Welcome to my first review of the year and the comeback of an older series. ‘Franchise Friday’ is back! At least for this week. As much as I enjoyed ‘Franchise Friday’ for the short time I did them, they were a lot of work and being in lockdown made it a lot easier for me to watch those films. This one happened to be incidental as a plan to review the 5th film in the Scream franchise this coming Tuesday and so it let right for me to go back to the previous films. Despite having seen all of these films at least once before it had been a long time since I had watched any of them all the way through so I was looking forward to seeing how much I remembered and if my opinion would change about any of the films. But before I get started I have just one question. What’s your favourite scary movie?
Scream (1996) – Wes Craven
The one that started it all and a film that is seen as a classic of the genre. Full disclosure, I have seen this film a lot. It was one of these films I would have on a pretty consistent rotation when I was in my early teens and first getting into horror films. And it still really holds up. It manages to hold itself up as a really great slasher film while also being somewhat satirical and a good antidote to what had become a stale and bland genre. You would think that this would date the film in some way as the success of this film pulled many in that direction, but the fact that it is also a great slasher film means that it still really works. It is full of great performances, a smart and often funny script, and a ton of quotable moments that are now part of pop culture. It is a classic and deservedly so, not least for introducing one of the most iconic horror characters in Ghost Face to the world.
Scream 2 1997) – Wes Craven
Despite having not seen this film many times and also having not seen it in years something about it really stuck in my mind. It isn’t close to being as good as the first film, but it leans in more into the comedic aspect and I think this saves it. The actual narrative of the film is fine but not great. It isn’t particularly interesting, at least in comparison to the first film, and the ending reveal of who the attacker is doesn’t really land for me. But the cast all return and put in great performances again, and they are helped by yet another really solid script. And like I mentioned earlier, this film works more as a comedy. One moment, in particular, had me laughing out loud, and this involved a quick cameo by Luke Wilson. He is on screen for about 30 seconds and knocks it out of the park.
Scream 3 (2000) – Wes Craven
I may have been watching this film for the first time as outside of the opening scene I had no memory of anything. This was a big juicy bonus for me as it did mean that I had no idea who the killers were going to be and so I could guess along with the characters. But this is where most of my positive comments end because this film isn’t very good. It starts strong but it really goes off a cliff. There is just something off about the whole thing. It hasn’t gone so far as to jump the shark, but it comes close. Hopped the dolphin let’s say. The comedy has gone from being quite smart to being over the top and somewhat stupid, and the acting follows suit. Some of the performances in this film are ridiculous. Even the returning cast aren’t great, especially David Arquette who is really off. I would have held it in slightly higher regard but there is a scene towards the end that is so dumb that I can’t possibly recommend it.
Scream 4 (2011) – Wes Craven
If this film wasn’t so damn ugly, I think I would really like it. It is the most interesting of these three sequels, even if Scream 2 is probably the better executed. It has a script that is fun and smart with an ending that is really interesting and well set up. All the cast put in good performances again, including David Arquette who recovers from his performance in the prior sequel. Some of the acting can be hammy at times but it is hammy in a way that works and is entertaining so I give it a pass. But the film is so ugly. There is this horrible glare across the whole film so that when any light source is in on-screen it is blinding and makes everything look smooth and hazy. I eventually got used to it but it really drags the film down because it is so jarring on a visual level. It often looks like you’re watching a cheap, bootleg of the film it is that bad. Thankfully the last twenty minutes of the film are a ton of fun so brings the film back up to a level where I can see myself going back to it.
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