Scream Review: Ghostface Has Returned With Violence And Death In The Town Of Woodsboro
Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
Director: Matt Bettinelli Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Filmyhype Ratings: 4/5 (four star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Fans of slasher cinema can rejoice to see the return of yet another chapter of one of those “franchises” that made the history of this genre in the last twenty years. However, we are not referring to a new Halloween, horror initially launched in 1978 by the legendary Carpenter and which has already seen the umpteenth sequel in 2021. We are talking about the very latest Scream of which we offer our review. It has now been 25 years since the events and massacres of the first film. Ghostface appears to have returned to Woodsboro again, spreading death and terror among teenagers just as it did in the past. This is the fifth film in the famous saga of Scream, the first not to be directed by Wes Craven who unfortunately passed away in 2015.
The saga, initially launched in the nineties, as often happens, has partly lost consensus and attention with the passage of time. The last chapter was released on the big screen in the now distant 2011 always directed by Wes Craven. This time directing is the turn of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. While the cast certainly could not miss Neve Campbell in the role of the historian Sidney Prescott even if he will not be the only historical character to return. As expected in these situations, the responsibilities that weigh on the shoulders of the umpteenth chapter of a saga that has practically relaunched the teenage horror movies from the nineties onwards are great. If you want to know our opinion on the last Scream continue reading our review.
Scream Review: The Plot
“What is your favorite horror movie?”. This is essentially how this latest Scream begins, just as the first one started. But the two films have many more similarities in common, starting with the identical title, as if to imply that it is not a simple numerical sequel. There is in fact a continuous reference to the plot and the characters of the first film, as if you wanted to close a circle. But at the same time it is also the first Scream without Wes Craven behind the camera. Here then is that the disappearance of the numbering from the title also leads us to think of a probable new beginning. We therefore return to Woodsboro, 25 years after the massacre of the first.
Ghostface is back for the umpteenth time. His favorite victims are always teenagers and this time they all seem to have family ties with the protagonists of the massacres that took place in the past in Woodsboro. But what is the connection that leads to these new heinous murders? And above all who is hiding this time behind that terrifying mask with the grimace of a scream? Once again Sidney and Gale return to the crime scenes to try to stop yet another massacre. The plot of the film will be appreciated by lovers of the series but it is easy to understand even for those who have never seen Scream this, of course, for logical commercial purposes.
Scream Review – The Slasher
Take a sadistic and psychopathic serial killer, put a mask on him, a knife in his hand, send him to slaughter groups of teenagers, add some comedy and you will get a slasher movie. This genre was very fashionable from the 70s onwards thanks to Halloween The Night of the Witches by John Carpenter ‘s considered a bit the progenitor of the slasher. But among the numerous films belonging to the genre we also remember Friday the 13th and I know what you did, titles that you will surely have at least heard of. Yet the “germs” of this type of horror were present long before. Let’s think, for example, of Don’t open that door by Tobe Hooper, Dario Argento’s horror thrillers (Profondo Rosso) and to the same Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock just to name a few.
Scream therefore collects a heavy legacy by relaunching the slasher towards the end of the nineties with its debut on the big screen thanks to Wes Craven. Then came 4 other films (including the latter) and a TV series that divided the opinion of the public considerably. This new Scream celebrates the slasher genre with a series of direct and indirect references to various masterpieces, primarily Carpenter’s Halloween. But more generally in history there is a continuous reference to the horror genre: from the road sign with the words Elm Street (Nightmare), to the scene that alludes to the Psycho shower but also recent films such as Babadook. But first of all there is the self-quotation and also a lot of self-irony about the slasher genre.
Scream Review – Analysis
What makes a film like Scream fun in addition to the tension, lively scenes of violence and a fast pace is that it turns us all into little detectives. We feel involved in solving the great puzzle that afflicts the protagonists of the story. And as good connoisseurs of Agatha Christie’s horror and thrillers we try from the very first minutes to smell the killer. In this sense, much like its predecessors, the new Scream actually challenges the public. Even before entering the room, the poster warns us ” the killer is in the poster “, almost as if to throw a gauntlet at us. Scream deliberately repeats all those patterns already seen in previous films of the saga, often making fun of the timing and logic of a horror film. Despite the due repetition of those narrative mechanics that represent the soul of the saga, the plot is fun and smooth.
However, to avoid a bit of boredom at the end, as a result of those repetitive patterns, you could actually cut a little bit of the 114 minutes of footage. Apart from that, however, there is a quality that we just did not expect in this Scream. The construction of tension is what surprised us most in the new chapter with a series of shots and gimmicks aimed at making us twist like roots of a tree in our armchairs and then maybe make us relax when the killer really bursts into the scene. There is a Hitchcockian sense to the way directing patiently builds suspense. Added to this is a basically dark photograph which embodies the spirit of the film as also alluded to in one of the first scenes of Goya’s tomes. Add many jumps cares, a violence to the limit with the splatter and good fun is guaranteed.
The latest chapter of the Scream saga amuses and frightens at the same time thanks to a fast pace with virtually no downtime. A film that celebrates the passion for slasher movies but more generally for horror, citing itself several times up to the “cinema that talks about itself“: the meta cinema. All elements that pleasantly surprised us and that will thrill fans of the horror genre even more. At the same time, however, the plot is full of sequences that deliberately make fun of the clichés of teenage horror movies90s without, however, playing down or excessively ridiculing the subject. But in addition to the expression of this sense of belonging and celebration of horror cinema, there is also a story that convinces from different points of view.
First of all the construction of the suspense, and then the rendering of the action scenes, the violence and the style of the various kills. We add the desire to discover the killer’s face to the last, a curiosity that keeps us hanging and holding our breath for almost two hours. And in putting forward hypotheses and suspicions we discover that we are not mere passive spectators. In conclusion of our review of the latest Scream we can say that Wes Craven probably would have been proud. The film is not innovative from many points of view (as well as right and normal as it may be) and perhaps it lasts a little too long, risking to become repetitive in the patterns already known to all. A lot of suspense and tension, the right amount of violence, but ultimately little psychological fear at the end of the screening. Recommended for fans and horror lovers.
The Final Words
Scream 5 is one of the best sequels of recent years, but above all it is probably the most successful film of the saga after the first great masterpiece by Wes Craven. He recovers with intelligence and irony the irreverent, self-quoting and metaphilmic spirit of the original work, enriching and perhaps even strengthening his reflections on the great stories of cinema. A satisfactory title also in terms of form, for a Scream that has never been so violent and bloody. The return of Ghostface will surprise you.
