GET READY TO SCREAM (2022)

 This review was originally posted to Letterboxd on January 14, 2022.

In 5cream, a brutal attack on a family member brings Sam and boyfriend Richie back to her hometown of Woodsboro. As Ghostface slices and dices his way through our new, young cast; who will remain to stand and fight?

5cream is the first Scream film to be made after it's beloved creator, Wes Craven's, passing. This makes 5cream the first Scream to not be directed by Wes (and the 2nd to be written without original scribe Kevin Williamson. Williamson gets an executive producer credit, but who knows how hands-on he was during production). So, how does it fare? Does a Scream film without the input from the men who created it and arguably understood it best have any chance of success?  

Jenna Ortega impresses as Tara (Ortega is a stand-out), estranged younger sister to Sam. Tara is not your average victim. She has smarts and doesn’t fall prey to typical victim tropes. Tara is one of the best characters in the film. I definitely want her on my team if I found myself trapped in a horror movie. Melissa Barrera as Sam ( our lead) is also pretty great. She harbors a secret that sets Ghostface off. Sam is a memorable, bad-ass “final girl”.

Jasmine Savoy Brown makes for a welcome addition as Mindy, our new Randy (fits, considering she is his niece). Mindy is very knowledgeable about pop culture and film, and has a dry wit to her. She’s pretty laid-back, chill, and very likable. Jasmine Savoy Brown fits the role very well, and is downright excellent. 

Jack Quaid plays Richie, boyfriend to Sam. Richie is a kind, ineffectual goofball (kind of like Dewey in a way) who is devoted to Sam. He’s more played as the comic-relief, but the bits he gets work. Quaid does a good job ( and gets some moments to really shine), but Richie is only somewhat memorable in the end.

The returning cast all do great jobs (though it sometimes feels like they are in a different movie), but it’s David Arquette who gets the most screen-time (and thus has the most chances to impress) as Dewey. Dewey’s sheriff days are over, but he is reluctantly roped back into action when our new cast show up at his door. In this film, David Arquette proves that it’s Dewey who has been the beating heart of this franchise. It’s Arquette’s heartfelt, awkward, and shy performance that has kept Dewey a fan favorite character, and he gets some great heroic moments.

5cream is the best Scream since the first sequel ( it also has the best intro since 2), though it’s certainly not without it’s flaws. The structure could have been stronger, the killers aren’t great ( certainly not as great as those in Scream 4), there’s one recurring effect that doesn’t work well, and some of the dialogue is bad. That said, the call backs to the first film and the choice to spiritually recreate certain moments from that movie mostly work. 

This outing is imbued with a sense of play during some scenes (Thanks in large part to directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet, who excel at their jobs). The kills are savage this go-round. Ghostface is brutal af and does not give a f as some attacks risk capture (his taunts also sometimes hurt as much as his knife). 5cream easily ranks as the 2nd bloodiest and most brutal installment (Scream 4 is still number one). 

Radio Silence is the team responsible for 5cream, and in their hands it’s tense, ultra-violent, fun, clever, and very memorable. 5cream feels more like the first Scream than any other previous installment (It definitely reminds of The Force Awakens in a way), and it’s yet another great example of how to properly pull-off a Legacy-quel (pronounced Lega-sequel). The meta/self-aware nature of the franchise stays in tact, and it really does feel like any one could be the killer. 5cream successfully continues the modern day re-birth of the slasher genre. So if a scream is what you're Craven, check out 5cream. 

4 STARS

CATCHIN' UP WITH GHOSTFACE

 Waaaay back in 2011, Wes Craven released his long-awaited follow-up to Scream 3. The trailer and advertising seemed to promise a passing of the torch of sorts to a new generation, as well as new rules and new commentary for the "current" state of horror. I was in my Sohpomore year in college when Scr4m (as it was stylized in advertising) was released. I was excited, and had binged the previous three films to prepare. I left the theater disappointed, but not totally let down. I've re-visited Scream 4 multiple times in an attempt to see what some love about it, but my opinion has more-or-less remained the same. Below, in preparation for my 5cream review,  you can find my thoughts on Scream 4 after my most recent viewing August 2020.

Scream 4 is easily the most cynical of the Scream films, and it approaches it's outlook on modern horror and millennials with a mixture of confusion and contempt. The large amount of new characters are used purely as kill fodder (such a missed opportunity). The killers this time around are likely the best since the first Scream, and this 4th-quel is the bloodiest, goriest, and most brutal outing yet. The returning characters are all great as well (Dewey in particular impresses, as does Sidney). Unfortunately, this film looks like shit (the cinematography by Peter Deming makes the film appear to be consistently bright, glare-y, and whited out). There are good, clever moments throughout but as a whole Scream 4 doesn't really impress. In the end, there are some things to recommend here but overall Scream 4 is very uneven and not all that memorable. At least it's better than Scream 3, I guess.

So in the end, even Wes Craven had difficulty making a Scream film that could live up to the first two outings. Tune in next time to see if the latest attempt left Wes rolling in his grave.