Some 25 years after the sleepy California town of Woodsboro was rocked by a series of teen murders, Ghostface is back in this impressive sequel.
Now directed by Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) but made very much in the style of Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson’s original, Scream finds a new generation being despatched by the mask-wearing serial killer. And like the best of the first four films in this series – the latest follows on from the third sequel but can also be enjoyed as a standalone entry – it balances brilliantly-staged scares with acknowledgement of audiences’ savviness when it comes to the tropes and clichés of the horror genre.
To give anything away would spoil the twists in the plot. Suffice to say, the new threat stalking the streets of Woodsboro is more than a copycat killer. Featuring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette and other members from the original film’s cast, Scream finds a perfect balance between knowing humour and genuine scares. And unlike the classic R’n’B song, it proves that the thrill hasn’t gone from this iconic horror franchise.
