2022’s “Scream” knowingly follows the trend of bringing back horror icons and stands as one of the worst films to do it. The film unrelentingly clings on to the hope that it is not only dumb fun, which makes the whole experience forgettable and predictable. “Scream” follows so closely to the plot points and twists of Wes Craven’s original, that it is simply an inferior version of a classic horror flick and provides nothing worthwhile for newcomers or fans of the “Scream” series.
The acting and cast selection makes “Scream” difficult to watch. Melissa Barrera is consistently poor throughout “Scream.” Her acting is not noticeably bad, but she is unable to make her role as interesting as it sounds on paper. She is the daughter of a serial killer and yet all she portrays is a facial expression that gives off the vibe that she does not quite know where she is in the present moment. Much of the cast is supposed to be young, but the high school kids in the film look like they are the same age as the returning characters from the original “Scream.” Is it that hard to find real high schoolers for a film that focuses on the lives of teenagers instead of creating a cast composed of actors pushing 30?
“Scream” is a film that thinks it is smarter than it is as it pokes fun at horror conventions whilst following them to a T. The reveal of the killer’s true identity is made blatantly obvious and lacks intelligently placed clues that the audience would only pick up on during a second viewing. There are points during “Scream” where characters will give the exact description of the killer and then show scenes where the killer does precisely what is said. It is as if the film is treating the audience like a child – spoon feeding information and providing no room for mystery. The target audience of the film is seemingly an older crowd, considering the rating and the age of the source material, but the film has a preconceived notion that its audience’s brains have not fully developed.
The best parts of “Scream” are directly pulled from Wes Craven’s film and it does not attempt to get the audience thinking. It even lacks notable scares beyond the introduction, which should have been the main point of the film. “Scream” is an utter waste of time and prospective watchers would be better off watching Wes Craven’s “Scream,” as it accomplishes everything this film does and more.
