Scream

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are a proven duo (Southbound and Ready or Not were no fluke) and the return of the famous slasher franchise is a great success. Those with knowledge of previous episodes have an advantage, I've forgotten most of it, but thankfully it didn't detract from the viewing experience. New youngsters are introduced and old friends return, Ghostface is in great shape (the high bodycount is a plus) and he definitely knows how to use a knife, he makes his victims uncomfortable and in all different ways and angles, so definitely a nice show. The nice thing about Scream is that it's one of the few slasher films that follows absolutely all the rules of the genre, even shapes and plays with them. The detective-like hunt for the killer, where absolutely everyone is a suspect and nobody can tell with certainty who Ghostface is until the finale works very well here. The various allusions and winks to other horror films and the the occasional wisecrack are nice, and the explanation of why Scream is a Legacy-seqquel and not a sequel or prequel was downright brilliant and very apt. It's not a horror film to be scared at, although the suspense works, but as entertainment it's almost impossible to fault. Story 3/5, Action 4/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 3/5. 8/10. (03/22/2022)

I have very mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's certainly not as good as everyone tries to claim, but on the other hand, it's watchable and I'm not disappointed. The familiar cast of faces, the return of many characters, the film's theme of "purging" all characters related to the characters from the first film, the bloody murders that are not spared, and most importantly the return of the series as a whole. But when I think about the negatives, there are many more. The attempt to constantly reference the series is at times overly annoying and clichéd, and when a character dies and instead of suffering, smiles cheerfully it comes across as laughable to say the least, even embarrassing. But what annoyed me most of all is the absolute stupidity of the characters, they all do exactly what no one would ever do, and when it happens over and over again, it already makes you wonder if the creators don't think you are a moron. For me, the behaviour of the victims is one of the main criteria of a good slasher movie, unfortunately this is not just a problem of the new Scream, but of the genre in general. Not to mention the fact that for the first time in the entire series I guessed the killer after the first twenty minutes. All in all, an inoffensively mediocre murder mystery, but I think it's very overrated and tries too violently to reference the previous installments, which ultimately, paradoxically, trips it up. It just lacked a bit of juice, because watching the same thing for the fifth time without any innovation is getting a bit tiresome. (01/19/2022)

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. (01/14/2022)

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)

The Scream franchise was bound to come back at some point even without Craven, so there is no reason this could not happen. This movie is a solid continuation of the franchise, even if it does not bring much new to the table. I was slightly shaking my head at some of the creative decisions. Plus, with one specific creative decision, I even said I might not count it as canon (and I am not going to). However, this is still a very entertaining slasher horror movie that is undeniably meta. Some of the dialogue makes you laugh, and it is entertaining with fine new characters, among which Jack Quaid clearly stands out. Plus, there is Kyle Gallner as the white trash redneck who should have been in there a damn sight more! With the next installment, the movie’s producer will just have to go down a very crazy route, so it is not the same thing over and over again, so I expect at least the return of Matthew Lillard, who probably only has minor scars on his face from the first Scream. (02/05/2022)