Scream

 

Scream
Starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

Up until this point, I never knew the concept of a "requel," and I firmly believe that it exists merely in this meta-universe, but it makes a lot of sense. This idea centers around a film being both a remake and a sequel, all tied into one, and the film cites examples of this including "Black Christmas" and "Child's Play" (both of which, in my humble opinion, totally sucked), and it's in this meta-world that "Scream" also exists, but thankfully it's far superior than the other aforementioned abominations. Taking place twenty-five years after the original, "Scream" is connected to the original in many ways, moreo than its simple shared title. Both serve as excellent tongue-in-cheek humor for horror aficionados, both including stories centering around a group of kids with a secret, but while the original paid homage to the classic slashers, this one is more centered toward the idea of "elevated horror" and "toxic fandom" than the original - a true sign of the times.

When Tara (Jenna Ortega) is attacked at her home when she was alone by a new Ghostface killer, her older, estranged sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) heads back to Woodsboro with her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid), years after leaving town after she discovered a secret about her parentage. When she arrives, she meets Tara's friend group: Wes (Dylan Minnette) who harbors romantic feelings for Tara, Amber (Mikey Madison) who's Tara's best friend and highly protective, twins Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) Meeks-Martin, and Chad's girlfriend Liv (Sonia Ben Ammar). Seeking guidance as to who this new Ghostface killer (or killers) could be, Sam and Richie visit Dewey Riley (David Arquette), who at first refuses to help, but after contacting fellow Ghostface survivors Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), he decides to help. Together, the three legacy characters join forces with the new group of survivors in hopes of finding out who's behind these new murders, and the connections that this new crew has to the originals.

The concept of a "legacy character" is nothing new in the film industry, and the definition of a legacy character is a character who was the main character in a classic film series that's returned to the more modern-day sequels. Prime examples of these are Han Solo, Luke and Leia from the "Star Wars" franchise, Rocky from "Rocky" who transitioned to the "Creed" films, and Rick Deckard who returned to the "Blade Runner" franchise in "Blade Runner 2049." Here, there's the legacy characters of Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley, who returns to the "Scream" franchise in order to help a new crew of characters survive their own real-life horror movie. While they were once the focus of the films, their roles slowly became less and less pronounced, and now they're serving almost as consultants, or helpers in the quest, rather than serving as the main characters. Still, their presence is unmistakable, and their contributions are legen...wait for it...dary.

The first "Scream" debuted in 1996, directed by horror maestro Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, known for his 90s teen drama show "Dawson's Creek." The film revolutionized the near-dead slasher genre by upping the ante, providing a meta-look at how we see horror movies, how they impact us, the rules for surviving one, and the long-lasting effects they have on us. It was revolutionary for its now-iconic opening act, which several directors have imitated since, but none to the degree "Scream" did. While the film's sequels were subpar (with the exception of maybe the fourth, which attempted to re-vitalize the franchise), they still remained in the cultural zeitgeist despite their diminishing returns. Many felt that after Wes Craven's death in 2015, that would be the end of the "Scream" franchise - but as it is with a good horror movie, you can't keep a good franchise down. Taking the helm was co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (because, honestly, you can't have one director tackling a Craven classic), and they managed to bridge the gap between the past and the present by providing a similar story amped up for today's generation, including the concept of "elevated horror," and providing mysterious links to the past that makes me, specifically, feel very old considering sometimes I feel like the original "Scream" was just released, but actually came out when I wasn't even of the legal age to see it in theaters.

The overall concept of "Scream 5" (I'm calling it that because otherwise it'll be very confusing) is highly similar to the original, in that it includes settings that's familiar to the first, and ties in all the new characters as having something to do with the original cast in one way or another. They paid homage to the classic in this respect, and even though it's 2022, it felt like I had been transported back in time with the filming style and story.

Yet it also bridged to the present as now the kids being hunted down by Ghostface know what to expect, and have a wide, expansive knowledge on horror movies, most notably "elevated horror" movies that didn't really exist in the 90s. While the first victim in the original screwed up with a question about who the killer was in "Friday the 13th," now the kids talk about their favorite horror films being the likes of "The Babadook," "The Witch," and "It Follows" - elevated horror that abandons cheap jump scares in favor of atmospheric horror that's intellectually written and performed, elevating the genre from a cheap slasher genre to something of respect.

Still, "Scream 5" is a slasher at its core, and doesn't shy away from the murder mystery it's known for. Who is the killer? Is there more than one (judging from past experiences, you always expect that)? It's a fun little mystery to unravel, and it doesn't skimp on the blood. The kills are extreme and ultra violent, but also serve as a message that truly no one is safe anymore, which is also something that's relatively new to today's world (look at "Game of Thrones" or "The Walking Dead" for that). The effects are spectacular, the tension continually rises, and the set pieces are truly inspired. One scene takes place in a darkened hospital that hearkens back to John Carpenter's "Halloween II" (no, not "Halloween Kills, but the original "Halloween" sequel). The final scene takes place at a very well-known location for "Scream" fans, and really plays out as a fan service to not just lovers of the franchise, but horror as a whole.

Returning to the fold are older, smarter, and braver Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley, played with effortless talent by Neve Campbell, Coureney Cox, and David Arquette respectively. Even though it's been twenty-five years, they easily step back into the roles that made them modern horror hero icons but do so here in a way that doesn't come across as craving to be the center of attention. They know this killer isn't necessarily after them specifically, but after the legacy they've left behind, told through the eyes of a new generation with ties to the past.

Here is one of the smaller issues I had with the film, and that was in the new characters themselves, who are there more to serve as the "new generation" of victims that are more focused on their relationships with past characters than giving their own times to shine. It's almost like they exist merely to give shock value to the audience than fully developing their own stories, but that's a minor gripe in the overall scheme of things - while they discuss the concept of "elevated horror," they know that this movie isn't one of them. The new heroine is Sam Carpenter (last name obviously a nod to John Carpenter), played by "In the Heights" standout Melissa Barrera, and if this franchise has any legs to stand on, she could very well carry it forward (if she survives this one, of course). Apart from her, the other characters fall into the traditional tropes that the film makes fun of (the dim-witted boyfriend, the innocent younger sister, the overprotective best friend, the jock, the jock's girlfriend, the shy nice guy, the horror guru) and more-or-less achieve their goals, but still it would've been nicer to get to know them more. Most of them won't be remembered as fondly as the likes of Billy, Stuart, Randy, or even Casey, but they fulfilled their roles well enough to make them entertaining for the moment.

Another small gripe I have for the film is the story itself, which serves as a complicated, Rube Goldberg plan that required practically everything to fall into place perfectly for everything to work out, and in the real world it would never had been that easy - but then again, this is a movie, and that's what it set out to do. The killer (or killers) were easily identifiable, at least to me, but that could just be because I am a horror guru myself. Still, this is just another small gripe I have, going against the slew of fantastic things this film did right.

I mentioned earlier that one of the highlights of the film were the elaborate set pieces and the gruesome, gory kills, but the film also does play some high emotional stakes as you see the past and present collide where no one is truly safe, no matter how much you know about the rules for surviving a horror movie. It also doesn't take itself too seriously, offering tongue-in-cheek humor that makes it an entertaining, crowd-pleasing horror that doesn't leave you groaning in your seats like some others (2018's "Black Christmas," again, looking your direction). It's self-aware enough to be humorous, but not in an over-the-top manner.

By blending the past with the present, "Scream" serves as an excellent "requel" film to the franchise, elevating it above the previous installments and posing it side-by-side with the impeccable, un-remakeable original.

The Score: A