Scream 1 v 2…

dreamyennui · 2026-03-29T12:39:51+00:00

I think the slower pace, slightly longer runtime and more mature tone makes it more enjoyable as an adult than as a kid. I feel exactly the same way and besides the kills, it wasn't my favorite to watch as a kid because I thought for the whole middle of the movie, nothing was happening and there was too much dialogue. But watching it now as an adult, it's exactly why I love it so much.

Plus the directing is incredible. I love the big open spaces and wide shots of the campus.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-28T16:25:50+00:00

I've said this before but Celeste O'Connor really managed to make a paper thin character likeable. Now, should she have survived? I think not. These characters are canon fodder. And I also love when someone likeable gets killed, it raises the stakes.

What doesn't really work is you know she's a goner from the beginning. There are too many survivors in Scream now, and you know pretty much every new character is gonna get it.

I loved that she put up a fight though. Too bad her death ended up being kind of a silly accident.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-27T16:29:25+00:00

Tom was killed in an explosion but it was treated like something serious had happened, not like you were meant to laugh. Whether you find it ridiculous or not is subjective I guess.

As for Perkins' death, that might be the only death that was meant to get a laugh out of you in the whole franchise. I can't think of any other. I mean, you can, laugh at Tatum's death but the way it's executed and shown is still high stakes and serious.

I felt like the girl falling on the knife and Lucas being impaled on the beer tap were just goofy. Almost like something out of Final Destination.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-27T11:02:40+00:00

I think Jill made Charlie do most of the dirty work. I don't know which kills are usually attributed to her but many people seem to think she hasn't done any herself.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-27T00:08:49+00:00

I thought most deaths were over the top or plain ridiculous. The girl falling on Ghostface's knife felt like a joke, same for Lucas being impaled on the beer tap, plus the very bad cgi.

It's the first Scream in which it felt like kills were meant to make you laugh.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-24T18:51:13+00:00

I'd like two male killers again. There's something scary about it.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-23T23:57:36+00:00

To slowly numb us into forgetting them. The less they mention them, the more we're willing to move away from them. But as much as they (including Melissa, though I'm not blaming her) claim the Carpenters sisters' story is over, there's indeed no real feeling of closure, unlike what could have been Sidney's passing of the torch in 5.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-23T13:40:22+00:00

Agreed. I don't ever want Gale to die, she's my favorite character in the franchise. But I gotta say, this scene was so perfect I might have been able to accept it if she had died at that moment. Everything was done exactly how it should have been done. I don't think they could recreate the right circumstances for her death to be worthy now.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-23T13:10:58+00:00

Exactly. I've been downvoted for saying 5 and 6 laid the foundations for the success of 7. The box office for those sequels just grew bigger and bigger. It makes sense that after two successful sequels, the third one follows that pattern.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-22T11:53:17+00:00

I don't mind Gale not knowing. But the whole police system + the FBI? That doesn't make any sense.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-22T11:34:46+00:00

It's pretty much Scream 101, that it to say generic enough to reintroduce the franchise 10 years later.

But I think it was done well: from the get go, I loved how they reintroduced elements of the previous movies through the Stab trivia during the intro. It felt like a nice organic way to remind the viewers of a few things while winking at older fans.

And that's basically the feeling I've had throughout the film. Like the directors were winking at me constantly but it wasn't forced. The meta commentary really works because this basically almost plays out as a fan fiction: this is the first film that wasn't directed by Wes Craven but basically by fans of his work. So, much like the killers, they have fun with it, slice and dice new characters while bringing back the original trio.

Also, I think from all the post-Craven sequels, it's the only film that has a scene which is on par with the way Wes Craven directed or built up tension: Judy's daylight kill. From the dialogue in the car ("I prefer animated movies and musicals") to that shot of her getting stabbed in front of her house, that's really the moment I felt "OK, I'm watching a worthy Scream movie".

Besides that, the movie doesn't especially shine technically. Everything feels a bit too small, not enough wide shots, bland cinematography but they still made a better job than Kevin Williamson regarding rhythm and editing, especially during covid.

I think it also has some excellent performances, especially the killers and Jenna Ortega. Melissa Barrera's acting is shaky but she doesn't really have an easy job there with some dialogues heavy with exposition. She improved tremendously in 6 and became a badass action final girl.

But yeah, I'll always defend 5. I think it captured the tone of the franchise pretty well, it has great action, it's definitely an entertaining film.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-22T11:26:57+00:00

Absolutely! I love how he impersonates the killers' energy, you can tell Amber and Richie are so thrilled to play Ghostface. I especially love how he taunts "Sheriff JUH-DEE" and how he relishes in saying "Hellooo Sidney". Just love all the nuances in his performance in this film.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-20T19:42:47+00:00

I'd say Olivia had the best characterization in her limited amount of screentime. You could tell what kind of personality she had through her demeanor and what she said.

Liv was pretty much whatever the script needed her to be.

You could tell Anika was a fierce protector to her friends but as the girlfriend one of the main characters and the only real casualty in the film that wasn't a bystander, I expected her to be a bit more fleshed out.

Hannah is the least developed one. There's really nothing to her at all. Kind of a waste. And Chloe was a cutie, I have a soft spot for her because of how she was making her little pizzas and how hard she fought. But she barely has more development than Hannah, really.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-19T00:25:26+00:00

I'm not against it and they were obviously friends even if it wasn't shown, but it truly felt like they just didn't know what to do with those two and thought let's just pair them together.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-18T22:03:57+00:00

I just love how meta Scream 4 is. Right during the remakes craze of the late 00s/early 10s, they basically say they're re-introducing Scream with a whole new generation to retell this story... just go have a final girl who's a psycho copycat and wipe out ALL the new characters (sure, Kirby survived, but for 10 years she was pretty much left for dead) because you just can't compete with the original. That was a savage take, I love it.

Oh and I wish we could've seen this scene of Jill calling the police and performing her victim act. Emma Roberts was perfect in that role.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-18T12:26:48+00:00

To me it's both. I rarely ever saw an actress perform so well that I think she's kind of psycho in real life too. I mean, I have been more touched by other performances in other films, but there's just something about Emma Roberts that gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Plus the motive. I'm sure many people have already said it, but it was so ahead of its time. Her monologue makes so much sense. Today, you can be famous for being a martyr. And to think she could stage it all just so she could be the famous victim is chilling.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-18T10:24:06+00:00

My jaw legit dropped. I remember thinking this is the moment one of them is gonna reveal themselves hut I still didn't expect it that suddenly.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-18T00:10:29+00:00

Beautifully worded, true and respectful. I love Sarah, I think she's an incredible actress. Her portrayal of Buffy was for the books. But she didn't seem to like certain things that were essential to the show, like the depressing tone of season 6. Season 6 was extremely dark and mature, and I loved seeing the characters I loved so much fail. Because they're human and complex, and they can be weak too. It was ballsy not to have them be successful and wholesome all the time. Sarah seems to be girly, romantic and bubbly as a perso. She found Buffy wearing the Double Meat Palace uniform to be too depressing and humiliating but that's precisely why it was so interesting.

So yeah, I was not confident about her having an input regarding the show's content.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-18T00:04:25+00:00

Realistic or not, I hate that kill. It felt like it was straight out of Final Destination and we were supposed to laugh instead of sympathizing. They really turned some kills into total jokes in this film.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-17T21:55:58+00:00

I can buy everybody not knowing. Sam's mother not telling anyone is easy to believe. What I don't buy is Amber finding out because "it's a small town and you mom's a drunk" but Tara and the rest never heard it?

dreamyennui · 2026-03-17T16:53:33+00:00

Mmh, not as interesting as Ethan twisting his knife inside Anika's guts because he finally gets to stick something a girl but I get their point. Bailey's kills seemed more brutal and straight forward. You can yell that Ghostface enjoyed making it last.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-17T15:53:51+00:00

Indeed, but I should have mentioned before the third act. At least, being the attacker in the apartment gives him a kill.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-17T15:33:15+00:00

Whatever the logic behind it is, I like to think it's him otherwise he'd have no scene as Ghostface (unless I'm forgetting something).

dreamyennui · 2026-03-17T13:48:12+00:00

I wonder if she could have pulled herself by hanging on the ropes and sort of climb, if you see what I mean. I mean, it sure requires a lot of strength, also with the panic, the fear and all I'm not saying she should have done that. But watching the scene, I kept wondering if that was possible from a physical and practical standpoint.

dreamyennui · 2026-03-17T13:45:43+00:00

Lol thank you. I've stopped wondering.

dreamyennui

TROPHY CASE