Scream is one of my favorite horror movie franchises of all time. It was one of my first introductions into the genre and what an introduction that was. This new installment could’ve easily fallen into the typical tropes of sequels, but instead provided a breath of fresh air while also giving us that nostalgia that we love, still staying true to the original source material.
Now, this is not to say this new Scream movie is perfect. Are the performances top notch? No. Is every aspect of the story thought through and fully fleshed out? No. Are Gayle and Sidney used as much as they could’ve been? No. But, is Scream still a true Scream movie that is a hell of fun time? Yes! We get that typical mystery of who’s behind the ghost face mask that genuinely kept me guessing and contemplating other characters motives.
The kills were original and thrilling and kept you on the edge of your seat while watching the film. It’s such a good time at the movies and the time just flew by watching this because I was enjoying every minute of it. There is a classic factor that’s been injected back into the franchise. There’s the constant discussion of pop culture and horror movies in particular and I adored the addition of talking about high brow horror.
The Scream franchise will always have the original as the best, but I would say then would come the fourth installment and then this latest installment. The latest two installment feel like they are finally having fun again and not taking themselves too seriously which is what the Scream movies are all about.
Scream is a traditional slasher movie so yes there will be people making dumb decisions, which makes the movie fun, and there are going to be some gruesome kills and fights which are crucial to a slasher. Here we were brought into a new world that still felt familiar and nostalgic, but had that correct balance of new that makes us excited for what we are moving forward with.
The two standouts other than the legacy characters are the twins, Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin. These are of course the nephew and niece of our favorite scary movie expert Randy Meeks from the original. These two really brought the fun back in terms of having that “expert” of the rules back. It brings back those classic horror movie tropes and the conversation around don’t make dumb decisions but we’ll make them anyway. The Meeks-Martin twins are some of the most fun characters in the film and like I said the horror movie expert storyline is always the fun part of the films for me because that is who I see myself being in these situations.
The legacy characters of Gayle, Sidney and Dewey were great to have back. Unfortunately they were not given too much to do here which is upsetting, but they did have a few really cool moments. I feel they were mainly here to pass the torch to the new cast which I’m okay with because it was well done. We feel we have all the aspects of the original crew set in place with this new crew.
Now, the killer mystery here was solid. I was guessing to the very end and even to the point where there were scenes the characters were second guessing themselves and each other, and so was I, because those seeds of doubt were planted so perfectly. When it came to the killer actually being revealed I thought it was extremely clever and I loved the motivation behind it. Those final act moments and fights were some of the most tense and fun parts of the film. Along with the intro which is always a scream classic. It had some typical things – the phone call and the girl alone in her home- thrown in there as well as some new twists which were all welcomed.
Scream (2022) is not a perfect movie, or a perfect sequel, but it is so much fun to have these characters and this story back on the big screen. They could have easily fumbled the ball here, but didn’t. There is much needed nostalgia, but also a lot of new things to make us excited to move forward with new characters. It’s fun, bloody, thrilling and all the makeups of a good sequel. Scream is back!
I give Scream (2022) a B+
