Scream was a franchise that originally made meta commentary on horror movies, then on happenings in pop culture, and eventually on franchises, sometimes even making certain aspects of movies today the butt of the joke. But to make previous entries the butt of a joke is that a tad too far from a franchise that is currently under heat at the box office for many political reasons, or will it be free publicity at this point?
With Scream in the headlines this week, I want to remind people who click this review link that they will only get a review, unfortunately. There's a line in this movie that states that Sidney is past her prime as the Final Girl, hinting at a past perception that the franchise needed to move on past the original characters. With a lot of seemingly good ideas and concepts that were used here, I think it's time to say that the issue here is that Ghostface is getting past its prime and becoming the butt of its own joke.
The script is not the strongest, and to put it lightly, I also don't blame them for it. From what we heard, they burned hundreds of thousands of dollars to rewrite an approved script, but after firing Melissa Barrera, it only brought more problems for the franchise and for the studio itself. So very little time to get a working script without straying from the initial plan to release another Ghostface-killing spree.
A great comparison of how the franchise ended up following the footsteps of, pointed out by someone on X/Twitter, and I decided to address, was the Star Wars sequel series. Scream 5, being a great legacy sequel similar to how everyone received The Force Awakens, Scream 6 introduced bold new ideas with a new core cast that got OG fans slightly angry, similar to The Last Jedi; and this sequel, which decided to mostly be nostalgia bait, was how The Rise of Skywalker ended up playing out.
As much as I am someone who does not always think nostalgia bait is a bad thing, I cannot help but think it is very much what bogs down this sequel because it isn't used very well. There is also a significant use of a current issue in media, whether it is journalism, storytelling, or various aspects, that had great potential but was used as a liberty for fan service.
It would be hard to admit that it was nice to see Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox team up again, but again, as someone who did enjoy the previous two entries, it does feel like a step backward. There are plenty of familiar Tween star faces who have been in various TV shows and movies lately that are featured in this sequel, and I couldn't help but beg for more screentime with them, but of course, it was the Sidney show. There is the exception of Isabel May, who plays Sidney's daughter, Tatum, in the hopes of possibly filling Sidney's shoes, and they also shoehorn this into the plot.
There is an internal conflict between the mother/daughter dynamic; Sidney is avoiding her past, and her rationalization is to protect her daughter, but what she learns in this movie is that it could bring down the self-made happy ending she seemingly doesn't deserve because of the lack transparency she has about what has happened in her past, transparency that her daughter is very much craving. Looking at that plot point alone makes this sequel very intriguing, especially with its effects on Tatum's character, and gives it the edge it so desperately needs.
For the sake of pleasing fans who have been aching to see Sidney again, that meant undercutting many of Scream's other iconic beats, shots, and reliable aspects that make the franchise a significant part of the slasher repertoire. Even the big reveal in the end did not land the punch that I know a lot of Scream fans are so used to expecting. But the kills are still satiably horiffic and inventive. Even the fight scenes have these characters act very smartly in how they defend themselves, which I genuinely appreciated in a franchise that has been going this long.
I understand the opinion of boycotting this movie, and I understand the need to laugh at, not with, the movie. Scream 7 does have this going for it, and we will see how word of mouth travels when more people watch it. If you are going and you are a fan, have low expectations. If you are looking for a popcorn movie, this is one that could help with that feeling, too. I do think it's time to hang up the mask, at least for a while, and if they can actually live up to the concepts and ideas to make Ghostface's intentions exciting again.
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