Scream (2022)

 

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sonia Ammar, Mikey Madison, Mason Gooding, and Kyle Gallner

Genre: Horror / Slasher, Thriller

Rated: R

The fifth entry in the Scream franchise takes place twenty-five years after the events of the original film. Someone has once again donned the signature Ghostface ensemble and started yet another string of attacks and murders in Woodsboro. This time, however, the focus is not on Sidney Prescott, but Samantha Carpenter, a young woman with a secret connection to the events of the original. A new group of young people are on the chopping block, forcing Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley to once again face down another masked killer and hopefully put an official end to Ghostface’s legacy.

When I heard a fifth Scream film was in the works I was initially very hesitant – like Neve Campbell had said in many past interviews, I didn’t think it could be done well without Wes Craven. I was worried the series would be ruined. However, when I learned Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the men behind Ready or Not (2019), would be heading the project, I grew far more optimistic – these two know how to combine horror and humor, badass final girls and brutal gore effects into very fun stories. When Neve signed on to return as Sidney (something she was reluctant to do without a good script) I knew I could get excited, and I was not disappointed.

Scream (2022) is a true love letter to the original film and gives friendly nods to the three previous sequels. There are tributes to several fallen characters of the past – beloved characters memorialized rather than forgotten. There are also a couple surprise appearances from past characters which I was ecstatic about. I would highly recommend watching / rewatching the four previous films prior to catching this one in order to pick up on all of the references.

Our legacy actors, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, are amazing as always in their return to the respective roles of Sidney, Gale and Dewey. Despite not being written by Kevin Williamson, the characters still feel true to their roots and have developed naturally over the past twenty-five years. I’m so proud of how far Sidney has come and cannot wait to add her entry to my character study blog (I had been holding off until I could see this film). She has finally stopped running and found her peace, and she will do anything to prevent the destruction of her happiness. Gale has calmed down and become a lot more caring. She has found her success and is willing to put others before a major story; however, she is still not someone you want to mess with. Dewey is still lovable and goofy, but he’s been through a lot, and it’s finally starting to show. These three characters have been through hell, and developed accordingly. The only other major returning character is Judy Hicks from part 4, and I was pleased to see she is treated with a lot more respect in this film. Rather than being the suck-up deputy with a crush on Dewey and a penchant for baking and cheesy quips, she has become the sheriff of Woodsboro. She’s a single mom who adores her teenage son and sushi. She is far more likable this time around, and it was nice to see Marley Shelton flex her more dramatic acting skills.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the new young cast members. I was excited to see Kyle Gallner in the cast (surprise, surprise to anyone who has followed this blog for a while … it’s no secret I love this actor), and saddened that he was criminally underutilized. The only member of the new group of teens I’ve seen before is Jenna Ortega. I really enjoyed her as Phoebe in The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and her turn as Tara Carpenter, Samantha’s younger sister, in this film, is equally fun but definitely more badass. Tara takes hit after hit and gives back as much, if not harder than she receives. She’s tiny, but she’s feisty and very underestimated. She also has excellent taste in the ‘elevated horror’ side of the genre.

I am always reluctant to embrace a new “final girl” when it comes to this franchise as Sidney will always and forever hold that title. However, Melissa Barrera’s Samantha is a quality next generation lead. She has the heart, she has the brains, and she has the strength to face these circumstances head-on. Given more space to develop, she has the makings of becoming Sidney Prescott 2.0, and could possibly carry any further entries in the series. While this entry does feel like a solid, definitive end, we know Hollywood can never leave well enough alone, and there could and probably will be more.

The rest of the new characters aren’t really fleshed out well enough for me to form much of an opinion. Having two of Tara’s closest friends be the twin niece and nephew of Randy Meeks was great. Mindy takes right after her uncle, though she has far better luck with the ladies. Her brother, Chad, is more of a doofus jock, but he seems sweet. Liv is rather forgettable, unfortunately being exactly as Mindy describes her, “too boring.” Amber seems like a nod to Tatum in her having the “super protective best friend” role, but lacks the charm of Rose McGowan, and almost comes off as possessive of Tara. I thought it was cute that they named a character Wes as a tribute to Wes Craven, and Dylan Minnette is adorable, but I would have liked more time with his character. Lastly, we have Ritchie, Samantha’s supportive, somewhat naïve and hapless boyfriend of six months that accompanies her back to Woodsboro when her sister is attacked.

This version of Ghostface is particularly brutal and far less restrained than previous renditions. The deaths are cringe-inducing and one specific kill will rip the heart out of any Scream fan. (I legitimately cried in the theater. No, I am not ashamed.) This Ghostface does not hold back and no one is off limits to them. The deaths are bloodier than in some of the previous entries. Ghostface opts for more vicious attacks with multiple rapid-fire stabs and I love the lack of obvious CGI gore effects. Ghostface also plays heavily with the heads of the victims in this entry which amps up the tension far more than the run-of-the-mill “hey, I’m going to kill you,” calls in earlier sequels. This killer really enjoys toying with good-hearted people and knows how to hit them where it counts, but also severely underestimates the lengths good people will go to to take down evil. The reveal of who is behind the mask is a bit underwhelming, but the commentary on the toxic side of fandom and the lust for infamy that mass murderers have is the true unmasking.

Overall, this is a solid, well-done entry to the franchise that has me questioning my original ranking of the previous films. (It may be time to revisit and revise my prior ratings.) The original will always be untouchable to me, however, this sequel is superior to most, if not all of the preceding ones. It is a love letter to the source material rather than a cash grab, holding true to the roots of the franchise and what made it so great in the first place. Assuming Hollywood doesn’t push to continue the series, this feels like a satisfying ending for the characters and the story.

8/10

Moving Alan (2003)

Directed by: Christopher Shelton

Starring: Marley Shelton, Samantha Shelton, Misha Collins, Mark Pellegrino and Leslie Jordan

Genre: Independent, Comedy, Dark Comedy

Rated: Unrated

Emily Manning arrives at her estranged sister, Melissa’s home after an emergency phone call. Melissa’s husband is dead and she believes she’ll be blamed for killing him. Emily agrees to help Melissa hide the body, and the two embark on a journey of rediscovering their lost relationship and finding themselves.

This is definitely a strange film. I have watched it twice now, and I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. I wanted to like the sisters, but I just couldn’t. Melissa is both incredibly selfish and helpless, and I can understand why Emily becomes so irritated with her. At the same time, Emily has been holding a grudge against Melissa for three years, and that is the reason the two haven’t spoken for so long. What is the grudge about? Melissa moving in on Alan when he was spending time with Emily and marrying him. The fact that Alan was abusive to Melissa, leaving her with a black eye and bruises up and down her back, doesn’t seem to ease this grudge Emily carries; not until Melissa’s neighbor tells her to let it go – and even then, she doesn’t let it go entirely. I was sitting there grumbling at the screen, “You were never even DATING Alan! Melissa’s moving in on him may have been a bitchy thing to do, but it’s not like you two were in a relationship! Get over it!”

It is obvious that Melissa doesn’t like the competition of her little sister when it comes to men. When the two women encounter Tony wandering in the desert, she becomes jealous when he clearly has eyes for Emily over her. Of course, this is after he gives himself a sexy makeover beside their broken down car, when both women see how attractive he actually is under the dreads and scraggly facial hair. 

Quite the Transformation, eh?

I'd say so...

Then Emily is willing to run off into the hills with him, despite the fact that he’s spouting soap opera lines like a lunatic. 

Although, to be fair, I’d let Misha Collins lead me off into the desert hills as well, no matter how crazy he was acting, so I really can’t judge her on that.

Especially if the results would be anything like this!

...Or This....

Along their journey, Melissa learns to toughen up while Emily learns to lighten up a little, but both of them are still overshadowed by Tony and Alan, whom we mostly see in flashbacks or as a dead body until the end of the film. Collins is absolutely hilarious as the crazy, drug addicted hobo living in the desert, who refuses to stay away from Emily, as he believes her to be his love interest in the soap opera he seems to be perpetually living in. How Pellegrino can captivate as a dead, naked man is unclear, but he does, and he is both sexy and creepy in the flashbacks, as well as a little pitiful in places. The Shelton sisters give okay performances, but if it weren’t for Collins and Pellegrino, the film wouldn’t be much worth watching.

The film is definitely funny, in a twisted way, and you can feel the frustration the sisters are feeling as they are trying to find a place to dump Alan’s body and keep being thwarted. The sisters have their comedic moments, especially Melissa with her slightly ditzy, almost childlike demeanor, but, as mentioned above, the real comic relief is Tony, as he is trapped inside his own head, probably high, and convinced he’s filming a soap opera. The people around him don’t know how to handle his crazy and their reactions to him are half the fun. When he snaps back to reality toward the end of the film, it is almost a little sad to see crazy Tony go, but sexy normal Tony is a welcome replacement.

Overall, this is a strange flick, and it took me a couple viewings to gather my feelings on it. The sisters the story centers around annoy me quite a bit, but the characters of Tony, Alan, and Arthur – Melissa’s neighbor- make up for the irritating squabbling between siblings. The Shelton sisters give okay performances, but Misha Collins steals the show, with Mark Pellegrino close behind. Honestly, without these two, the film would have been far less enjoyable.

5.5/10

For those who are interested, one of the few places you can find the entire film in English is here.

Valentine (2001)

Directed by: Jamie Blanks

Starring: Marley Shelton, Denise Richards, David Boreanaz, Jessica Capshaw, Jessica Cauffiel and Katherine Heigl

Genre: Horror, Slasher

Rated: R

After Shelley, a pretty young medical student, is brutally murdered, her friends from Junior High begin receiving perverse Valentine’s Day cards. As the girls try to figure out who may be behind the creepy cards and Shelley’s murder, the killer continues to stalk, and any of them could be next.

This film is just one of the many “hip,” self-aware slasher clones that spawned from Scream, yet I have a soft spot for such flicks. These clones were my introduction to horror culture, coming out just around the time I was old enough to start watching my soon-to-be favorite genre. No matter how poorly they were received, or made, I can still find some good qualities in them.

For instance, Valentine isn’t a great movie by any means, but I find it entertaining. The story is a generic slasher plot and the characters aren’t really that likable, but it does have its good points. The cherub mask that the killer wears is creepy and some of the death scenes are pretty inventive – my favorite involving the hot tub. I also liked that the deaths were linked to things the girls said or did in the beginning of the film, for example, “I’d rather be boiled alive.” It is a clever use of foreshadowing that I find fun.

The acting has its ups and downs. I don’t really find Marley Shelton to be a strong enough actress to carry the film. She plays sweet and innocent well, but lacks the strength to be believable as the film’s heroine. Denise Richards didn’t really have to stretch too much to play Paige, either, as Paige is all about being sexy and sultry, and that’s what Denise is. I wish Katherine Heigl could have been utilized more, as I generally enjoy her work. Out of all the girls, Jessica Capshaw was the only one who really seemed to bring her character to life. Dorothy is the least likable and most developed female character, with her self-esteem issues, jealousy, and anger at the world. David Boreanaz is as charming as ever as Adam, making girls swoon with his adoration for Kate. (Although why he loves her so much is a mystery, she’s sweet, but she’s bland.)

I did like that the girls all seemed to be very confident women and didn’t let guys treat them like garbage. Well, all except for Dorothy, anyway. Kate keeps Adam at a distance due to his drinking, Lily bails on her man when he proves unfaithful, and Paige “takes care of” a guy who disrespects her, in a rather unpleasant manner. These girls may be one- dimensional, but they have self-respect, which is nice to see.

What this film tried to do, and failed at, was create a twist ending the viewer cannot see coming. It’s obvious very early on who the killer really is. While the reveal is a crafty construction by the actual killer, the audience isn’t going to fall for it. I do, however, like how subtle the twist is, happening right before the credits. If you blink, you may miss it.

There are also little bothersome things that leave me with questions. How did the killer drop the rose by the hot tub without being noticed? How many people have access to Kate’s apartment? It seems like everyone and their brother is always creeping about in there. What was the relevance of Kate’s water not working? What happened to Brian?

Overall, it’s not a well-made film, or well-written, but it is entertaining, and it does have its moments.

5.5/10

Scream 4 (2011)

Directed by: Wes Craven

Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, Erik Knudson, Marley Shelton, with Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell

Genre: Horror / Slasher

Rated: R

It’s been a long time coming, but Scream 4 has finally hit theaters. For fans of the originals, there hadn’t even been a thought that there would be a fourth installment until it was announced last year. With the three original cast members (Campbell, Cox, and Arquette) returning to their roles, the original writer and Wes Craven holding his spot as the director of the franchise, I had high hopes for this film. It did not disappoint.

The story follows Sidney Prescott (Campbell) as she returns to Woodsboro, California. It’s her last stop on her tour for the self-help book she has written. The day she returns to Woodsboro, two girls are found brutally murdered in their home, and it’s clear that the murders have started again. The new killers are trying to “remake” the original events/ Stab (the fictionalized movie based on Sidney’s real life experiences in horror).  Now it’s up to Sidney to protect her loved ones from the killer.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I went into it expecting something of Scream 2 caliber (the last sequel writer Kevin Williamson and Craven collaborated on) but I think it surpassed both of the previous sequels. It still takes on genre clichés and lists new rules, but more commentary is added to this one. They poke fun at the Iphone/smartphone craze for applications by having an app for talking like Ghostface, which I thought was pretty clever. They also had characters pointing out their bad situations and saying, “If this were a movie, I’d be dead,” making the film even more self-referential than the first.  Lastly, they tackled the fact that the news media is always the last to know important updates – it will be all over the web before a journalist can print the story. This is referenced a couple times throughout the movie – and is completely relevant to today’s society, where newspapers and cable news are falling behind blogs and internet updates.

The acting was very well done. The original cast was as good as ever, fitting back into their canonized roles with ease. I was most worried about the new cast of up-and-comers. I’d only ever seen Panettiere and Culkin’s work before so I really didn’t know what to expect. The young cast did very well, which made me happy. The characters were also likable, and I actually cared what happened to them, which is something I haven’t felt since the first film. Hayden Panettiere plays Kirby, a cross between Tatum and Randy from the first film, and probably my favorite of the new girls. She’s a loyal friend and a movie nerd, mixed with a bit of a party girl. Emma Roberts was pretty good as Sidney’s cousin Jill, but sometimes her voice got a little too high pitched when she was yelling towards the end and that got a little irritating. Culkin was another Randy-like figure, a self-proclaimed geek who runs the Cinema Club at Woodsboro High with his friend Robbie (Knudson). Robbie, another self-proclaimed nerd, walks around school filming everything for his live blog posts on the internet. Lastly we have Trevor and Olivia – the least likable characters in the film, but still well-acted for the little screen-time they had.  They probably could have been developed a little more, but they were fairly secondary characters to the rest.

The writing is great – on par with the original film. The dialogue was fitting to each of the characters. Ghostface’s dialogue during the phone sequences was a bit more brutal than any of the previous films, but it worked. Also, there were a lot of nice twists within the film, which I really cannot discuss without spoiling the viewing experience. I didn’t see many of them coming which was a nice change as normally I can predict what is going to happen quite easily in horror films. The humor is more pronounced than the first two films, but much less obvious than in part three, which was also nice. The audience was given a decent mix of horror and humor without either one overtaking the other.

The gore is good old-fashioned 90s-style gore. There was no CGI, just prosthetic work and lots of fake blood. It is a little more intense than any of the previous films – there is a scene were a victim’s intestines are lying on the floor next to the body. Graphic, but awesome. Still, after what that victim went through, it really wasn’t surprising. All the gore matched the severity of the deaths. That was a great change of pace since most modern horror flicks go overboard with it.  

I will say that I should not have read the Entertainment Weekly article on this before watching it. It got my hopes up for the beginning, saying it’s the scariest first kill sequence since the first film. It wasn’t. I didn’t know these characters enough to care what happened to them. There was a lot of build up, and while the kill was still good, it in no way matches up to the iconic opening scene in the original. If I hadn’t read that, I probably would be less disappointed in this scene, so that bothers me a bit.

Two other things I liked about this movie: 1.Kristen Bell and Anna Paquin’s cameo scene and 2. The cop being named Anthony Perkins (the actor who played Norman Bates in the original Psycho.) I found Anna and Kristen’s sequence shocking and funny. I also just love little references made in the script to previous horror classics. It shows the writer is still first and foremost a horror fan.

Overall: A worthy sequel to a long dormant series. Horror and comedy were blended successfully without either one being more prominent than the other. The new characters were likable, the acting good, and the gore CGI free. Definitely worth a check if you’re a fan of the original trilogy.

7/10

Last Word: “You’re forgetting one rule about remakes … Don’t FUCK with the original!” – Sydney Prescott