Some things never change. This can be good and also bad. Bad like Audibly Sharp knives (i.e., blades that make a sharpening noise when being whisked through thin air), or like when former deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette) says “You have to shoot 'em in the head, or they always come back.” Of course, the very existence of the new Scream is irrefutable proof that they will come back regardless. This movie is slasher history repeating itself in more ways than one; in addition to revisiting this particular franchise, it borrows a key plot point from Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare – that I will not reveal but which you may have inkling about if you are, like me, a student of the genre. All of the above notwithstanding, Scream ‘22 is overall more good than bad. True to its roots, this iteration serves as a deconstruction of the current state of mainstream horror cinema. Specifically, it is a textbook example of a “requel” – like the last couple of Halloweens, or the recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre –, and by ‘textbook’ I mean that it actually includes a scene where a character literally explains what a requel is and how it works. I also like that it lampshades one of my least favorite tropes, which I call Chekhov's Inhaler. I just compared it to Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but the fact is that Scream ‘22 comes to join the much better company of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and last year’s Candyman (suitably, the movie is dedicated to Craven’s memory and gives Jordan Peele a shoutout). This Scream’s oft-repeated mantra is “always go back to the original,” and that’s sage advice because, like Nightmare on Elm Street, this franchise is a brainchild of Craven that began life as thinking man’s horror only to get progressively dumbed down with each new entry – unlike, say, Friday the 13th, which was born stupid. Thankfully, this film has been made by people with knowledge of and respect for their source material, and who don’t underestimate the audience’s intelligence. Consequently, when characters send text messages, the words appear on their phone screens as opposed to our movie and TV screens, and when a someone is stabbed, they spill real fake blood instead of a stream of red pixels (and in an age where CGI is the norm, any horror movie that uses practical effects instantly doubles its visceral impact). I will only add that, also like New Nightmare and Candyman ‘21, Scream ‘22 is as much of a return to form as it is a fitting farewell, so here’s hoping that it will live up to its promise that “After tonight, no more books, no more movies, no more f***ing Ghostface.”

**One of the best slasher flicks since 1996!** I loved the first Scream - the surprise, the shock, the self-awareness, the humor. It reinvented horror and launched a franchise of sequels of varying quality. And this newest one is the best since the first! It captured all the fun of the first. It kept the stakes high by bringing back the original cast and proving that no one is truly safe. The directors had fun baiting the audience with every slasher trope they could. Tense music would rise every time a character walked past a dark doorway or opened a cabinet to hide the view from the hall - naturally, that is when the killer is standing on the other side but not in Scream! Playing with the tropes in a fun, self-aware way is what Scream is all about, and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett nailed it.

I've watched every scream since scream was invented. I like the first two okay but after that the kind of got a little iffy. This one really goes back to what screen was intended to be by Wes Craven. I really like the flow of this movie and how they put the twist on Samantha's character. It starts like the first scream and it ends like the first scream. I'll have to say out of all the scream movies this was one of the most decent and hardest to figure out.

Scream is a self-aware thriller that doesn't try to be more than it is. The kills are great, the violence is there, and the comedy is good enough that is doesn't take away from the movie. **Verdict:** _Good_

Okay addition to the franchise has some good kills and the acting at least was serviceable and nice seeing the legacy characters again. The killer's motivations did feel a bit 5 years ago (to me, though I don't do reddit or really other social media platforms) but fine I guess and similar to the social commentary from Scream 4. I'd rank this third in the franchise I suppose, behind the original and Scream 2 (for all that movie's flaws, it has a soft spot for me). Not great but worth watching once. **3.25/5**

Decent movie with a nice balance of meta / references to the original without overdoing it.

Ghostface is my favorite cinematic serial killer and I love the first four films (yes, even _Scream 3_ and Gale’s terrible bangs) despite their flaws and fluctuating factors of entertainment. I’ll see and support any new _Scream_ film or TV series that comes along because of it. I know this new installment was successful ($88.4 million worldwide box office gross as of this writing) and some enjoyed it, but it is honestly my least favorite in the franchise. This new film feels like it’s trying too hard to be one of the original _Scream_ films when it should have just been more of its own thing. This is something the film addresses, but originality should always triumph over retreading familiar territory; especially when it seems like its kills are being plunged into the same stab wounds. Full review:

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ "Scream (5) is a brilliant "requel" with cleverly fascinating meta commentary on the horror genre, toxic fandoms, social media, and much more, ultimately becoming a strong contender for this new year's Top10. Boasting a continuously entertaining screenplay filled with exceptionally captivating, relevant dialogue and some of the goriest, bloodiest murders in the famous saga, the directors (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett) and writers (James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick) pay a beautiful homage to the influential creator Wes Craven. The whole cast - both newcomers and icons - delivers remarkable performances, portraying characters who unapologetically address admittedly cinephile-driven topics that some occasional moviegoers might not fully understand but will still receive pure entertainment on the big screen. As a horror-mystery flick, it keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats, laughing and getting jumpscared for the entire runtime. I couldn't recommend it more." Rating: A-