Scream (2022) is the fifth installment of the scream franchise and acts as a soft reboot of the original film which debuted in 1996. I have always held the first Scream film to a higher standard than most horror films of its time. It was a well acted slasher flick with comedic undertones and a pair of bone-chilling killers. In an era of un-killable murder machines like Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kruger, Ghostface feels like a nice change of pace. No supernatural powers, no obscene levels of plot armor, just two demented teenagers with far too much time on their hands.
It was the perfect recipe for an instant classic in the mid 90s. Yet what followed the monumental success of Scream were 3 sequels that while inoffensive, never managed to recapture the same magic that made fans fall in love with the original. Until now, Scream (2022) successfully reimagines the high school murder mystery in a more modern light while simultaneously paying homage to the original in a tasteful manner.
This film reuses the original concept of two masked killers murdering members of their friend group for fame. However, it uniquely manages to tie all of the established characters and new additions together in a (mostly) organic manner. The result is an immensely fun whodunit story that uses gas lighting tactics and misdirection to keep the audience unaware of the identity of the killers.
As seasoned cinephiles, my friend David and I used clues sprinkled throughout the first act to correctly deduce who the killers were. Yet despite uncovering the mystery so early, it had little effect on our enjoyment of the film. To the both of us, It felt just as entertaining to watch these characters try to figure out what we already knew as it would have been to be blind to the mystery. Without giving too much more away, Scream (2022) is a thoroughly entertaining “popcorn flick”. Here you won't find the chilling racial themes of Get Out, or the detailed commentary on schizophrenia you see in Hereditary, but what you do get is a fun murder mystery that should keep the average movie fans on their toes. I truly did not expect to enjoy this fifth Scream film as much as I did and I enjoyed it so much so that a re-watch of the original may be a part of my foreseeable future.
I rate this film a 6.5/10
