SCREAM (2022)

In SCREAM (2022), two women and a man from three previous killing sprees return to Woodsboro to help some teenage friends, including two sisters related to one of the first previous Ghostface killers, stop a new Ghostface killer. The fifth SCREAM movie is bloodier and more obscenity-laced than the previous four, and the killer or killers turn out to be even more vicious, though the movie ultimately sides with the victims and potential victims.

The movie opens with a teenage girl, Tara, alone in her house in Woodsboro, while her mother is in London at a conference. A killer wearing a black robe and a Ghostface mask patterned after the famous painting “The Scream” attacks her, but Tara survives.

Living in another town, Tara’s estranged older sister, Samantha aka Sam, hears about the attack and rushes to Tara’s hospital bedside. Sam’s boyfriend, Richie, goes with her.

At the hospital, Sam and Richie meet Tara’s five teenage friends, which includes a twin sister and brother and the son of the town’s female sheriff. Since this is a Ghostface killer, Sam and Richie think the killer has an accomplice, and both killers must be two of Tara’s teenage friends. Or, could one of the killers be an older, thuggish teenage man who had a summer fling with one of the friends, a senior in high school?

When the older thug turns up stabbed to death, Sam and Richie decide to seek the help of former Deputy Dewey Riley, a survivor of the previous six Ghostface killers. Dewey is still pining over his ex-wife, Gale, another previous survivor. They separated when Gale moved to New York City to pursue her career, and Dewey didn’t fare well in the Big Apple. Eventually, Dewey lost his job as Deputy because of the self-doubt and recriminations that resulted from the divorce. Reluctantly, Dewey agrees to help Sam and Tara.

As the attacks continue and the bodies start to pile up, Gale returns to Woodsboro to cover the attacks for her TV station. Also, Sam reveals to Tara a secret she’s been hiding from her. Sam’s revelation makes her a suspect.

Eventually, Gale’s friend, Sidney, returns to Woodsboro to help Gale and Dewey stop the Ghostface killer or killers. However, Ghostface turns out to be more cunning than even they expected.

SCREAM (2022), the fifth SCREAM movie, follows the pattern set by the previous movies. It mixes the bloody violence of the slasher genre with satire, comedy and mystery. It also continues to provide sarcastic, self-reflexive commentary on horror film cliches, especially mad killers and their victims. A self-reflexive movie or literary work is one that explicitly reflects on its own process of creation. Here, a character claims they’re stuck in a horror “requel,” like a remake or a reinvention of the pattern established by the first two Ghostface killers. The characters in SCREAM (2022) also figure out that the killers must be someone who was upset by the last movie trying to capitalize on the Woodsboro killings, called STAB 3.

That said, SCREAM (2022) has a lot of violent twists in its climax that make the ending seem drawn out too much. Worse, however, the new SCREAM movie seems bloodier than the previous four. Also, it has a higher excessive amount of strong obscenities, including many “f” words and few strong profanities. Finally, in the third act, one of the main teenage female characters expresses a sexual interest in another minor female teenage at a party. Later, the two girls are found kissing passionately on a couch in a room. Another main female character wants one of the main male teenagers to join her in a bedroom, but the attempted rendezvous is interrupted.

Scores of thousands of scientific and psychological studies show that many young viewers will be traumatized, dehumanized and/or desensitized by such material and a few disturbed individuals will be inspired to create their own violent, bloody mayhem. Given that this SCREAM is bloodier than the first four movies makes SCREAM (2022) an even bigger toxic media threat to teenagers and families in the United States and around the world.