phancy.com - horror reviews - MOH 2022

Scream



IMDb Info

Release Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 54m
Country: USA
Language: English
Genre Tags: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Plot Summary: 25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.

Poster - Title Card


phancy.com rating:

phancy.com notes: Do you like the previous Scream movies? You'll like this one. They're all esentially the same movie, each sequel repackaged to suit the meta-commentary of the time. This one is no different. It's a little meaner and gorier than previous entries, which is welcome change of pace from the camp humor that always bubbles up.


Outside Reviews:

Brian Tallerico
3 out of 4 stars - rogerebert.com

The 2022 version of "Scream" is a film for viewers raised on the 1996 version of "Scream" and its three sequels. Whereas the first script by Kevin Williamson turned the kind of conversations that fans had about John Carpenter and Wes Craven in school cafeterias and coffee houses into something daring and riveting, the new script by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick exists in a world where those conversations happen on a much larger scale in Discord chats, Reddit threads, and fan conventions. It's a horror film for a world in which everyone has an opinion on horror films. Luckily, it smartly balances references to the original movies in a way that (mostly) avoids the self-aware smugness that has killed many a "re-quel," delivering a product that feels consistent with the first four movies but distinct enough to have its own voice. Some of Craven's craftsmanship and skill with performers is lacking here, but by the time the film is rising to the rafters in its bonkers final act, I don't think any of the true horror fans in the audience will care.


Katie Rife
Grade: B- - A new generation takes a stab at Scream in the first sequel without Wes Craven

Unlike another recent decade-late meta-sequel, The Matrix Resurrections, Scream seems overjoyed to be playing in an established IP sandbox. But the weight of legacy still holds the movie down. (It's a heavy burden, too. The late Wes Craven, an undisputed horror icon, directed every Scream movie except for this one.) In its strained effort to combine established players with new ones, Scream's structure nearly collapses on itself, building momentum and then squandering it for a visit with another old pal. This is most obvious with a pivot midway through the film that brings all of the many characters to the same familiar location. It's a device that lands with a loud, clanging thud.