“Scream” (2022) Review
Written by Victor DeBonis
After a decade since the previous movie in the franchise, “Scream” (2022) arrives and brings a great amount of intelligence, scares, soul, and wit that helps this franchise to resonate so strongly with me and other horror fans. I’m a huge fan of the “Scream” franchise. I didn’t care much for the short-lived MTV show based on the film series or the third installment that got too gimmicky with itself to the point of inadvertent self-parody. I’ve grown to love the first two movies for how they pay respect to the horror genre but also help bring a self-awareness to how people attempt to survive through the situation in them. The people who crafted this movie fully understand that, and they bring a vision that feels different but ultimately pays great respect to what makes most of these movies good.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who worked on the great movie “Ready or Not” crafted this movie and bring a more serious tone that strays away from how the franchise was starting to get more gimmicky with how it was referring to tropes or being too smug about the fact that it was being observant of its own genre. The humorous jabs at how others view films and how films are done nowadays are spot-on and get good laughs, but there’s often an uneasy build-up to when someone thinks that a killer is going to strike.
Olpin and Gillett guide their actors and utilize a good combination of shooting open spaces and technology from this time to lead up to more of a pay-off for when the Ghostface Killer attacks. This leads to effective suspense and an unpredictable vibe that plays with audience members’ expectations. During a few times, there’s a jump scare that is showing someone else there when it’s not an antagonist, which made me roll my eyes a bit, but it wasn’t too often and seems to be in coordination with the awareness of how this genre tends to act in this way. Yet, due to the more serious tone that they create, there’s a genuine weight to when characters have a shocking conversation about something from past history that is suddenly unveiled or when some people meet up after years of being split apart.
As for the actors, franchise newcomers Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera play sisters who share a connection to the town that they’re in and also possess a humanity and quick-thinking demeanor that deals with what they’re up against in ways that keep the audience on their toes but also leave for moments when it’s uncertain if they’re going to survive. These actresses are great, and they have an uneasy past that brings more to their characters than what we’ve seen from previous ones in this franchise in earlier years. Jack Quaid is also great and provides an energetic presence that stays strong through his presence in this movie.
David Arquette and Courtney Cox return in this movie, and it was such a welcome sight to see them interact and show what made them so likable. They have a sense of humor and a steady way of knowing how to respond in this situation, but they also possess plenty of charm and a vivid connection with each other. Furthermore, it’s wonderful to see what developments or setbacks have happened in these characters’ lives following the events of the earlier movies.
Some success has happened, but there’s also a torn pain that comes from what goes on in this installment and what led up to it. Arquette, in particular, has become visibly worn and damaged, and part of that comes from what he experienced not only in regards to Ghostface but also personal events in his life. The moments that either directly or indirectly involve him and Cox are easily some of my favorites in this movie, and their scenes together brought a joy but also a bittersweet feeling that adds a little more weight when one thinks about the relationship that the actors had in real life. Their characters’ chemistry is still alive and well despite some unfortunate circumstances, and, in addition to Ortega and Barrera’s connection with each other, Cox and Arquette’s relationship reminded me of how the bonds with each other are part of why these movies have a solid place in my heart. As great as it is to see how these people attempt to thwart the killer and his attacks by following certain “movie rules” I find myself fully invested when I see that it’s a community of people trying to deal with something horrible that has left an impact on them. Their tie to one another helps me connect with them as well as how great the actors playing them are.
On that note, I absolutely loved seeing Neve Campbell again. I love seeing Campbell, in general, and part of that may be that I grew up in the 90’s. I love the heroism and vulnerability and how beautiful she appeared and still is. Whether it’s movies from this franchise or another 90’s horror film that I love known as “The Craft” she still stands out in my eyes as an awesome horror heroine (a true horror queen, if you will) through how she is able to make you empathize with you and believably develops greater strength through how she tries to deal with the monster of her own community and her own complicated past that is tied to it. Campbell once more brings the same level of humanity and wit that made her so wonderful in these movies, and it made me smile to witness that on screen. This movie knows which actors work wonders for these characters and how strong their bond is to one another, and it helped heighten the suspense when the killer was nearby because I genuinely cared about every one of them.
This installment still shows awareness and a love for the horror genre. True to the franchise’s form, it pays good respect to it in different ways, such as acknowledging the more intellectually thoughtful films that have come out in recent years. However, it also satirizes and acknowledges the “rules” and tropes about attempting to survive and determine how to track down the killer and defeat him or her. This time around, another layer is added to this movie’s great commentary about films and even fandom by discussing how other people view movies in more current times and what their responses to it can be, including what people’s responses are to reboots. As someone who has very mixed feelings about why studios tend to do reboots and how toxic fans tend to respond to them or franchises, in general, it was very refreshing and quite hilarious to listen to the commentary that is rather fierce when discussing reboots. It’s even more admirable when it comes from a sequel to a self-aware franchise that hasn’t been around for years. This was a courageous, smart, humorous move.
Another great move comes from when it is later found out about the identity of the prime suspect. In a time when I either forgot about who the person playing the surprise villain was in a movie or found it very obvious from the start who the “shocking twist” villain (ie: countless animated Disney “surprise” villains) was, I was genuinely shocked when the revelation was established and found myself rather rewarded well when I saw what was taking place. I even heard a brief gasp in the audience when it was shown.
It’s also a very smart and sincere movie. What I mean by that is that, on top of depicting what happens when fans or people, in general, view a film or franchise, it shows the impact that a traumatic event can leave upon people in the short run but also from the years or even decades that follow it. When one reflects upon it a bit more, this film centers heavily around the theme of trying to cope or escape from one’s past and how people, more often than not, need others to help them deal with their fears and demons as they loom from their past and somehow find a way that stays with them in their present.
If I can be a little personal for a moment, this movie especially hits a strong chord for me for reasons that one wouldn’t immediately expect because it reminds me a little of what I and maybe others are going through at the time of this review. I know that people get tired of hearing about the pandemic everywhere and seeing its presence in pretty much every place. Heck, I almost wasn’t sure if I was going to see this movie, right now, because it’s going very strongly at the time of this writing, and, for whatever reason, they chose not to give an online link to this film at this time.
More to the point, the past two years through this pandemic, in general, have been pretty hard on me as they’ve been for others. Lives of people that I love have been lost through it. Millions of other lives have either been lost or turned completely upside down in some way, due to what’s happened. Relationships with people that I loved that are still around have been lost, due in great part to the pandemic and how this horrible event changed them in a way that wasn’t the same. While it was awesome that we finally got vaccines last year and that people started heading back to work, the pandemic was by no means over.
It’s been a mentally and emotionally challenging time for me, and I look back at the past, specifically the previous years of this pandemic and what it’s made us face today, and I feel some guilt and genuine hurt from what’s happened. I still have a hard time trying to process it all and feel conflicted about much of what’s taken place in past years and trying to figure out where I’m at today.
As odd as it may sound to some, “Scream” (2022) provided a light of sorts by helping me cope a bit with this. It, by no means, replaces therapy or does anything miraculous on that level, and I don’t know if the background of the pandemic was within their minds when the makers of this film created it. Yet, similar to any work of art, what I personally see from it can sometimes be more fascinating than even what the artists originally intended.
And, with this movie, I see characters trying to make sense of how their community has been changed forever, due to a horrible series of events that have happened. I see characters trying to deal with what happened in previous years through either writing about it or doing other things to process what has occurred. I see people who have been changed forever and who made harder choices, due to the impact of the trauma that they faced. I see people trying hard to deal with their own past history and the choices that they’ve made and even trying to make sense of what the previous generation that they’re connected to says about them.
I see vulnerable, strong heroic souls dealing with something that is not too far away from what I and others have been experiencing through this time and past that has been conflicting and, yes, monstrous at certain points.
I see people fighting hard to free themselves from the demons of their own past and doing their best to survive and continue strong in their present day, similar to what I and others are trying to do in light of the pandemic that is ongoing or even might be something that is more personal.
Part of the reason that I was literally on my edge of my seat when viewing this was that it gave me hope. It doesn’t resolve anything, but it made me feel not alone and also happy to see what some great horror movies do. “Scream” (2022) illustrated the power of horror to sometimes help us deal with our own monsters and anxieties in our lives, so we can find our own strength. Going beyond the terrific direction and writing by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein, going beyond the great acting and commentary and how it honors the originals and Wes Craven himself but still brings a strong voice of its own, “Scream” (2022) made me happy by encouraging me to continue moving and fighting forward.
In recent times, nostalgic franchises have been revived and gotten sequels and usually made other fans overjoyed but didn’t click with me, such as the “Matrix” sequel and how disappointed I was by how the newer “Star Wars” trilogy turned out for me as a whole. I am very happy that other fans were overjoyed with what comfort those franchises brought them. This was probably the first time that a nostalgic franchise was revived and brought me a high amount of joy not just from coming back but by also giving me hope in its own way. It may not be as great as the original two films were, over time, for me, but this installment is definitely the best film in the franchise that has come out since the second movie.
I love it, and I give the highest kudos to those who helped make this movie and show how others can still fight through whatever monsters or demons haunt them in their past and present, too.
Grade: A