New "Scream" Movie Slashes Box Office Expectations
The new “Scream” movie delivers classic fun “Scream” experience and stands out from the other sequels.
By Tyler Lilly
The new “Scream” movie delivers classic fun “Scream” experience and stands out from the other sequels.
By Tyler Lilly
I love the “Scream” franchise, the original being one of my top three favorite horror films, and one of my top 10 overall. So when I heard a new “Scream” movie was coming I had some complex emotions. On one hand I was happy to have more “Scream” movies, but on the other hand I was a bit worried that this movie wasn’t going to live up to the previous installments. The last time this franchise attempted a time jump it wasn’t great, but I am happy to report this movie is not horrible. It’s actually pretty good.
The movie takes place in Woodsboro, about 20 years after the events of the first movie. The story follows a mostly new cast with a few legacy characters that get caught up in a new Ghostface’s murder spree. It’s a solid horror movie with a lot of the elements that made the original “Scream” great, though it does not manage to eclipse that masterpiece. It is a fun movie with some very frightening parts that deliver that “Scream experience” that the last two movies failed to deliver. If you are interested in this movie, I would go see it before reading any reviews. As like every “Scream” movie, it is a whodunit that is actually quite compelling in this movie, so it’s best to go in as blind as possible.
One of my main issues I had with this new “Scream” movie before seeing it was that it was made after Wes Craven, the creator of the “Scream” franchise and a prolific horror director, passed away in 2015. Luckily, his influence is clear; this feels like one of his movies and a fitting honor of his memory. This movie hands down has the best gore and action in the franchise. The kills are brutal and surprising, even if they are mostly just stab wounds and gunshots. The action is punchy, weighty and like all of the “Scream” movies, the victim attempts to fight back, which looks amazing in this movie especially. The set pieces of this movie are also a highlight. From the hospital that feels like a redemption of the not-great hospital scene in “Scream 4,” to the return of Stu’s house where the finale takes place just like it did in the original.
The characters who get killed are also pretty strong. The supporting cast is fun and relatively likable with strong motivation. Some standouts from the new cast are the Meeks twins who serve the same role as their uncle Randy did in the first two movies. The two of them fill the hole that hurt the franchise. I also quite liked Richie, played by Jack Quaid. He was likable and arguably had the best jokes in the movie and his twist was the probably the most surprising this series had been since Billy’s fake death in the original “Scream.”
The main characters were even better. Melissa Barrera as Sam, delivers one of the best performances I have seen in a horror movie in a long time and her sisterly bond with Jenna Ortega, as Tara, feels real and genuine. Of course, the legacy characters are also great. The acting and writing both feel like natural progress from where the story left off. My favorite legacy character and the one that gets the most screen time is Dewy, played by David Arquette. Dewy’s character has changed heavily from earlier films, becoming a loner with an implied drinking problem. This feels like a logical place to take his character as it gives us a full journey with him from the young, well meaning deputy to slightly more serious sheriff, to a sad, older man.
The meta aspects that are really what makes “Scream” what it is, returns in this movie. In this new installment, the film tackles the new horror trend of “requels” as well as toxic fandoms. This aspect hits a lot more than it misses. As the horror Easter eggs and references to the earlier “Scream” movies are always fun, I also liked the ending, which allows for a sequel, but does not outright demand one like most modern movies.
Another smaller aspect I liked was the music. The score was created by Brian Tyler, a veteran composer who works mostly in horror and action movies. The score is well done; it manages to increase the tensions in the more horror focused scenes particularly standing out in the climax. The licensed music was also good the end credit song “Fall Out Of Love” by Salem being my personal favorite
This film is not flawless though. One aspect I had an issue with was Sam’s hallucinations. It was an interesting concept, but did not get developed nearly enough and felt tacked on. I felt that one of the villains was a bit weak and their relationship to the other villain was not developed nearly enough to be convincing and their message board meeting felt repetitive, since it was already used in “Scream 2.” The villain’s plan overall was weak. Their motivation was not given enough explanation. Another slight issue I had was that Sidney and Gale felt a bit too similar to Laurie Strode from the “Halloween” remake. I would have preferred they tried something different with those characters.
This movie is easily the best movie in the “Scream” franchise since the original, and exactly what I wanted in a new addition to one of my favorite franchises. If you like the “Scream’’ franchise or just enjoy bloody fun movies, I would recommend “Scream” to you, and I am excited to see where the series goes from here.
“Scream” is now playing in theaters.
The movie takes place in Woodsboro, about 20 years after the events of the first movie. The story follows a mostly new cast with a few legacy characters that get caught up in a new Ghostface’s murder spree. It’s a solid horror movie with a lot of the elements that made the original “Scream” great, though it does not manage to eclipse that masterpiece. It is a fun movie with some very frightening parts that deliver that “Scream experience” that the last two movies failed to deliver. If you are interested in this movie, I would go see it before reading any reviews. As like every “Scream” movie, it is a whodunit that is actually quite compelling in this movie, so it’s best to go in as blind as possible.
One of my main issues I had with this new “Scream” movie before seeing it was that it was made after Wes Craven, the creator of the “Scream” franchise and a prolific horror director, passed away in 2015. Luckily, his influence is clear; this feels like one of his movies and a fitting honor of his memory. This movie hands down has the best gore and action in the franchise. The kills are brutal and surprising, even if they are mostly just stab wounds and gunshots. The action is punchy, weighty and like all of the “Scream” movies, the victim attempts to fight back, which looks amazing in this movie especially. The set pieces of this movie are also a highlight. From the hospital that feels like a redemption of the not-great hospital scene in “Scream 4,” to the return of Stu’s house where the finale takes place just like it did in the original.
The characters who get killed are also pretty strong. The supporting cast is fun and relatively likable with strong motivation. Some standouts from the new cast are the Meeks twins who serve the same role as their uncle Randy did in the first two movies. The two of them fill the hole that hurt the franchise. I also quite liked Richie, played by Jack Quaid. He was likable and arguably had the best jokes in the movie and his twist was the probably the most surprising this series had been since Billy’s fake death in the original “Scream.”
The main characters were even better. Melissa Barrera as Sam, delivers one of the best performances I have seen in a horror movie in a long time and her sisterly bond with Jenna Ortega, as Tara, feels real and genuine. Of course, the legacy characters are also great. The acting and writing both feel like natural progress from where the story left off. My favorite legacy character and the one that gets the most screen time is Dewy, played by David Arquette. Dewy’s character has changed heavily from earlier films, becoming a loner with an implied drinking problem. This feels like a logical place to take his character as it gives us a full journey with him from the young, well meaning deputy to slightly more serious sheriff, to a sad, older man.
The meta aspects that are really what makes “Scream” what it is, returns in this movie. In this new installment, the film tackles the new horror trend of “requels” as well as toxic fandoms. This aspect hits a lot more than it misses. As the horror Easter eggs and references to the earlier “Scream” movies are always fun, I also liked the ending, which allows for a sequel, but does not outright demand one like most modern movies.
Another smaller aspect I liked was the music. The score was created by Brian Tyler, a veteran composer who works mostly in horror and action movies. The score is well done; it manages to increase the tensions in the more horror focused scenes particularly standing out in the climax. The licensed music was also good the end credit song “Fall Out Of Love” by Salem being my personal favorite
This film is not flawless though. One aspect I had an issue with was Sam’s hallucinations. It was an interesting concept, but did not get developed nearly enough and felt tacked on. I felt that one of the villains was a bit weak and their relationship to the other villain was not developed nearly enough to be convincing and their message board meeting felt repetitive, since it was already used in “Scream 2.” The villain’s plan overall was weak. Their motivation was not given enough explanation. Another slight issue I had was that Sidney and Gale felt a bit too similar to Laurie Strode from the “Halloween” remake. I would have preferred they tried something different with those characters.
This movie is easily the best movie in the “Scream” franchise since the original, and exactly what I wanted in a new addition to one of my favorite franchises. If you like the “Scream’’ franchise or just enjoy bloody fun movies, I would recommend “Scream” to you, and I am excited to see where the series goes from here.
“Scream” is now playing in theaters.