! Dang, I love this franchise!" Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Daily Dead managing editor Heather Wixson wrote on Twitter last Saturday that the movie is "slashtastic" and praised the overall performance of the series' "Core Four" of Barrera, Ortega, Savoy-Brown and Gooding. "Pacing's great, the Core Four rule hard, some truly inventive set pieces & you can just feel Radio Silence's love for horror & this franchise from start to finish," Wixson wrote. "As a 26+ year fan of this franchise, I'm happy. Very happy." Courteney Cox in Scream VI (2023). Philippe Bossé/PARAMOUNT PICTURES Skeet Ulrich Says Neve Campbell 'Misses' Being in Scream VI but 'She Loves What We've Done' Podcast host and Rotten Tomatoes presenter Roxy Striar wrote on Twitter Wednesday that she "can't believe they can still come up with new ways for Ghostface to freak me out." "Checking under my bed tonight for sure," Striar wrote after seeing the new movie. "Jenna Ortega & Melissa Barrera are magic. Courteney Cox forever." In a review for IGN, critic Amelia Emberwing wrote that Scream VI is "the best sequel in the franchise," though she noted that the movie "does ultimately fumble" its in-universe reasoning for why the series' lead character Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) does not return. Scream VI is in theaters March 10.