--Ghostface, Scream
"I'm Sidney fucking Prescott. Of course I have a gun."
--Sidney Prescott, Scream
What a damn excellent movie January of all months brings to 2022 with Scream, or Scream 5. The absolutely masterful blend of drama and clever or subtle comedy on display shows a level of writing talent that is rarely seen. The cast of new and returning characters, with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette doing a superb job of reclaiming their roles from the previous movies, make practically every already well-crafted line all the more potent. Even the cinematography has some very well choreographed or unusual shots that elevate this aspect of the film as well. At its heart, this 2022 sequel is very literally an in-universe celebration of the horror genre in typical Scream fashion and an affirmation of just how much of an impact the genre can have on its fans.
Production Values
Everything from the blood effects to the cinematography to the dialogue and acting screams (that seemed like such a fitting verb to use here) that the creators of this sequel actually tried to make a film of high quality. While never having as much gore as some of the later Saw movies, Scream revels in its great shots of Ghostface as victims meet their end--and even defies the cliche of musical cues indicating the killer is nearby right before jumpscares. In one brilliant scene, the music and camera angles and events onscreen suggest multiple times that, were this another film, a jumpscare is moments away, but the door closes or the character moves only for the music to stop and the audience to see that Ghostface is not standing right there. So much about this movie is clever and needed in today's horror environment.
The new characters, played by Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid (who I was introduced to through The Boys), Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, and so on, are right at home in their roles, and their chemistry with each other makes it almost unfortunate that not every newcomer will survive to a possible sequel so that viewers can see them interact all over again. On top of this, the organic diversity of the cast once again showcases how to include diversity without anything seeming forced. Returning cast members Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox also make the most out of their lines and scenes in a perhaps flawless passing of the torch from renowned classic characters to new ones. One specific scene even lets Courteney Cox do such string acting with her eyes and expressions alone that the personal stakes are made more apparent just from her face. The new and old characters' in-film comments on nostalgia, sequels, and storytelling patterns are also perfectly at home in the cinematic climate of the last 10 years as reboots are increasingly pursued and hated all at once.
Story
Some spoilers are below.
An attack by a Ghostface on a young woman in Woodsboro brings her older sister to the area, and the two, along with the older sister's boyfriend, begin desperately investing a renewed series of murders that eventually get the attention of Sidney Prescott, Dewey Riley, and Gale Weathers. This Ghostface seems particularly focused on the secret connection of the sisters to a previous killer. Friends of the victim begin exploring trends within horror to expose possible ways to stop Ghostface, which culminates in the sisters deciding to simply leave Woodsboro, something that they realize almost never happens in horror when the victims stay in the same place as they await their fates.
Intellectual Content
The epistemology of identifying a masked killer is actually given a fittingly serious exploration even amidst the humorous and yet very intelligent dialogue. A character says they are "almost 100% certain" that another character is not Ghostface right in front of them, and yet it is impossible for someone to have anything near absolute certainty about, as a non-telepathic being would never know if other minds even exist, much less what they are specifically thinking or what secrets they might be hiding. It is this inability to know other minds that allows Scream to do a great job of emphasizing how it is logically possible for the killer to be one of multiple core characters. As they talk about things like reboots and nostalgia and Mary Sue characters, the protagonists are mouthpieces for the very culturally and narratively attuned writer(s) of this film, as well as grander philosophical ideas that they might not even fully grasp.
Conclusion
If this turns out to be an indicator for the quality of theatrical release movies in 2022, then this will be a great year for films and moviegoers. Scream continues the trend of contemporary horror sequels or reboots in major franchises that are excellent to the extent that in some cases they are even better than the originals that started the series. Perhaps this is even the best recent example of a sequel to an old franchise using and honoring its legacy characters well. After the likes of Star Wars and Terminator have received much criticism for how the latest main series films have handled the original characters, whether the criticisms were accurate or irrational, Scream provides an example of how to use such characters in a way that builds off of their former appearances and serves the new story. The classic meta-analysis of horror storytelling in the movie is a great pillar alongside the other pillars of excellence like the acting.
Content:
1. Violence: A knife gets stabbed through a hand, a neck, and other body parts onscreen, and several shots include lots of blood as characters take gunshots or knife wounds.
2. Profanity: "Shit," "fuck," and "bitch" get used in dialogue on multiple occasions.
3. Sexuality: A man and woman and two women are separately shown kissing in a sexual manner for a short period.
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