A continuation of the series that reminds people why they love ‘Scream’, bringing a lot of laughs and a whole lot of blood.
In my previous Scream article, I mentioned that I was grateful the series never got swamped down in trying to relive its glory days. I’m going to be honest and say that I feared 5 might kill that track record when the series was picked up by a duo other than Craven and Williamson. It would have been the easier option to ape what made the original great and try to just play the hits; it’s a theme this film touches on quite a bit in fact. But rest assured, directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have not succumbed to this pitfall.
This movie, rather, is a defiant rejection of the trend that regurgitates our old favorites for the sake of nostalgia, and it’s very telling how often Vanderbilt and Busick’s dialogue serves to drive that home. The movie feels at home with the rest of the franchise, even with some of its more significant changes. Those changes are the reason it’s my current second favorite in the franchise, and it’s not just because of its perfect use of “Red Right Hand”. (If you thought this was going to dethrone Scream (1996), I commend your optimism but question your predictive skills.)
This film has two things going for it that pull it up in my rankings. For one, it’s arguably the funniest in the franchise, and it doesn’t act like some of its dialogue isn’t silly. It has lines that stand out as ridiculously corny, but it’s all very tongue in cheek and doesn’t suffer from rapid tonal shifts trying to take itself too seriously. Those with a distaste for goofy dialogue may walk away unsatisfied, as it’s a good chunk of what makes the film funny, but I think it’s a great change, mood-wise, and it doesn’t detract from the dark humor written into the film or its more brutal moments.
The other prize it takes, alongside most funny, is most gruesome. I would need to marathon them all again to be sure of this assertion, but this is, in my mind, the bloodiest of the films. Keep in mind, this is a franchise that opens on Drew Barrymore and her boyfriend being gutted, so that’s saying something. There were a few kills that made me sink back into my seat from their detail alone. This film definitively has my favorite death in the franchise, usurping Anthony Anderson’s forehead becoming a knife cradle in 4. When you see it, you’ll know what death it is; it felt like all the air got sucked out of the room when it happened at my screening. The opposite could be said of our Ghostface reveals this time around, as we heard some actual screams in the theatre when those bombs dropped.
Each kill and scene flow into the next smoothly, and the pacing never errs on the side of dragging. The technical issues with this film are mainly in the editing. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett didn’t take their cues from how Craven depicted the speed of a Ghostface attack, opting for more cuts. There is one moment in a fight during the film’s final act that becomes muddled by a smear of quick cuts where I couldn’t tell what was going on, but that is the most egregious instance and not a common occurrence.
In the traditional Scream fashion, we get a whole lot of humor based on commentary on horror films. The funniest scene in the film, however, has less to do with clever dialogue and more with cinematography. It toys with our traditional sense of telegraphed scares in one sequence that is very clearly a lampooning of the worst of modern horror. It’s a breath of fresh air to see pure comedy without a single word said; the camera work and blocking of the shot make for a very memorable gag that leads into a gnarly death.
Of the old blood in the cast, Campbell, Cox, and Arquette have the same stage presence they’ve had throughout all the films. Sidney displays confidence and expertise as always, and her on-screen interactions with Gale are a treat. Jenna Ortega’s performance as Tara is great, as she seems to be having a whole lot of fun with the role. Jack Quaid also brings his special comedic delivery that he had in The Boys as the awkward love interest, Richie. However, things kind of fall flat in his chemistry with our main character Sam, played by Melissa Barrera.
Overall, I’m not the biggest fan of Barrera’s acting. Some of her lines feel downright wooden, but I suspect this is primarily due to the dialogue she’s given. Her very interesting origin story is also conflicting, to say the least. I can’t discuss it without spoilers, but I feel very torn on how they incorporate her past into the story. Still, when she’s cut loose in the final act, she hits her stride in a major way. She grew on me slowly, but it’s just a shame it takes as long as it does for that to kick in.
RATING: 8.5, leaning towards 9 (REDACTED SPOILER RATING JOKE)/10. In the end, this is a great Scream film, through and through. It’s bloody, laden with mystery and comedy, and has that classic charm in spades. Is it a perfect film? No, but not many are. Is it one of the best in the franchise? You bet your Buck 120 and voice changer it is.