This fifth film in the Scream series is arguably the best since 1996’s original outing, offering a winning combination of brutal horror, character-based nostalgia, and meta-commentary on the genre, the current trend for legacy sequels, and toxic fandom generally.

Premise: Twenty-five years after the original Woodsboro massacre by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, a new killer assumes the Ghostface identity and starts attacking the town’s populace, including Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), her group of high school friends, and her estranged sister Sam (Melissa Barrera). But will the new attacks draw the original survivors, Dewey Riley (David Arquette), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), back to Woodsboro?

Review:

Although I don’t claim to be a fan of the horror genre generally, the Scream films hold a special place in my heart. I thoroughly enjoyed the original Scream’s blend of whodunnit murder mystery and knowing meta-commentary on the genre, and although the film had some pretty shocking moments for the time (the evisceration of Drew Barrymore in the opening sequence stunned the cinema into silence when I first watched it), it also wasn’t too reliant on cheap jump scares.

1997’s Scream 2 is a surprisingly good sequel, with some genuinely shocking moments and memorable set-pieces. The way it subverted the tropes of a horror sequel was really entertaining, the invention of the “Stab” film-series-within-the-film-series was a stroke of genius, and the killers’ reveal was suitably satisfying. Even if overall it didn’t quite match the originality of the first film, it certainly wasn’t far off. 2000’s Scream 3, on the other hand, was a massive disappointment, and is rightly the least loved film in the series. Although at its core it had some interesting ideas about the “rules” for concluding horror trilogies, the script from Ehren Kruger (the first not to be written by series creator Kevin Williamson) managed to be both unimaginative and far-fetched, and fell into many of the tropes and cliches that the earlier films had satirised.

“…even the film’s name is part of the meta-commentary on the current trend for legacy sequels…”

After Scream 3, the series lay dormant for over a decade until 2011’s Scream 4 saw original writer Kevin Williamson return to the series, alongside legendary horror director Wes Craven (who directed all four of the original Scream films). I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t give Scream 4 the benefit of the doubt after I was so disappointed by Scream 3, and in fact I didn’t see Scream 4 until many years later. I missed out, as Scream 4 is a return to form, bringing back the best elements of the series and adding its own meta-commentary on the (then current) trend for remaking beloved horror classics, as listed in the now famous monologue from Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere).

Which brings things full circle to this new iteration of Scream. Despite being the fifth film in the series (and a direct sequel to the previous four), the film is called Scream rather than Scream 5 because that itself is part of the meta-commentary on the current trend for legacy sequels (or, as a character in this film calls them, “re-quels”, because they are part “reboot” part “sequel”), especially those that are called the same thing as the original film in their series (such as 2018’s Halloween, 2019’s Shaft or 2021’s Candyman).

“…the focus on the new characters means that the appearances of the legacy characters carry more weight…”

Like the best “re-quels”, this latest Scream film combines an engaging new cast alongside the return of fan-favourite legacy characters. In terms of the split between the two casts, this is certainly the new characters’ story and they rightly take centre stage – and after Scream 3 and Scream 4, it was actually nice to have a plot that wasn’t entirely centred around someone specifically targeting Sidney Prescott. But the decision to focus on the new characters means that the appearances of the legacy characters carry more weight, so that when they do appear on screen, there’s more of a sense of occasion to those moments.

The new cast members are all great in their roles, and they each balance their performances between apparent victim and potential killer perfectly, to keep the audience guessing until the end. Melissa Barrera, fresh from her breakthrough role in In The Heights, plays Sam Carpenter, who returns to Woodsboro for the first time in years after her sister Tara (played by Jenna Ortega) is attacked in the film’s opening sequence. Tara’s and Sam’s group of friends, played by a who’s who of Gen-Z talent including Dylan Minnette, Mason Gooding, Jack Quaid, Sonia Ben Ammar, Mikey Madison and Jasmin Savoy Brown, quickly become suspects, and while they’re all excellent, Jasmin Savoy Brown’s and Mason Gooding’s performances as twins who are particularly aware of the tropes of the horror genre was especially enjoyable.

“…the writers & directors of this film have a lot of affection for the legacy characters…”

Alongside these entertaining and watchable new characters are the cast members returning from the earlier films, which isn’t just limited to the “big three” of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette (although I won’t spoil who else appears). When the main legacy characters do appear, Cox, Arquette and Campbell all get their own big cinematic moments, and it is a joy (as a long-time fan) to see them on screen again. It’s clear that the writers and directors of this film have a lot of affection for the legacy characters (and in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, there’s even a visual Easter egg which suggest that Hayden Panettiere’s character Kirby may have actually survived Scream 4…).

This is, of course, the first Scream film to be made since legendary horror director Wes Craven passed away in 2015, but the franchise appears to be in safe hands with new directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Fresh from their success with 2019’s horror-comedy Ready or Not, they have seamlessly made the leap to the “big leagues” with this film, and have remained truthful to the tone established by Wes Craven, while also bringing a freshness to the series (a number of the attacks in this film are more brutal than anything seen in the series since the very first scene with Drew Barrymore).

“…if you have any affection for the ‘Scream’ series, you should love this fifth instalment…”

Although he didn’t write the script for this fifth film (which was a worrying announcement after the disappointment of Scream 3), series creator Kevin Williamson has stayed on as an executive producer, while handing over the scriptwriting reins over to Guy Busick (a regular collaborator with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) and James Vanderbilt. Their script has certainly retained the spirit of Kevin Williamson’s earlier work, balancing the comedy and horror elements well, and playing with (and subverting) tropes and expectations. It also provides a very entertaining meta-commentary that this time doesn’t just cover the horror genre and legacy sequels, but also concepts like toxic fandom, fan service and fan entitlement generally.

All in all, if you have any affection for the Scream series, you should love this fifth instalment. It provides everything you loved from the earlier films – an engrossing murder mystery whodunnit, a knowing blend of horror and comedy, and the return of beloved legacy characters – as well as fresh blood (pun intended) in terms of an engaging new cast of characters, a more brutal and shocking edge, and an entertaining meta-commentary on the latest movie trends.