Scream (2022)

Streaming Service: Paramount +
Movie Name/Year: Scream (2022)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 1h 54min
Rating: R
Production/Distribution: B&H Film Distribution, Constantin-Film, Forum Hungary, Lantern Entertainment, NOS Audiovisuais, Odeon, Outerbanks Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures Australia, Paramount Pictures Germany, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Pictures UK, Project X Entertainment, Radio Silence Productions, Spyglass Media Group, United International Pictures (UIP), Universal Pictures International, Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writer: James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick, Kevin Williamson
Actors: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Mikey Madison, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Ammar, Marley Shelton, Skeet Ulrich
 
Blurb from IMDb: 25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
Scream was much more in the vein of the original film than any of the other sequels were.
 
The sequels always took that meta-ness and tried to turn it into something it wasn’t. As a result, they never quite captured that first feeling. Instead, the majority of them wound up feeling kind of pointless. In Scream, however, we find the tropes being made fun of are more up to date and manage to be a bit subverted.
 
Through use of music and our own expectations, the film really plays with suspense. It never tries to lure us into a false sense of security, though. I’m guessing that’s because the creative team knows better. They know exactly who we’re going to expect and turn that around on us.
 

When I found out the Scream “requel” would be directed by Tyler Gillet (V/H/S, Devil’s Due, Southbound) and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (V/H/S, Devil’s Due, Southbound), I had high hopes. Their work on Ready or Not more than impressed me and I was absolutely ready for their next project. I’m glad to say they lived up to my expectations.
 
I enjoyed Scream in all its corny, remade, sequel-y, goodness. I think it’s going to be a hard movie for any further from the series to follow.
 
Scream 6 comes out in 2023, supposedly. That I’m a little nervous about.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
With this 4th sequel to the original Scream, I was initially leery – for more than just the fact that they recycled the original movie title without the number to indicate it’s the 5th movie. Then, after doing some digging, I learned that the core cast of the original would be involved and the writing and directing were in capable hands, I began to have more hope.
 
The new Scream delivered. The story leaned into all the best aspects that have made this franchise a game-changer for horror. Its self-awareness and self-deprecation in the humor and story were huge selling points. I mean, seriously, this series of films has invented a fictional franchise of Stab movies to echo the happenings. Where else could you find something crazy like that?
 
Another aspect that I really enjoyed in this new installment was the fact that they embraced modern technology. From the alarm system app to clips of YouTube streamers reviewing the Stab movies – Scream was keeping up with the times. Usually, productions conveniently write out the tech in some way. There’s so much more that this Scream incorporates into the landscape of this film, but I don’t want to spoil all the details for you.
 
I think directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, as well as writers James Vanderbilt (White House Down, Independence Day: Resurgence, Murder Mystery) and Guy Busick (Stan Against Evil, Ready or Not, Castle Rock), really did an excellent job here of creating an intelligent movie that was both a love letter to the horror genre and to the franchise’s creator, the late great Wes Craven (1939–2015). In addition to the dedication at the end of Scream, there were also character names and locations that gave callbacks to his work. (There were so many other little horror-trivia-related Easter Eggs everywhere. It was unreal.)
 

If you love this series, the good news is that there is a Scream 6 currently in the works. Unfortunately, I now have mixed feelings about the next movie, considering Neve Campbell (House of Cards, Skyscraper, The Lincoln Lawyer) went on record with Deadline earlier in June to state she turned down the offer to reprise her role again.
 
It was great, however, to see Campbell, Courteney Cox (Cougar Town, Mothers and Daughters, Shining Vale), and David Arquette (Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets, Ghosts of the Ozarks, Quantum Cowboys) sharing the screen again and getting into the mix. There was speculation that the new friend-group cast, coupled with the returning cast, presented a torch-passing moment for the franchise. I think that might plausibly work, even with Campbell’s exit after this 5th installment. I remain hopeful. 
 
On-screen sisters Jenna Ortega (Yes Day, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, American Carnage) and Melissa Barrera (Vida, In the Heights, All the World is Sleeping) gave commanding performances and their friend-group was cast so well that I got an eerie deja vu calling back to the first Scream. (This was likely quite purposeful.)
 
If you love the Scream movies, then definitely watch this new one as soon as you can. This was my second watch-through, having seen it as soon as it hit digital rentals a few months ago. I would gladly watch it again.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 76%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 81%
Metascore – 60%
Metacritic User Score – 7.0
IMDB Score – 6.4/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5
 
Movie Trailer: