Scream reviewed by Mark Kermode

Mark Kermode reviews Scream. Twenty-five years after the original Woodsboro murders, a new Ghostface killer emerges, luring Sidney Prescott back to uncover the truth.

Please tell us what you think of the film -- or Mark’s review of the film. We love to include your views on the show every Friday.

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[DuncanUdaho]

So glad they’re back in the studio (again).

[laurenbastin]

genuinely love the charisma Kermode and Mayo have, they bounce off of each so well and it really makes all of their discussions very engaging

[thehitherto]

I love the meta-justification the Scream instalments have for their existence, and #5 was no exception. It's far from flawless, but I genuinely enjoyed it. Far more than I had expected actually...

[hippiecheezburger]

It’s surprising how every single Scream film manages to be successful, the weakest one is Scream 3 but that’s still not even a bad movie

[michaelantonyaustin]

I love the Scream franchise particularly for it self referencing concept. You’re right Mark - Wes Craven’s New Nightmare did it just as well, but was swept under the carpet at the time. Hopefully people will now ‘dig it out’ of the archives and rediscover it’s brilliance.

[fozzle]

I watched the original Scream when I was probably too young to watch it (thanks mum!). I still remember that opening scene now, Scream has never been more scary.

It felt very 'real' because the characters were aware of horror films. i'd never seen anything like it before.

[hihowareyouthen]

I found it enjoyable enough, a decent (and welcome) addition to the franchise. The emotional core with regards to the original cast members surprised me (I may have got something in my eye at one point). What let it down, for me, were some of the younger charisma-free cast members. Jack Quaid was great but the lead girl was so bland and the character development for others was sorely lacking. If you don't care about them then the stakes are exponentially lower. Oh, and so far no one's mentioned the deeply odd CGI Billy? Thoughts?

[ben_imaging]

The originals were my first horror films when I was far too young (in my primary school!) So they have a special place in my black heart. I thought this was a great film for the fans. A modern update on the meta self-referential gags Scream is known for, with plenty of gore and jumps. I loved the game of cat and mouse it played, building suspense and giving release. It’s not an amazing film, but it’s a great addition to the Scream franchise and exactly what you want from a slasher film, with some bonus humour.

[NLDlover]

I never found any of the Scream films, including the first one, to be particularly scary but I do think they are a lot of fun. I come to the series as someone who really likes the meta and satirical aspects first and foremost; which is to say I had a blast watching this film. Although never really scared, I do find the chase scenes, stalking, and the face-off between the final girl(s) and the killer, etc. to be thrilling. I appreciated all of the Easter eggs, callbacks, and references and the movie is full of them.

But most of all, I like that this movie invested some time and energy into actually getting us familiar with the Gen Z kids in Woodsboro before integrating the legacy trio into the story. In particular, Jenna Ortega and Jasmin Savoy Brown impressed me. David Arquette probably also gives his best performance ever here, giving Dewey a lot of emotional resonance.

Overall, people need to not overthink this too much. No one really expects or needs this movie to be a cinematic masterpiece, it just needs to be fun, which it is.

[lpquagmire]

I kept expecting Mark to say with great reticence, "It's fine..." 🤗

[odellrivas]

Loved Wes Craven's New Nightmare, a smart film.

[trianglemank]

I think the script and performances are stronger than what we saw in Scream 4, and it doesn’t have that feeling of it being obviously rewritten multiple times (no Ehren Krueger this time). I do think it treads on a lot of the same ground covered by the remake/reboot commentary of #4, but I think this one stumbles when you get into the motivations (I was astonished that this film was defending a certain other franchise entry…). The idea of recapturing the magic of the first Scream has been a theme of every single sequel, and Scary Movie even is part of that legacy (which incidentally was released a few months after Scream 3).

[alextromagnetic]

I absolutely adored this. It's everything I wanted from it and more

[onemannsmovies]

I'm not a great horror nerd, but I really enjoyed this one. But agree with the good Doctor that it's gory without being very scary.

[DMBMT]

I enjoyed it but as Mark said, it wasn’t scary. I did find it genuinely funny with David Arquette and Jack Quaid but overall I don’t think the old cast should have returned. The new cast were doing a good enough job without the distraction. Can’t wait for the next one, Scream Kills

[UberNoodle]

So, horror as purely as an aesthetic. This is a common problem with many modern horror movies, from all over the world. Maybe it's a lot of emulation without really understanding what made thir predecessors actually scary, or maybe it's a lack of horror movie making talent. But actual tension and fear in a horror movie is becoming exceedingly rare. Just having shocking violence and gore doesn't make it a good horror film, in my book. Maybe the Scream TV series of a few years ago was better in that regard.

[captainmercy]

Oh, nice to see the doctors back in the studio again.

[RS-jblf]

The movie was fantastic and watching it at the cinema just added to that experience.

[lordofthereels]

I'm loving how full circle this review is taking me with Kermode. I discovered Kermode when I saw a slasher documentary he did after Scream 2 or 3 I think about the state of horror then. From watching his reviews I've since discovered a new favorite slow-burn horror classic like the 73 Wicker Man, Don't Look Now, and The Ninth Configuration. All that to say thank you so much sir for a crash course in horror cinema that's lasted more than a good deal of my scholastic knowledge.

[Carlos-lnfd]

Whenever I see a sequel with the same title of the original I'm reminded of that Yahtzee Croshaw rant about how the historians from the future will hate us because everything is so hard to archive.