Scream (2022) – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Scream (2022) – Blood of Fandom: A Familiar Stab … with a TWIST

When you think of horror, you think of dread and fear.  From dark hallways to the supernatural, this genre finds ways to encompass these feelings to create unique spectacles.  To provide a quick spook can create moments but etching terror in our minds can create everlasting memories.  In this review, I look at the next chapter of one of Wes Craven’s famed horror franchisee.  Part sequel/part reboot, this fifth chapter takes you on a bloody path of unique twists.  Even when elements seem familiar, Scream (2022) does enough to reignite the mask of meta.

Twenty-five years have passed since the tragedy of Woodsboro.  All seems peaceful, until a new Ghostface goes on another murderous rampage.  As fear entraps the town again, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Sam (Melissa Barrera) must uncover the truth behind the mask.  From the beginning, the directive is to build a story with a sense of familiar brevity.  The opening is a scene-by-scene replication of the original’s epilogue; positioning a female character to ‘answer the phone’ of a stranger.  There’s a lot of nostalgic elements, but the messaging moves the familiar beyond the obvious.  This new setup gives a retrospective of fandom, a foundational reference that lays the framework for the new rules of surviving Ghostface.  This opening act leads through convenient plot devices that bring Sam (and her friends) together with past survivors; Sidney, Gale (Courtney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette).  With this new terror, they must (once again) figure out the motive and who is the killer behind the mask.  As they traverse the town (looking for answer), it is placed against the backdrop of folly and unrelenting horrific deaths.  Like the original Scream, these deaths are meant to capture situations that are homage to traditional horror films.  Through predictable camera angles, atmosphere and setups, each scene pushes realism through meta-like settings.  Each situation plays against familiarity, but this time, with an intent to turn the obviousness into a commentary on the current state of horror.  Each death reflects something important in the past, but also is a setup for something that propels truths into the limelight.  With Sara having to face certain things, this leads to a connection that makes the mystery more thrilling. 

As deaths begin to pile up, the mystery of ‘what’ and ‘why’ starts to reveal unwanted memories about Sam.  When certain things come to light, the entangled prophecy leads to a past haunting in familial ways.  All these moments lead into a third act where the surviving few converge on a place with a treacherous history.  This leads to the final reveals that cause the moments of familiarity, meta and fandom to become a twist of forced intent.  Even when explanations seem trite, it leads to a climax of true fulfillment.  Scream (2022) is a reboot/sequel that pushes the franchise in a new but familiar direction.  Even with a lackluster third act, there is enough horror for a good time.  If you are a fan of the franchise, horror or meta/commentary, this is one for you.  A good time at the theater for the right price. 

Full Score – 3 out of 5 (Theater Discount)