Film: Scream (2022)

GENRE: Horror
RATING: R for bloody violence and strong language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 54 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Melissa Barrera (In the Heights, Spanish TV shows)
Jenna Ortega (upcoming Wednesday, You); Jack Quaid (Hunger Games)
DIRECTORS: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not)
WRITERS: James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) & Guy Busick (Ready or Not)
PLOT: Another Ghostface terrorizes Woodsboro and those linked to the original film.

FULL DISCLOSURE: The only horror franchise I watch.

STORY STUFF: What I appreciate about the Scream franchise is that it fills its horror flicks with lots of meta (self-referential) dialogue and moments. This one brings a whole new level to meta. The verbal dissection of scenes and previous installments is quite funny. They even address the fact that this Scream film doesn’t bother putting a ‘5’ after it. Along with the characters being too clever for their own good, there is a decent murder mystery to solve. I mean, I pretty much had it figured out early on but it was fun to see it played out. There is one scene that is utterly ridiculous though - Woodsboro Hospital apparently has only one patient and no nurses or doctors during one of their shifts. Where did everyone go? If Ghostface got to them, I would like to see the storage closet that is stacked with gutted hospital staff. Maybe they all refused to get vaccinated and were sent home. In any case, it was some lazy writing. I was also surprised at lack of neighborhood traffic when people are getting killed on their front lawn in broad daylight. For a town that is home to multiple mass murders and plenty of copycats, you would think that Woodsboro would heighten security around the anniversary of the famous stabbings. Oh well, I’ll suspend my disbelief and enjoy the mayhem and fun dialogue.

ACTING STUFF: Lots of overdramatic screams and accusations abound from this cast of characters. The legacy characters of Sydney, Gale and Dewey bring their wisdom and tiredness. The new kids are pretty typical for a horror film. The stand out for me was Jack Quaid (Dennis & Meg’s kid) who plays the main character’s boyfriend who hasn’t seen the Stab films and wants to survive. His ending of a party and refrain of “I’m saving your life” was a highlight.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: This Scream installment seemed more bloody than previous ones. Lots of multiple stabs instead of a couple well-placed thrusts. The film does a great job of setting up the jump-scare at times. There’s a fun scene where Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why) is setting a table and keeps opening doors. Love the playfulness. It was also nice to welcome back Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” which was featured in each Scream film except 4.  

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: If you’ve seen the previous Scream films.     
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Tragedy of Macbeth