(Photo Courtesy of Spyglass Media Group) “Scream” shares the same title of the 1996 franchise debut film, and lives up to it as well.

Troy Lafond
Connector Editor

“Scream” is the fifth installment in the iconic “Scream” franchise, and the first entry in 11 years. Past leads Courtney Cox, Neve Campbell and David Arquette return among an ensemble cast of new characters, including Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid and others. Despite the seemingly derivative nature of its preceding entries, “Scream” is a delightful return to the franchise, thanks to its satirical nature and strong performances.

“Scream” has always been defined by its horror movie satire, but in this installment, it is perhaps more present than ever before. It pokes fun at the nature of “requels”, or reboot-sequels that serve as re-entries to the franchise with returning leads joining a cast of new characters. This sounds like “Scream” because it is. This self-awareness could work to undo the movie, but instead, it complements it.

At times it plays directly into the tropes it pokes fun at, and at other times, it subverts them. While some scenes directly parallel sequences from the original franchise in a way that may seem lazy, the self-aware overtone complements them well. By the time the third act is near, the movie has gone so far into its self-aware narrative that it is almost impossible to figure out where the movie is going next, because it has self-justified any ending within the narrative lore of the franchise.

This can lead to a feeling of predictability because, frankly, any ending would have been predictable with this structure. The different ways the movie poked fun at what it did and did not do sets itself and the audience up for essentially anything, resulting in nothing feeling potentially surprising. This may not work for everyone but was a delightful viewing experience with the right attitude.

Buoying the movie was a fantastic cast. Courtney Cox, Neve Campbell and David Arquette are fantastic as ever as Gale, Sidney and Dewey. With new character dynamics and 11 years of off-screen development, they get to explore these characters much further than ever before. The new cast ranges from serviceable horror performances to scene-stealing performances, especially from Jenna Ortega, who likely has a long career ahead of her.

The kills and action sequences are also some of the best of any of the recent “Scream” movies. While still being predominately Ghostface with a knife, the filming on these scenes are magnificently gruesome, particularly in the third act. Some characters survive their seeming kill sequences and some do not, but all of these are equally well done and deliver a consistently tense tone throughout. Thanks to this effective tone and gruesomeness, “Scream” is one of the best slashers that has come out in a while.

However, those looking for a full horror experience beyond slashing may be in for a disappointment. It often feels more like an action-thriller with slasher elements and occasional jump scares than true horror. Those looking for a particular horror genre experience may not find what they are looking for in “Scream”, but the movie is still a fantastic slasher regardless.

“Scream” is perhaps one of the best executions of the “requel” format released recently. Its self-awareness works not to expose the flaws of the movie but rather to illuminate exactly what makes it so good. The cast delivers excellent horror performances, and the film features some of the most gruesome sequences seen yet in “Scream”. Any slasher fan should see “Scream” as soon as the opportunity arises, even if it may feel predictable to some.

Grade: A-