Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Starring Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, Dylan Minnette, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, David Arquette, Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell

The release of a new Scream movie prompted me to take five and closely observe the film titles currently on offer in session listings at our cinemas. As a man in his mid-thirties, I cannot deny there is a part of me who feels a nostalgic excitement to scroll through sequels, remakes, and sequels to remake offerings of Ghostbusters, The Matrix, Dune, West Side Story and Spider-Man currently showing on our big screens. Another part of me just feels old! It was about the time of Scream’s release in 1996 where I first started to truly fall in love with cinema, albeit not with Scream specifically as my dear mother barred me from MA15+ classified movies right until the day I left home at age 16, in the year 2000. By then, I had not one, not two, but three Scream movies to catch up on, having been well aware of the hype surrounding the franchise. Though just an adolescent back then who hadn’t yet written a single film review, the Scream movies provided the perfect mixture of fun and thrills I was seeking. Maybe even a little too much thrill given it was just me and the home phone for a little while there!

Though billed as a relaunch of the series and titled Scream, rather than Scream 5, this film is a direct sequel to 2011’s Scream 4. Behind the camera, the most notable change is to that of the director (or directors in this case), given the passing of Wes Craven in 2015. In front of the camera, there are a heap of young and fresh faces headlining the cast with support from a familiar trio reprising their roles in previous instalments.

Staying true to keeping my reviews completely spoiler-free and to also honour the wishes of the studio, filmmakers, and actors for your benefit as a viewer, here is a simple outline of the plot.

It has been twenty-five years since the quiet town of Woodsboro was rocked by a series of brutal murders. This time around, a new killer is donning the Ghostface mask and has sights set on a group of teenage friends, ultimately drawing Dewey, Gail, and Sidney back to their old hunting ground.

Judging by the audience reception at the screening I attended and the film itself, Scream is likely to satisfy those who enjoyed all previous chapters while simultaneously discovering a legion of new and younger fans. Even though it just isn’t anywhere near as thrilling as it once was, Scream’s cleverly conceived and written script keeps it engaging enough and fun to watch. Its use of metacommentary, playful mocking of both this genre in horror and previous films in this very franchise and its success at keeping audiences guessing which of the characters is the behind the mask are all very welcome. The slasher scenes are expectedly brutal at times but fall within the realms of blacker comedy. 

In essence, Scream dishes out exactly what it ought to and according to expectations.

Scream is showing in cinemas across Australia from January 13th.

Moviedoc thanks Paramount Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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