SiftPop

by Scott Batchelor, Contributing Writer

At this point of hot Hollywood rehashes, you have to be a bit tired of the nostalgia laps we have been seeing. Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015 showed that people will flock back to the movies to see old heroes. This has since been done with Halloween in 2018 and Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021.Heck, throw a dart at a popular film franchise and you have seen the star reprise their role in the last 10 years. And the trend will continue with Indiana Jones 5 and Jurrasic World: Dominion. 

But right when you think you have had enough, you can count on the most meta of all meta movies to take the trend to task. The Scream franchise has never been coy about acknowledging the unwritten code of not just horror movies, but all tropes. Scream 2 has a classic sequel debate in a film class, Scream 4 has characters discuss the difference between a remake and sequel, and of course Scream (1996) has one of the most iconic horror rules monologue ever. Scream (2022) has one of the best rules discussions since the original, and that is not the only thing it does to match the original. Scream (2022) takes a stab at the nearly impossible task of making the fifth installment well worth a watch, and I dare say, absolutely kills it. 

We begin how every Scream movie opens, while we are still on a black screen, we hear the simple yet chilling sound of a landline phone. There is something magical about hearing a landline ringing in a Scream movie. It’s just as iconic as any score or prop in any other movie. Think blaster in Star Wars, except less sci-fi. This scene plays out exactly how you know it is going to play out. The killer calls our first potential victim and they play a cat and mouse game until Ghostface shows up to give us our first kill of the movie. The dialogue in this opening matches the original in creativity and meta-ness, as they discuss favorite scary movies, but with updated movie titles like The Babadook and It Follows. Fans of the franchise will know exactly how this plays out, but there is one minor twist that sets this one apart which makes you instantly relieved that after five movies in, they know to change the formula. 

We are then introduced to our suspects and victims, and the charm takes a bit of a hit. Maybe I have some nostalgia goggles on but the original introduction gave us Rose McGowen, Matthew Lillard, and Skeet Ulrich. These actors do not have the name power yet to make me interested in what they have to say. At least Jamie Kennedy gave us memorable impressions to latch onto. These new characters were written to spout off lines that come across as forced because their characters have not been fleshed out yet. However, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin (as in related to original character Randy Meeks) outshines everyone else in every scene she is in. She is witty, much like her uncle Randy, and the go-to expert on all things horror and Stab (the movie-in-a-movie franchise that resembles Scream). Mindy is the character in this one that gets to relay the rules of a “Requel,” a cross between a remake and a sequel — think Scream (2022). 

Everyone else is given bland character traits — Wes (Dylan Minnette) is the son of the sheriff, Chad (Mason Gooding) is the jock, and Liv (Sonia Ammar) and Amber (Mikey Madison) are given no more traits than existing in a horror movie. Then of course there is our usual trio to round out the cast. Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox all return, but sadly are not featured nearly enough. 

The story’s main focus is new leading final girl, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) who investigates the attacks for personal reasons alongside quippy boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid). Sam spends a large part of this movie wrestling with her past and feeling conflicted over her notorious father, while also trying to make amends for those who she has hurt in the past. As far as comparing her to Neve Campbell, well, Barrera misses the mark a bit. Campbell played angsty in such a way that was not overly annoying. You can tell that Sidney Prescott (Campbell’s character) had a past, but she was doing her best not to let it define her. Sam Carpenter has a past, and she is all too comfortable with letting it define her. Barrera isn’t annoying as the lead, but when she is starring in the same movie as the archetype that Campbell played 25 years earlier, you have to make the comparison. Without the heroes of the previous movies, Barrera is forced to play the focal point of all the killings, but this movie really only hits its stride when we get Gale Weathers (Cox), Sidney, and Dewey Riley (Arquette) talking to each other. 

The chemistry between the Scream veterans really stands out when you mix in the rest of the younger cast. Even just a phone conversation between two of the original characters is able to make you feel like they are truly talking to each other. The new brood of character has not yet built that chemistry, and it sets an unfortunate barrier between people who know how to play the part and others who are just learning. Arquette in particular is acting circles around his co-stars, as he is just as charming as ever but with a wisp of old man wisdom to dispense. 

Despite the larger cast than your average Scream movie, it feels the bit players are abandoned for large chunks of time to focus on Sam and Richie. It is hard to tell if that is intentional to continue to make everyone a suspect, but I felt like I really wanted to get to know some of these people more to gather clues. The only time you ever really see them is in a group setting where only Mindy gets a chance to develop any character. 

Despite the lack of real emotions for the new crop of potential franchise carriers, when the third act hits, my heart’s still beating. This is a Scream movie after all. Our killer reveal starts off with a bang and it is everything you could want from a third act whodunit. Obviously I would not dare even allude to who the killer or killers is here, but I want it on the record, I was extremely satisfied and shocked and confused and was hanging on each word as the killer or killers explained their motive in traditional Scream fashion.  

Scream (2022) had a lot to live up to. The fourth installment was a bit uninspiring, and box office numbers showed that the well had dried up and the franchise was all but dead. Coming back 11 years later? They had to have a story worth telling, and somehow they created something that is perfectly balanced by tying our new heroes to the iconic cast of the original. This truly felt like the perfect passing of the torch. Scream: the new class can move the franchise forward while letting the original stars fade into the pantheon of horror icons. The meta-speak in the first movie was refreshing and revolutionized how we discuss horror movies. The sequels tried to capture the magic, but it took this installment to match the originality. Scream (2022) may not have attempted to reinvent the wheel, but they certainly knew how to use the wheel to keep the momentum going. 

Grade: A- 

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