Scream (2022)
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writer: James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick, Kevin Williamson (creator)
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Dylan Minnette, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sonia Ammar, Mike Madison, Mason Gooding, Kyle Gallner
Reason for watching: New release
***
By 1994, the horror genre had started to run out of gas. Sure plenty of classics had come out. Halloween, The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre have already been released by the genre of late was getting worn done. It appeared the glory days of horror were behind us, but then Scream injected new life into the genre. With its fourth-wall breaking and joke-cracking and some traumatizing kills, it was well-loved by critics and fans alike. But what good will the original had has seemed to have been slowly killed off by the several sequels. The constant meta nature of the movies might have worn down on the audience a bit. It is hard to keep a bit fresh. And the bit in 2022’s Scream is anything but fresh.
The new Scream movie takes places some 25 years after the events of the first film. When a copycat of the original Ghostface killer attacks teenager Tara (Jenna Ortega), it kicks off a killing spree that runs through the town of Woodsboro. After being out of town for several years Tara’s sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) and her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) come back to protect. As mysteries of the town unravel further and the kills continue, Sam, Tara, and Richie turn to key players in the original killings for help. Eventually former Deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette), Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), and the infamous Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) return to Woodsboro to assist with the investigations and stop the murders.
Honestly, I am not opposed to the recent idea that has come about of a legacy sequel. For those of you confused by that phrase, a legacy sequel is a movie or tv show that takes place in the same universe as a pre-existing movie or universe. Usually, this sequel show is made a few decades after the original was released. It’s all about reminding fans of the original franchise and what they loved about it. Think of 2015’s Creed or 2017’s Blade Runner 2049. The best sequels are ones that find a way to reflect back to the great themes from their predecessors. In an odd way 2022’s Scream attempts to do the same thing but through the meta nature of the movie, and it is way overcooked.
Part of what made the original Scream great is how well it understood the genre it was in. The characters seemed to know what kind of story they were in as it was happening. It makes for a fun time as they joke about which of them will be killed or who the killer is. But here we’ve passed more than two and a half decades since the first Scream and horror, spoof, and satire movies have flooded the movie business. We have more in-jokes about the industry and cliches than even before. So when characters in newer movies like Scream from this year sit around and try to discuss cliches and plots for horror movies it becomes borrowing and played out.
On top of this, none of the newer characters make for interesting additions. The main characters are kind of forced to play the straight man to the pseudo-comedians around them, but none of the other characters get enough screen time to be endeared to us. While I do enjoy the returning characters, they also do not have enough time going for them to be endeared. Honestly the only thing that does have enough time to be enjoyable here is the horror/killing scenes. They are well-shot and filled with the proper amount of real tension and violence. But that one good thing does not cover a bad movie in general.
3/10
Until I see another one.