After an eleven-year absence, the serial killer Ghostface returns to the small town of Woodsboro to carve up more teenagers who are obsessed with horror movies. Since these kids have been weaned on “elevated horror”, Ghostface has to quiz them on good old slasher flicks before he moves in for the kill. Naturally, it’s only a matter of time before the original Woodsboro Final Girl, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) arrives on the scene to put an end to Ghostface’s reign of terror.
Scream is the fifth entry in the long-running Scream franchise. If you’re wondering why they waited eleven years to make a sequel after the subpar fourth film, or even better, why they bothered to make another one in the first place, don’t worry. Like The Matrix Resurrections, this Scream is a rebuke to toxic fandom. Also, like The Matrix Resurrections, a lot of time is spent on characters gratuitously explaining to other characters important plot details and/or spoon-feeding the explanation to the audience as a way to show the filmmakers’ distain for fanboys who didn’t like the way the sequels to their beloved franchise came out. And like The Matrix Resurrections, all of this is done in a very meta sort of way that is kind of charming.
As the other films in the series skewered horror movies, sequels, and remakes, this Scream is a riff on the legacy sequel. You know, like Halloween (2018) or The Force Awakens, where the original characters you knew and loved take a backseat to new characters you never quite warm up to. I guess it goes without saying that the scenes involving Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are a lot more involving and (dare I say) emotional than the shit with the new cast members. I’m not saying the fresh meat is bad or anything. They are certainly more tolerable than the young cast from Part 4. However, the pacing drags considerably whenever the new leads are at the forefront.
The good news is, new directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not) can talk the talk. The scenes where the characters spout off the new rules for the “re-quel” are a lot of fun. They certainly have a lot to say about the new “elevated horror” trend as well as the legacy sequels they are poking fun at. When it comes to walking the walk… well… you can’t top the master, Wes Craven. The stalking scenes, while bloodier and a bit more graphic than the previous films, lack the flair Craven brought to the series. They do a fine job setting the scene with the requisite opening slasher sequence (that at least has one notable twist) as well as deliver a fairly decent, if a bit talky finale (although this is a Scream movie, so what did you expect?). I just wish the stalking sequences in the second act were as good.
The big stumbling block is keeping the so-called “legacy” characters on the sideline for much of the movie. Like the new Star Wars trilogy, the original trio of characters don’t get a whole lot of screen time, and even then, they aren’t exactly utilized all that well. The best thing I can say is that when they were on screen, whether it was nostalgia or goodwill talking, it was truly great to see them. I just wish they were there to drive the story and not serve it. And while I will keep away from spoiler territory, there was at least one legacy cast member that I didn’t expect to see at all, and when they showed up, I kind of half-cheered, even if their appearance(s) were a bit goofy.
So, for a decade late “legacy sequel”, you can do a lot worse than Scream. Few franchises get a fifth entry that actually feels like a worthy continuation. Even if it’s not exactly the Scream I was hoping for, it’s a solid, if unspectacular slasher, and frankly, the world needs more of those.
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