Scream (film series)

Don't answer the phone. Don't open the door. Don't try to escape.

SCREAM (18)

D: Wes Craven

Miramax/Dimension (Cary Woods & Cathy Konrad)

US 1996

110 mins

Horror

W: Kevin Williamson

DP: Mark Irwin

Ed: Patrick Lussier

Mus: Marco Beltrami

Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis), David Arquette (Dewey Riley), Drew Barrymore (Casey Becker), Rose McGowan (Tatum Riley), Jamie Kennedy (Randy Meeks), Matthew Lillard (Stu Macher), Drew Barrymore (Casey Becker)

"What's your favourite scary movie?" It's the question which reinvented the slasher genre for a new generation.

This borderline-satirical horror benefits hugely from a very well-written screenplay which pokes fun at the genre with in-jokes and clever references, setting up all the usual horror movie clichés before explaining them away in a very satisfying way.

A ghost-masked killer is murdering the movie-obsessed teenagers of a small town high school, stalking them with telephone calls and quizzing them with movie trivia before committing the crime.

In the hands of Wes Craven, it's a stylish piece of shock cinema and there's plenty of red herrings to hold the mystery of who the killer is.

A string of sequels and similar-themed films eked out of the woodwork in the following years, but none come close to bettering this.

8/10

Someone has taken their love of sequels one step too far

SCREAM 2 (18)

D: Wes Craven

Miramax/Dimension (Cathy Konrad & Marianne Maddalena)

US 1997

120 mins

Horror

W: Kevin Williamson

DP: Peter Deming

Ed: Patrick Lussier

Mus: Marco Beltrami

Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), David Arquette (Dewey Riley), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Cici Cooper), Jerry O'Connell (Derek Feldman), Liev Schreiber (Cotton Weary)

Disappointing sequel which practically retreads the same ground as the first film, this time referencing horror movie sequels and events from the first film, which itself became a fictitious film ("Stab") within this film.

The film begins unconvincingly and continues on a downward spiral. The performances are far weaker than in the first film and the script is nowhere near as clever, despite its pats on the back to how insightful it is to its own genre. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as smart as it thinks it is and actually undoes all the work which was laid out in the first movie.

The stupid opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Ridiculous, overacted and insipid.

4/10

The most terrifying scream is always the last

SCREAM 3 (18)

D: Wes Craven

Miramax/Dimension (Cathy Konrad, Kevin Williamson & Marianne Maddalena)

US 2000

116 mins

Horror

W: Ehren Kruger [based on characters created by Kevin Williamson]

DP: Peter Deming

Ed: Patrick Lussier

Mus: Marco Beltrami

Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courteney Cox Arquette (Gale Weathers), David Arquette (Dewey Riley), Patrick Dempsey (Det. Mark Kincaid), Parker Posey (Jennifer Jolie), Scott Foley (Roman Bridger)

The Scream franchise goes to Hollywood, as the cast of horror film "Stab 3", based on events from the first two Scream films, are killed off one-by-one by a maniac in a ghost-face mask on the sets in-between breaks in filming.

While the first two films got away with referencing other titles throughout, this third film of the series is so self-referential and up its own backside, those who haven't seen the previous two movies won't have any idea what's going on, while those who have wouldn't be much the wiser either.

Jay & Silent Bob (Jason Mewes & Kevin Smith) pop up for a meaningless cameo and it probably would have been more convincing if the killer in this was an ape (as it was spoofed in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back). The worst of the trilogy (Scream 4 managed to be even worse).

3/10

SCREAM 4 (SCRE4M) (18)

D: Wes Craven

Dimension (Wes Craven, Iya Labunka & Kevin Williamson)

US 2011

111 mins

Horror

W: Kevin Williamson

DP: Peter Deming

Ed: Peter McNulty

Mus: Marco Beltrami

Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), David Arquette (Dewey Riley), Emma Roberts (Jill Roberts), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed)

Each passing sequel dilutes the intelligence and wit of the original film, which, in 1996, was a breath of fresh air to the genre by referencing the many cliches of horror films and turning them on their head.

Scream 4 is practically a remake of the first film and tries to justify itself by referencing the clichés associated with remakes. It doesn't work though because it's stupid, even with original scribe Kevin Williamson penning the script again after skipping duties on the third film.

Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette look far too old (and bored) for these shenanigans. One can only assume that they really needed the money.

Cool poster. Poor film.

3/10

SCREAM (aka SCREAM 5) (18)

D: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

Paramount / Spyglass / Project X / Radio Silence (William Sherak, James Vanderbilt & Paul Neinstein)

US 🇺🇸 2022

114 mins

Horror

W: James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick

DP: Brett Jutkiewicz

Ed: Michel Aller

Mus: Brian Tyler

Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), David Arquette (Dewey Riley), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jack Quaid (Richie Kirsch), Mikey Madison (Amber Freeman), Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter)

It’s no great surprise that I haven’t been a fan of any of the Scream films following the 1996 original, so expectations were incredibly low for this sequel-reboot, which was the 5th in the series, but went by the title of the original film.

It’s practically a retread of the original story, with three of the original cast members returning to effectively pass the torch for the new generation, but the film manages to be self-aware enough to both point this out and have a little fun with it.

It’s predictable from the opening act who the villain is in this one, which is probably the weakest element, especially since the more gruesome scenes are quite inventive and do manage to evoke some tension.

Far from perfect, but it’s the one I’ve found the most entertaining since the original film, which I still hold in high regard over 25 years later.

5/10

SCREAM VI (18)

D: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

Paramount / Spyglass / Project X / Radio Silence (William Sherak, James Vanderbilt & Paul Neinstein)

US 🇺🇸 2023

122 mins

Horror

W: James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick [based on characters created by Kevin Williamson]

DP: Brett Jutkiewicz

Ed: Jay Prychidny

Mus: Brian Tyler & Sven Faulconer

Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy-Brown (Mindy Meeks-Martin), Jack Champion (Ethan Landry), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks-Martin), Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Dermot Mulroney (Wayne Bailey), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), Courtney Cox (Gale Weathers)

Perhaps a more apt title would have been Scream 6: Ghostface Takes Manhattan, as this is just as disappointing as that instalment of the Friday the 13th series of films.

While I was genuinely surprised with the fifth Scream film and saw it as a return to its 1996 roots, this sixth of the series is another rushed sequel, released just one year later as a blatant cash-grab and it really has got to the point where the series is beginning to turn into a parody of itself.

The action is relocated to New York City, where the Ghostface Killer is murdering victims around the Halloween period in the city that never sleeps, with a population of over 8 million people, many of whom are also wearing Ghostface masks because the script says so.

I can waive some of the silliness, as the Scream films have always required a little suspension of disbelief, but the identity of the killer(s) and the stabathon finale ask far too much of the audience.

Please kill this franchise now. Six films is more than enough.

4/10