Scream (2022): A Visceral Homage

I saw Scream (1996) on Vhs back in the late 90s/early 2000's. I was very young, probably 6/7 years old, and Ghostface was terrifying. Scream (1996) made me a horror fan. Made me a movie fan. At first it was about Ghostface. Then when I got older it was about the friends. The different character types. It was all brand new. I watched the original trilogy on repeat. Walking down to the local Hollywood Video when I was 10-14 renting them one at a time. Eventually I had my own copies. Then 2011 came around, and Scream 4 was released. I was a sophomore in high school, and this time around I was the same age as this new cast. It hit different. Social media was starting up, and modern technology was introduced to the Scream franchise. I was very pleased with Scream 4, and was disappointed it underperformed at the box office. Not to mention the tv reboots they tried out on Mtv/Vh1, even though they had their moments. It wasnt the same. This new Scream (2022) is directly targeted at people like me. A fan. On to my review.

You felt the knife this time around. A play on current fandom. Scream takes a stab at the "Requel" trope, and to be honest they nailed it. At times this film felt like a 90s flick aestheticly speaking. The cinematographer did a great job. Did they shoot this movie on film? Shocking callbacks. I did pick out the killer/killers early on. Only because I've been watching these movies for years. However there were times I was second guessing my choices. It was nice to have the original cast return. Not a fan of how some of the OG'S were handled as they didnt get much time together, but they were used in a smart way. They aren't the stars this time around so I get it. The new cast was also fresh. With the same tropes applied to a new generation. I did feel like the comradery between the friend group wasnt established enough. Just trying to understand who everyone was, and what exactly they had to offer this story was kind of jumbled. The first Scream you knew exactly who everyone was, and every single person had a moment to exhibit who their character was. It's what made them iconic. This cast was stacked so I can imagine how hard it is to juggle everyone's story. Overall this is a great addition to the legacy Wes Craven created.