Scream

On a certain meta-level, the film’s protagonists excuse the fifth Scream for being a mere recycling of several worn-out formulas and motifs (which it is), because that’s what devoted fans want. And it is possible that that might actually be enough for fans of the genre, particularly fans of this franchise. Nevertheless, such a hackneyed film that serves viewers practically the same thing as its predecessors and has no need to distinguish itself in any way is hardly saved by the fact that its creators are aware that it’s worn out and humorously point that out in places. The protagonists can endlessly make snarky comments about the various rules of the horror genre and all of the mistakes that horror-movie characters make, but what good does that do if they themselves can’t avoid making the same mistakes? To a certain extent, however, there is still some entertainment value in the game of guessing which character is the killer while the possibilities gradually dwindle. Otherwise, neither the new (and not particularly likable) characters, the return of old familiar faces nor the gory (though unimaginative) murders hold much appeal. (02/20/2022)

Ghostface is wreaking havoc again in Woodsboro, and the local kids cannot keep up with him. Not only veterans but also a young heroine with a dark secret have returned to the town. Is it possible that people are dying because of it? The new Scream comes with a new creative team and plenty of fresh ideas. Ironically, it's a bit lacking in the horror aspect, and the new characters aren't very engaging, but it makes up for it with a clever script that bends horror clichés in a very interesting way, plays with the genre, and this time even with the viewers and fans themselves. Very clever and very entertaining, probably the best thing we've seen in this franchise since the first one. (01/13/2022)

The gap between the fourth and the "fifth" film was filled by the MTV series, but unfortunately, it didn't work. So, after 11 long years, we get another great Scream. The main trio is back - Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, and Marley Shelton (and a few other casting surprises) from the fourth film. Current topics are requels, legacy sequels and elevated horror. Among the new faces, actresses Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mikey Madison (that girl has Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Addams Family in her filmography, unreal), and Jasmin Savoy Brown did great. I also enjoyed it a lot thanks to the perfect atmosphere and the accompanying program in Edison. (01/25/2022)

The good-ol’ Scream just like we remember and love it. The new team hasn’t fundamentally changed the functional formula that Scream has been following for decades, just updated it for 2022 and fleshed it out in an remarkable way. The first one poked fun at simple slashers, the second made fun of sequels, the third mocked the last parts of trilogies, and the fourth one was a commentary on the changes that had since taken place in the horror genre. As a de facto reboot, it poked fun at reboots and remakes, added some gore, and brushed up against the once-dominant found footage trend. But another ten years have passed and the fad now is requels/legacy sequels and elevated horror. So it's clear what the fifth Scream had to be and is about. It's a requel, commenting on its requeliness, and it's also a bit of elevated horror, since one of its central themes is the toxic fandom surrounding the Scream film franchise Stab. And I think it's all done really cleverly, entertainingly and in some parts quite boldly. The scene where one of the potential victims walks halfway through a house, filmed to include perhaps ten potential (and unfulfilled) clichéd jump-scares, is hysterical and accurately illustrates the playfulness with which Gillett and Bettinelli-Olphin approached the new Scream. The only small problem I have is with some of the acting, especially the main new character Sam and the family relationship issues attached to her, which I didn't care for. But still, the first good horror flick of 2022. (01/14/2022)

All the participating creators obviously love Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, so they pay them a hundred and one tributes, dig to the very bottom of the homage and really present a new Scream in all its glory. But the whole time you can tell that it's not exactly right, just like it wasn't right in 2000 when a different screenwriter came for the third installment and the lightness started disappearing immediately. Thanks for the return of all the legends, thanks for the fact that the meta flip of everything is still here, but maybe less would be more. The discussion about the direction of the genre, the point, and the fandom takes up almost half of the running time and undermines the series itself too much. Despite one fitting jump scare and a few nicely tuned moves, I am ultimately disappointed with the lack of tension, freshness, and overall novelty that even the underrated fourth one was bursting with. Additionally, the series resorts to steps it didn't have a reason to take before, and when discussing all possible identities of the killer at the end, it suddenly didn't matter anymore because any potential surprises had already been revealed. I don't welcome the planned sequel, it's terribly early as far as keeping healthy boundaries is concerned. (02/10/2022)