Scream (2022)

It is common for the most convinced horror fans to have a saga that is our favorite, something that tends to fuel debates with the older sagas and in particular with the slasher. And despite the fact that everyone can have their preferences, in general terms we can agree that with the films from shout out the quality has been very consistent. This regularity and brilliance is largely due to two of the people behind the cameras in nearly every installment, Wes Craven s Kevin Williamson. Now, 11 years after the last headband, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin s Tyler Gillett, the creators behind the highly recommended wedding night, together with Guy Busick s James Vandervilt in the script, they are in charge of breathing new life into the saga and carrying it out. And the truth is that the play could not have gone better. I’m talking about Scream (2022).

Twenty-five years after the original Woodsboro murders, a new assassin has decided to don the Ghostface mask and terrorize the townspeople, as well as a new group of teenagers, with the aim of uncovering some of the place’s secrets.

Be the films from shout out they are experts at playing with the audience’s expectations and the codes of the movie theater of horror, it’s not surprising that the synopsis is so concise, leaving the way open to nearly infinite possibilities. Even the decision not to follow the title of a question is a statement of intent, which raises more questions. Is it a sequel? It could be a remake or a restart? You can even talk about Rebirth? Of course the film does what he does best, with the tone that has always characterized him, which is to parody these expectations, these theories and offer something that can be seen, but present it in a very intelligent way and with full awareness of the present, resulting in symbiosis. seamless between the new and the known.

The two great examples of this synergy are the directors and screenwriters, who know well all the baggage of the saga, they play with him out of respect but also for fun and bad drool, they know how to laugh at him movie theater in general and of movie theater of horror in particular while perpetuating those clichés or rules of the genre and perfectly portraying the themes of the present and organically inserting them into the plot. Best of all, they’re perfectly aware of the saga’s tone and meta-character, so it feels like it’s still in the same competent hands without losing anything. The other great column of union between the past and the present is the cast of actors, where the new additions are again a group of very charismatic boys, with their role very marked and able to get some laughs without disheveling while the more veteran characters They followed a natural path of events and the maturity and weight of the previous installments are palpable. And when both generations of characters come together, all goes well up to a heart-stopping, usual glorious climax.

In addition to the respect in the tone, the critical analysis without losing a bit of biting and the fact that the script uses the characteristic metafiction of laughing at everything and everyone, including herself, one of the great contributions is that it is not limited to copying everything that is representative of shout out and put it on the board, but there’s also room for some very violent deaths and a Ghostface getting crueler to his victims, where every stab hurts and blood and guts are the main protagonists. while it is true that panic 4 I was already playing with this idea of ​​very violent deaths aligned with the turn of the century, the truth is that in this installment there is a small component that goes a step further, and is that although the deaths may seem playful, deep down they are built in very raw form with excellent tension management, so in the long run its impact is greater.

Talking in detail about the new characters would be talking too much and could spoil much of the surprise. I will just say that each one does their part to create a diverse group of young people who are a great addition to the saga and who, with greater or lesser fortune, will end up being victims of Ghostface, but they all have their moment to shine. The only offensive note is Melissa Barrera, who with such a charismatic cast proves to be a pretty insipid person, although his dilemma and his dynamic with the rest of the cast are among the most interesting.

But just as it has many virtues, it is also inevitable to point out some of the most negative points. The trigger for the story doesn’t convince me personally, although it’s commendable and serves as the perfect excuse to link the past to the present, but in my opinion it’s too far-fetched. And it is also true that the films Horror movies can have a little room for their characters to make stupid decisions, only in this case there can be a lot of stupid decisions.

In short, the most loyal fans can be more than satisfied with this new addition to the saga, where new names have more than proven to bring their touch to the franchise and, most importantly, continue to surprise with the same intelligence and acidity as always when it seemed that everything was said. A gift that fans and original creators can be proud of.