'Scream' A Review

Scream is a meta-slasher movie, the fifth installment in the series, that brings us back to Woodsboro 25 years after the events of the first movie. The movie opens with a scene mirroring that of the original but with commentary on the evolution of the horror genre in the ensuing years as well as digital security. The Ghostface killer has returned! The movie pulls in a new cast of young characters that are targeted/have to deal with the threat as well as the series hero Sydney(Neve Campbell) and series mainstays Gail(Courtney Cox) and Dewey(David Arquette).

The newcomers all bring a freshness and much-needed contemporary connection to the movie. Melissa Barrera as Sam is the lead but doesn't function to replace or duplicate the character of Sydney, there's a fun twist to her character, and she anchor's the movie effectively although the real fun is had by the supporting cast. Mason Gooding(as Chad), Mikey Madison(as Amber), Jack Quaid(as Richie), Jasmin Savoy Brown(as Mindy) all really lean in, are funny, and have a ton of fun which is contagious. And there's a good balance between establishing this new young cast with bringing in the series vets Campbell, Cox, and Arquette. It isn't their movie but they're an integral part of it, there inclusion is enough to be satisfying but not so much where it falls victim to the kind of flaccid retread many of these "requels" tend to.

The production design is sharp, the pacing propulsive, with some bangers on the soundtrack. Great balance of gore and humor as well as perfect and precarious balance of homage and narrative progress. If it isn't out-and-out scary well the Scream franchise was never really about that. The story moves, the kills are gross, there's a lot of laughs, Campbell returns as reigning final girl Sydney, and there's plenty of commentary about the horror genre as its evolved over the past decade or so. What more could you want?

A surefire hit for horror or Scream fans. A notable improvement from Scream 4.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.