Scream Review

It is usual for the most staunch fans of horror to have a saga that is our favorite, something that tends to fuel debates with the longest-running sagas and in particular with the slasher . And despite the fact that everyone may have their preferences, in general terms we can agree that with the Scream movies the quality has been very consistent. That consistency and brilliance was due in no small part to two of the people behind the scenes on almost every installment, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson . Now, 11 years after the last film , Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett , the men behind the highly recommendedWedding Night , along with Guy Busick and James Vandervilt in the script, are in charge of giving the saga a new life and bringing it to fruition. And the truth is that the play could not have gone better. I'm talking about Scream (2022).

Twenty-five years after the original Woodsboro murders, a new killer has decided to don the Ghostface mask and terrorize the townspeople, as well as a new group of teenagers, with the aim of uncovering some of the secrets of the location.

If the Scream films are already experts in playing with the expectations of the public and with the codes of horror cinema , it is not surprising that the synopsis is so concise, leaving the way open for almost infinite possibilities. Even the decision not to accompany the title of an issue is a declaration of intent, one that raises more questions. Is it a sequel? Can it be a remake or a reboot ? Can there even be talk of a revival ? Of course the moviedoes what it does best, with the tone that has always characterized it, and that is to parody those expectations, those theories and offer something that may be seen, but present it in a very intelligent way while being fully aware of the present, resulting in the perfect symbiosis between the new and the known.

The two great examples of this synergy are the directors and screenwriters, who know enough about all the baggage of the saga , they play with it from respect but also from fun and bad drool, they know how to laugh at cinema in general and at cinemaof terror in particular at the same time that they perpetuate those clichés or rules of the genre and perfectly portray the themes of the present and insert them organically into the plot. And the best thing is that they are perfectly aware of the tone and meta character of the saga, so it seems that it is still in the same competent hands without missing anything. The other great column of union between the past and the present is the cast of actors, where the new additions are again a group of very charismatic boys, with their role very marked and capable of getting a few laughs without disheveled while the most veteran characters They have followed a natural path of events and the maturity and weight of previous installments on them is palpable.

In addition to the respect in terms of tone, the critical analysis without losing an iota of mordacity and the fact that the script uses the characteristic metafiction to laugh at everything and everyone, including herself, one of the great contributions is that it is not limited to copy everything that is representative of Scream and put it on the board, but there is also room for some very violent deaths and a Ghostface getting more vicious with his victims where each stab wound hurts and blood and viscera are the great protagonists. While it is true that Scream 4I was already playing with this idea of ​​very violent deaths in line with the turn of the century, the truth is that in this installment there is a small component that goes one step further, and that is that although the deaths may seem playful, deep down they are built in a very raw way with excellent tension management, so in the long run its impact is greater.

To talk in detail about the new characters would be to talk too much and could spoil much of the surprise. I will just say that everyone does their bit to create a diverse group of young people who are a great addition to the saga and who, with greater or lesser fortune, will end up being the victims of Ghostface, but everyone has their moment to shine. The only discordant note is Melissa Barrera , who with such a charismatic cast comes off as someone quite insipid, even though her dilemma and her dynamics with the rest of the cast are among the most interesting.

But just as it has many virtues, it is also inevitable to point out some of the most negative points. The trigger for the story does not convince me personally, although it is praiseworthy and serves as the perfect excuse to link the past with the present, but in my opinion it is too far-fetched. And it's also true that horror movies can have a little room for their characters to make the odd stupid decision, only in this case there may be one more stupid decision.

In short, the most loyal fans can be more than satisfied with this new addition to the saga, where new names have more than proven to bring their touch to the franchise and, most importantly, continue to surprise with the same intelligence and acidity as always when it seemed that everything was said. A gift that fans and original creators alike can be proud of.