LET'S PLUNGE IN! It has been 11 years since Scream 4 and 25 years since the original Scream hit our screens and it is safe to say the franchise is still alive and kicking! So I guess is a 'requel'? Reboot and sequel to please the OG fans with legacy characters and to bring in the next generation too. Boy did it achieve this! Let's get into the guts of this movie. NOSTALGIA A huge slice of the audience are the OG fans, a mix of boomers and Millenials. However, there are bound to be Gen-Z in attendance, so the writers had to approach this installment with delicacy. As someone who is in their 30's, I was looking for the easter eggs and references from the other movies. Did you catch the Elm Street reference? (One of Craven's well-known franchises). Not to mention how fantastic it was seeing Sydney, Gale, and Dewey, grace our screens once more. If nostalgia is your reason for seeing this hit, you'll be happy. The director even goes as far as to joke about the disaster that is Gale's hair in Scream 3! Not to mention, it ends where it all began. The chills running through my body when Sydney and Gale once again visit the house where the original massacre took place were electric! I love how there is a progression throughout the franchise with Sydney's reaction to 'it's happening again'. This time she has kids and is pro-actively seeking the killer out so she can rest at night knowing her children are safe. She also states, "I've seen this movie" and "I've been through this... a lot." I found both statements comical. As the teens say, 'it's funny coz it's true'. Would I have liked to see more of Sydney's life with her family, and Gale's life in New York? Absolutely! But this is their farewell and passing of the torch (insert joke about one of the killers bursting into flames ;) ) We do however get to dig into Dewey's current, depressing existence. His lost love. His failed career. His drinking problem. The once-great, brave sheriff is now living in a trailer looking for answers at the bottom of a bottle. Could it be that the writers did this intentionally for his demise, making it all-the-more heartbreaking? We do get the previous deputy sheriff from Scream 4 to bring some hope, who is now the sheriff. We all know how this ends! GEN-Z As expected, we have a multi-racial and sexually fluid bunch of teens as the new leads (yay, representation!). They were intriguing enough but we have to take it easy on them as we have yet to see these characters fleshed out, which is typically explored in the following sequels. The red herring was clearly placed in the film to throw us off from the fact that the other killer was so blatantly obvious. Which abides by the rules of the original game by having the killer being the love interest! Again, merging the whole 'where it all began' theme with 'how' it all began; with the love interest attempting to murder his girlfriend. RULES Speaking of rules, how many were broken? The first victim survived the attack! The first victim survived the movie! The black guy didn't die first (or at all!). However, the new rule announced in Scream 4 holds up, the gay character survives. I guess if you wanna survive a horror movie these days, go gay? Halloween Kills doesn't seem to care about these rules though. Michael Myers is an equal opportunity killer. LET'S PLAY We absolutely have to mention the scene that plays with the audience. You know the one. The shower scene whereby he opens everything that isn't bolted down with a build-up of music only to give us blue balls. I adored this moment. Only to be shocked when Ghostface shows up and slaughters the poor boy, after killing his mother out in broad daylight! Did you also catch the monologue by the new horror movie expert? When she declares that STAB 5 is the worst installment? Another meta moment where the writers are having fun with the audience. DEATHS The deaths in this appear to be wildly more vicious than the previous Screams. More blood. More violence. Overall, hungrier kills. From the breaking of the first victim's ankle (ouch), Wes' stabbing, Judy Hicks' bold daylight stabbing, and Dewey. Oh, Dewey's death. That one hit us hard. Not only was he murdered in a sadistic manner - stabbed from both sides and sliced up - it's Dewey for Satan's sake! Many audience members shed a tear at the falling of this beloved character. He will forever be remembered as a hero. But, as the end of the movie states, for those three to survive after all these attacks, IS kind of silly and unrealistic. Deep down, we knew one of these legacy characters wouldn't make it. Still, I wanted the OG three to survive. RIP Dewey. Every time we see a noble, goofy cop, we'll think of you. HONOR WES CRAVEN A special mention has to go to the one and only Mr. Wes Craven, without whom, we wouldn't have the Scream franchise (or many other great horror movies!). The dedication to Wes at the end was the perfect way to close out this film. And this movie was a perfect way to honor him. Craven would have loved this installment. How much has Scream 2022 made so far? It's off to a good start. Take a look here! CAST AND CREW For full cast and crew details, click here. All in all, you may have critiques but it is undeniable that this movie was well done. It was respectful to the OG fans and gave new fans a reason to stick around for what will hopefully be many more movies in the new 'requel' universe. Knives crossed! What were your thoughts? Please comment below! |