SCREAM (2022) 

"Twenty-five years after the original series of murders in Woodsboro, a new Ghostface emerges, and Sidney Prescott must return to uncover the truth."

The original Scream (1996) is one of the greatest horror films of all time, with its unique meta humor about the genre the film itself resides in and creation of one of the greatest slasher villains: Ghostface! I have a love for all things Scream (even the short-lived television series) and naturally I was beyond thrilled to hear the people behind Ready or Not were at the helm. With that exciting information came one asterisk - would they be able to live up to the work of the beloved Wes Craven?

I am happy to say that Scream (2022) is a fantastic sequel - while not living up to the original in any shape or form, it does however clash with Scream 2 in being the best Scream sequel because while Wes may be gone, his legacy lives on with Scream. 

This may not be directed by the legend but you can tell that the directors: Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin took time to make sure they were paying a great deal of respect toward the late Craven. This feels like a Wes Craven sequel with hints of these new directors’ own style - namely that the killer seems to move much faster than before - more frantic in their attacks. Ghostface even shares the same voice actor as all four other features: Roger Jackson, whose voice brings a warm acceptance of this iconic character's return. 

The recreation of the town of Woodsboro is just brilliant and reliving instances from the original Scream, along with keeping the continuity of the sequels (including the typically forgotten third Scream.) We even have the surviving legacy characters making an appearance in this one, while not being the central focus this time around we still get a respectable amount of screen time with each character - new or old. 

Melissa Barrera shines as our new lead with a hidden secret, she does have moments of questionable acting choices but overall she really comes into her own as the true lead of this new Scream. Sidney is still a prominent character in the film but she certainly takes second string to the newly established Sam and her sister Tara. 

But let’s be honest a slasher doesn’t need great actors, it just needs great kills, but in Scream (2022) we get both. Scream is not only one of the more brutal slashers I’ve seen on the big screen in recent years but it’s also one of the best directed, acted and written - it had me suspecting everyone in every given scene.  

Scream (2022) is an unbelievable conclusion to the legacy of Scream and a fitting beginning of something new. You’ll laugh, you’ll tear up and you’ll certainly scream (or more likely jump) with Ghostface around every corner.