Scream

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Marley Shelton, Dylan Minnette, Jack Quaid, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Sonia Ammar, Mikey Madison, Kyle Gallner

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

After her sister Tara (Ortega) is attacked by Ghostface, Sam (Barrera) and her boyfriend Richie (Quaid) must return to Woodsboro to find out why and protect Tara. When no leads present themselves, they turn to Dewey (Arquette) who hesitantly attempts to help them solve the case. Soon, Sydney (Campbell) and Gale (Cox) join the hunt for the new Ghostface killer and a dark secret from Sam's past resurfaces that connects her and Sydney even more.

Don't worry, this is a spoiler free review and I will be as vague as I can be while still reviewing the film. I went above and beyond to make sure nothing was spoiled for myself and I could experience the movie with as clean a slate as possible. I want everyone to experience it the same way!

The Scream franchise is one of my favorites. These movies are smart, funny, and just a darn good time. I enjoy them all and even though I admit it's a step down in quality, I don't even hate the much maligned Scream 3. After Scream 4 breathed life back into the franchise, I couldn't wait for the next installment. I feared one wouldn't come after the passing of Wes Craven who, along with screenwriter Kevin Williamson, was the lifeblood behind the franchise. Enter directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who directed 2019's smart, fun and, just darn good time Ready or Not (See what I did there?). With such mighty expectations, does this reboot-quel come anywhere close to meeting them?

Wes would have been proud. Not only is this sequel filled to the brim with the self referential humor and observations like its predecessors, but it also creates an engaging and involving mystery with strong connections to the past. Even knowing the truth, it's fun to go back and see what clues the writers have peppered in.

One of my favorite aspects of this series is the evolution of Dewey, not only as a character but how Arquette acts in the role. This might be my favorite iteration of Dewey yet and Arquette knocks it out of the park. As good as it is to see Campbell and Cox back as well, they only become involved in the plot in the third act. This gives a lot of the younger actors a chance to shine and give their deaths a little more weight than these types of movies usually have. Of the newcomers, Melissa Barrera and Jasmin Savoy Brown come across best as the new Sidney and Randy. I'd enjoy the series if it continued with these characters in the lead.

Speaking of the deaths, the directors have upped the brutality factor for this sequel. Usually when characters are offed in these films, it's with a quick stab or gunshot, followed by the death. This Ghostface stabs multiple times and often in broad daylight or gruesome detail (through the face on multiple counts).

Another good sign is that I can't wait to see the film again and see how everything fits together. Part of the fun of these movies is trying to figure out who the killer is before the movie tells you. Scream movies have also adopted their own type of internal logic regarding the killer(s) so it's always fun to get on the level of the movie. This is one of the more interesting reveals for the series, that again ends up being a commentary not just on horror movies themselves but those that watch them as well.

With such huge expectations, it was refreshing to see the film live up to them and keep the series as fresh as possible. As long as this team is involved, the franchise is in good hands.

Grade: A-