Whenever we hear the news of a sequel, reboot, a redefining or the dreaded “requal”, to a beloved franchise, it is always met with a pinch of salt and a collective sigh after being burned by these promises more times than we can count and the new Scream was no exception.
Being the first in the franchise without the involvement of the master of horror himself, Wes Craven, there was vast scepticism about not only how good this instalment would be, but more over, was it necessary or even still relevant?
Well, this Scream is here to say that your rules of how to build a bigger and better requal don’t matter in the slightest and it is all the better for it.
Scream is by far the strongest the IP has been since the ground-breaking horror icon first hit our screens. It is gory, tense with such in your face meta that you can’t tell whether it is laughing with you or at you but never overstays its welcome.
New Is Always Better
Scream (2022) accepts where it came from, and proves the craze of the great traditional slashers that have come before it are still alive and well.
Especially when it discusses its place amongst the modern classics that take a deep dive into mental health issues and society as a whole, but is unapologetically balls to the wall jump scares, someone lurking behind a door, fridge or bathroom mirror, and some truly gory kills while poking fun at us for wanting and loving these things that made us fall in love with the genre to begin with.
When it comes to a new instalment after many years, a studio always tries to think about the longevity of the IP and so introduces a new young cast of characters that we can all get behind that always seem oddly familiar to the old cast so lovers of the franchise don’t feel left behind.
Scream’s new young and refreshing cast are no different to this trend, however embrace it in the best way by having some characters quite literally repeat the sins of the past.
Despite our long standing survivors each having their own moments to shine, they are clearly only supporting characters in this new direction that only helps elevate the opportunity for the franchise to grow way past this stellar volume
Overall, there is not one new member that lets the side down and you can’t not love them, only making every kill inflicted by the infamous ghostface only that much harder to endure.
A special mention needs to go to Jack Quaid and Jasmin Savoy for stealing the show and making every scene they are in that much more entertaining to watch.(
Ghostface Makes A Chilling Return
Scream offered some of the most brutal and gut wrenching kills (literally) since it’s first in the franchise, with the gore on full display, leaving very little to the imagination on the gory outcomes of the woodsboro murder, however it never feels unecessary or unwarranted but instead, reminds us all of what has been missing from the franchise since the gnarly kills of the first.
This new direction offers a fresh take on what felt like an old and dying IP and leaves a bright and blood filled future for the franchise for all horror fans to be excited by. The tension is ranked up to 11 and with anyone on the chopping block, all I would say is never get too attached to anyone caught up in these new Woodsboro murders.
The love for the previous Screams is on full display and a sharply created film that all involved should be proud of.
Verdict
Scream is more than just a beautiful return to form for the franchise but a reinvigoration that is cleverly self-aware and proof that the infamous ghostface still has plenty of scares left in them. Scream is simply a love letter to the fans and to Wes himself. A movie that is more than worthy of all of us possibly reconsidering the answer to the question “What’s your favourite scary movie?”
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