Scream (2022)

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett | 114 minutes | horror, thriller | Actors: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Mikey Madison, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Ammar, Marley Shelton, Skeet Ulrich, Kyle Gallner, Chester Tam, Reggie Conquest , Heather Matarazzo

The Scream franchise was born in 1996 and became a hit with multiple sequels. That was partly due to the fresh and original character of the first part. It was both a classic slasher and whodunit with a nod to many of its illustrious predecessors. What set the film apart was that in ‘Scream’ the makers thoroughly ridiculed the conventions of the genre. 26 years and three sequels later, a new part follows, which simply bears the same name as the original: ‘Scream’.

In the new Scream, the town of Woodsboro is once again startled by a killer in the infamous Ghostface costume. To unmask the sadistic knife puller and stay alive, a group of young people enlists the help of a number of old acquaintances. With the return of Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley, the three survivors and main protagonists from the first ‘Scream’, this new episode quickly becomes a celebration of recognition for fans of the franchise. During the film we are explained in great detail that the new ‘Scream’ is a ‘requel’: a film in which old acquaintances and fresh characters cast a familiar storyline in a slightly new form that better suits the new zeitgeist.

The mix of new, familiar, young and old works quite nicely, especially because the film links up with the fine original with a strong opening scene and the right tone. The search for the perpetrator is long (almost everyone who plays a substantial role in the story ends up in the suspect’s bench for a while), but it remains interesting because the identity of the killer is not very clear.

Although Ghostface happily fires, hits and shoots, ‘Scream’ has to rely more on its ingenuity, high nostalgia value and ingenuity than on the creepiness. There is regular blood flow, but ‘Scream’ rarely gets really scary. You don’t have to expect a lot of innovation in the new ‘Scream’, but as an ode to the original and entertaining slasher, this movie is fine. Not as good as the original, but worth a look.