Tags
courtney cox, David Arquette, jasmin savoy brown, jenny ortega, matt bettinelli-olpin, Neve Campbell, scream, tyler gillet
Back to Woodsboro we go.
As a horror fan (the original Scream along with A Nightmare on Elm Street are solely responsible – thanks Wes), this franchise has always been high on my list (is it the most consistent horror franchise?).
I love Scream 3 and 4 just as much as 1 and 2 for different reasons!
With Scream (2022), Wes Craven is sadly gone (still hurts) but so are the Weinsteins (still feels good) who as producers notoriously messed with production and the original vision of the first 4 Scream movies.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett have directing duties now, Kevin Williamson is a producer but not the writer and the trailer pitched a legacy style sequel that dropped the number 5 and lacked the meta humour and wit found in the original series.
Of course, I was excited, and I wanted to be hopeful BUT…
Like Ghostface leaping from nowhere, let’s cut to the chase.
Fans of the series have nothing to fear. Scream (2022) is not only lovingly true to the series but knows when to break those all-important rules to deliver something that also feels fresh.
Make this the last review you read to avoid spoilers. The marketing team have done their best to avoid giving away too much including how meta and witty the movie is, reflecting on the current state of horror, the Scream franchise, movie fandom, and legacy sequels (that number 5 was dropped for a reason and the movie is aware!).
The new cast are great (especially Jenna Ortega – The Babysitter: Killer Queen and Jasmin Savoy Brown – Yellowjackets) and the legacy cast get to do some of the best work they have done in the franchise. Bettinelli-Olpin & Gillett have discussed wanting to honour Wes Craven with this film.
The best way to do so that was to create a funny, scary slasher film that subverts expectations.
The Prognosis:
Consider the Master honoured.
Scream (2022) does just this with the directors maintaining their own style and voice.
The fans (dressed as legacy characters) at the advanced screening I attended, applauded at the end.
I joined them.
- Drew Jarvis – Watch It Wombat
Surgeons of Horror 