Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Scream 5 returns us to the quiet town of Woodsboro, California where, 25 years since the streak of brutal murders, a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.
Now I will be totally honest, I am not a massive fan of the Scream franchise as a whole, but I still consider the first and even the second film as classic and iconic game-changers to the slasher and horror genre. The late Wes Craven delivered a very self-aware and smart murder mystery that made fun of horror and franchise tropes. He also delivered us a great story that had high stakes, fun twists, and great characters for the audience to get attached to.
However, the series took a turn for the worse for me when it came to the third and fourth films, since they ended up falling into the tropes they made fun of and really stretched the limits of the rules they set up. So upon learning there would be a fifth entry in the franchise 11 years after the last entry, and without the original creator being involved, I had a lot of concerns. But given the recent and successful resurgence of slashers such as Halloween and Candyman, I was willing to give Scream 5 a chance even in the absence of Wes Craven.
Was it worth it? Hell yes.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett knocked it out of the park with this installment, breathing new life into it while also embracing the unique elements of the franchise that made it popular to begin with, and adding some modern updates. It takes full advantage of how horror has progressed over the years and never tries to stretch things too far, even though it does take some major risks.
Just like in previous installments we have our returning survivors, but we also have a large group of new characters that mostly take center stage. But this is by no means a bad thing. The new characters are all actually great, both in terms of performances and how they are written. Everyone plays their part perfectly without falling into typical stereotypes or tropes, and you do feel something when some of these characters start getting horribly killed.
I can’t go into detail about each of the new characters due to heavy spoilers but easily the two standouts have to be Melissa Barrera as Sam and Jenna Ortega as Tara. These two were absolute megastars, serving as the emotional core of the film in a lot of ways. There could have been so many simple and lazy ways to write their characters but the filmmakers thankfully avoided taking those ways.
As for the legacy characters, all of them are just as fantastic as you remember them, and just like before they are at risk of being killed off like the other survivors, setting some high stakes. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette return to their respective roles and really do manage to shine. David Arquette especially had some of the best scenes, both from a comedic standpoint and even from an emotional standpoint too. It is also worth noting that it is great to hear Roger L. Jackson’s voice again for Ghostface, delivering that haunting voice we know and love.
As far as the story goes this is probably the most meta and fun installment of the franchise, playing with your expectations at every turn. Just like the previous films, it is a murder mystery but one that was done so well that I could not accurately predict who was the killer before the expected reveal. There were so many times I thought for sure I knew who the culprit was, and as if the film knew what I was thinking it completely threw me off, which in turn got me more invested in the story.
There are some really great twists and turns that somehow manage to avoid falling into the typical horror tropes, which would definitely make Wes Craven proud. And of course, the meta commentary is off the rails, making fun of the current state of horrors, franchises in general, and even crazy fandoms.
The film has a blast making fun of everything it can, but it does manage to pay respects to some great modern horrors and modern horror directors. I didn’t expect that at all, and honestly it was nice to see a self-aware film actually comment on the greatness of other films that deserve more appreciation than they currently get. It’s almost as if Scream 5 is telling its audiences to give new horror IP’s a try rather than returning to the same franchises over and over again. Yep, it’s that self-aware.
It’s so self-aware that it even ends up in the horror elements of the film. Too many times I was expecting jump scares to come up in many easily set up spots only to be comedically met with nothing. The filmmakers knew what they were doing with this movie and I absolutely loved it.
And when actual scares do happen they’re impactful, especially by just how brutal it gets. Compared to the previous Scream films the violence and gore in this film is extremely intense, and that is made very clear in the opening. I have always been a bit critical of how most of the kills in the Scream franchise are repetitive and lack creativity, but this film was able to make the kills so cold and vicious that it really stands out from the previous entries. New life was brought into almost every element and it was definitely needed.
It’s also worth noting that on a technical level this film is gorgeously made. The editing and cinematography especially are incredibly well done and add so much creepy atmosphere. It enhanced the experience for me, giving me chills both from horror and nostalgia. And yes, before you ask, there is fan service present but it isn’t shoved in and is actually done really well, including one particular appearance that I did not expect to see.
Music-wise there is a good score present that adds to the atmosphere and intensity of certain scenes. I will say though, I kind of prefer Marco Beltrami’s work with the past Scream films, even though composer Brian Tyler did well with this one.
I think super fans of the franchise will love this installment but so will casual goers who are looking for something fun, unpredictable, and a film that manages to be different compared to what we get these days. It’s definitely a great film to start the new year on. I’m going to give Scream 5 an A.
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