Scream takes us back to the town of Woodsboro, CA 26 years after the brutal murders that started it all. Now, a new Ghostface killer has appeared who seems to be targeting people related to the original killers Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher. The first victim Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) survives the attack, prompting her estranged older sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) to return to Woodsboro to aid her sister. But Sam’s return unveils a dark secret that puts a new generation at risk and calls old survivors to return.
The meta commentary within the Scream franchise has always served as the pseudo conscience of the genre, pointing out its foibles, cliches, and direction in the respective eras during which it was made. Its characters comment frequently on horror’s current golden age coined as “elevated horror” that finds the time to provide psychological aspects that comment on the milieu of the modern age while simultaneously scaring the audience. It’s a self awareness of the film’s own direction that is reflected in the plot and motive of this era’s Ghostface killer(s) unfolding onscreen as the characters reflect on the effect the change in horror’s style has had on the in-universe Stab slasher franchise based on the Woodsboro killings that started it all. What sets Scream apart this go round is the fact that this house style of meta commentary expands into new yet still topical territory that allows the film to feel timely and provides it was a freshness that makes it eminently entertaining while bringing it into the new era.
This time, it sets its sights on obsessive fandom and how it has been supercharged by the advent of social media and a cinematic landscape dominated by franchises and legacy IPs over original content. The script uses a killing spree to examine the limits of our culture’s devotion to entertainment and how prevalent it is to shape one’s personality and interests solely around stories that are ultimately used solely to enrich corporations who have less than one iota of the lived interest in these stories that its fans do. Like any quality social commentary, Scream’s plot turns the camera from its characters toward the very real inhabitants of our own world asking questions about our own behavior through the actions of those being watched onscreen. Seeing the extremes that they go to in service of a mindset we recognize encountering in our own lives provides the film with weight and substance that perfectly complements its scares. And the scares that we’ve grown accustomed to in the more than 25 years of the Scream franchise are here, with an update flair for gore that fits how the genre has developed since the first film. The kills in the film are bloody and gruesome, but not so over the top as to gross out some of the more squeamish audience members.
One of the most important aspects of a teen horror film is its cast, double that if the film in question seeks to integrate fresh blood with beloved legacy characters. Scream is able to knock this aspect out of the park with a young cast that is engaging and able to connect the beginnings of their stories with the older cast continuing their own, creating a natural feeling passing of the torch where the new faces can take lead while older characters can either continue on in supporting roles or ride off into the sunset. Melissa Barrera’s Sam is a scream queen perfect for the modern era complemented perfectly by little sister Tara played by Jenna Ortega. Mason Gooding and Jasmine Savoy-Brown’s Meeks-Martin siblings provide the perfect comedic relief to round out the next generation group of friends. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette balance the film with their nostalgic turns as the legacy characters of old thrust back into crosshairs of a new killer, but with the experience to guide the new kids through it all.
Scream is a topical film that evokes all the positive aspects and memories of its predecessors while seamlessly establishing its future at the same time. The kills and thrills are many and are sure to satisfy horror enthusiasts and the meta commentary on horror and our culture writ large are interwoven perfectly without feeling preachy or too obvious, keeping in line with the franchise’s signature. The cast are all given their chance to shine and each does the most with their time onscreen, to the point where listing them all would belabor the point. Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera specifically standout though in addition to the familiar faces from the previous films audiences know and love.
Image: Paramount Pictures
