Enjoy The Show: The Last Matinee (2021)

 

    

    Welcome back everyone, I hope everyone's been having a good week so far. Who loves the movie theater? I know I personally love them. I have very fond memories of when I was younger getting to go see various movies over the years with my family - Batman Returns, Jurassic Park, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Halloween H20, and the Lords of the Rings Trilogy to name a few. I don't know what it is about it, but it's a very comforting place for me. And nowadays, it feels even more of a comfort cause it's a place to just go and get away from the world for a movie. 

    Something I will admit is that I have seen a few films take place in a theater. But the theaters never felt terrifying or filled with dread. That however has changed now with my recent viewing of The Last Matinee. Now a theater in a movie fills my mind with something looming round the next corner - a nice fear of the unknown. And before you ask, yes The Last Matinee is now available to view on Shudder.

    The Last Matinee is a Spanish-language Uruguayan horror film directed by Maximiliano Contenti, who also wrote the screenplay with Manuel Facal. It received a release back in 2021. It, like Malignant, is also a love letter to the Giallos. Honestly, it's interesting comparing the two films because they feel like opposite ends of the modern day Giallo. 

    It's a soaking wet day with rain pouring down and one of the best things to do is to go seek refuge in a great old cinema. Unbeknownst to some of our characters, this will be a trip to the movies that they will never forget. For a murderer is on the loose in Montevideo and the theater is his next stop. 

    In a nut shell, that's the basic set up for The Last Matinee. It's a relatively simple story. If I gave you the sypnosis of just 'killer is loose in a movie theater murdering the audience after locking them within', it would be safe to say that's the rough plot of Midnight Movie. 

    Ana (Luciana Grasso) arrives to the theater to bring home her father, who works the projection booth. Sadly, she learns that he has to work the projection booth for the next film showing as someone didn't show up. She takes it upon herself to work his shift as he taught her to operate the projection booth. Ana's father is someone that appears to love his job, even if it may be killing him to work 10 hour shifts. After that, we are introduced to our usual suspects - couple on an extremely awkward date, old man, a young child that snuck in after being turned away at first, and the group of teenagers. There's also the really creepy guy, Mauricio that's working alongside Ana. While all these characters could be very shallow and one note, this film goes out of its way a little bit to add some depth to them. 

    After that, we are introduced to our killer - man in coat. The film does an extremely good job of making sure that the killer is an enigma. We aren't given a name. We aren't given a tragic backstory of some kind. He is there for one reason and one reason alone - to kill. Well, there is a bit late reveal that was extremely disturbing, in my opinion. It made me cringe and squirm. So our killer kills in this film. This is a film that is not afraid of showing it. It showcases quite a few different murders in full close up shot. Truly a love letter to Giallo. Plus, there's one of the kills that was just cool looking. For those that are wondering if the film is bloody, yeah it shows quite a bit. That's honestly part of the film that makes up for the film's small pacing issues. 

    By the end of this viewing, I was surprised with how it played out. No, not by what happens and who makes it to the end. That was a lot of things that I was pretty sure was going to happen. There's a moment where I could have seen gone in an entirely different direction. Honestly if it was announced that there would be a sequel, I wouldn't be surprised. In a way, it does set up one. But for the most part, The Last Matinee makes for a beautiful stand alone. 

Rating: 4 out of 5. 

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Streaming Originals: Anything for Jackson (2020)

    

  Hello everyone, Welcome back to Streaming Originals. Last time, I took a look at another Netflix original, The Platform. As of right now, I have covered four Netflix Originals. Roughly, Netflix has had a 75% success rate for me so far. However with today's current climate of Streaming Services, we know that Netflix is not the only one available. Today, I am pleased to shed some light into the darkness of Shudder Originals. 

    So far, I have watched a few different Shudder Originals. I watched The Call with Tobin Bell and that was a miss for me. It felt like it was rather long and padded. I have also watched The Mortuary Collection which was a fantastic anthology film. It was a big breath of fresh air. Case in point that leaves Shudder with a chance for it to hit or miss. Another really solid original is Ruin Me from a few years ago. 

    A film I had heard about in the past is Anything for Jackson. It was one that kept popping back up and I had it placed in my backlog to cover it at some point. I had no idea that it would be the first Shudder Original that I'd be coming out swinging with. What brought it back to my attention was Patton Oswalt. Over on Twitter, he posted and was super excited that a podcast he listens to was covering the film. I could tell in this short little tweet that he genuinely loved Anything for Jackson. It was that genuine attitude that sold me on checking out the film.  

    The film starts out as a pretty normal morning for a husband and wife, Henry and Audrey Walsh. The house that they live in is huge, which is a good thing as this is the main setting for the film. The husband and wife are quickly discussing how he will look like a 'rapper' because of the hem of his pants being too high on one side. Pretty normal family stuff. That quickly changes as the story opens up with the arrival of Shannon. Well, arrival is a very light way of putting it. Okay, okay. They kidnap her because she's pregnant. Their main goal is to try and perform a ritual that will allow their dead grandchild, Jackson, to be reborn in Shannon's fetus. How are they able to do this? Well, it turns out the Walshes have a secret - they are Satanists. 

    While some may say that a lot of what I have said so far could be a spoiler, I have to say that it's not. It's really only the tip of the iceberg. There is literally so much going on with this film that you could watch it a few times and still uncover something new. Plus the sypnosis for the film kind of gives all that away. 

    I wasn't sure what to expect going into the film. I knew roughly what it would be covering. But the film literally goes to show just how far someone would go to get a loved one back. It's such a strong powerful message. With Henry, he would literally give up everything and everyone so that Audrey could get her wish. And Audrey would go to the literal depths of hell to try and get her grandchild back. Honestly, Henry's side of things is a pretty strong love representation of his love for Audrey. 

    Then there is Shannon, our unfortunate prisoner. This is someone that came to Henry as his patient and learned that she's pregnant. At first, it seemed like a very big end of the world realization for her. However with the use of the flashbacks, it beautifully illustrates just how much one's life can change for their child. Shannon could have easily been a thrown away character in some other film, however not here. 

    I would definitely say that for each of the characters in this film - there is a strong characterization to them. No one's really a shallow cookie cutter version of themselves. Even with the other members of the Satanists, we see a distinct character. It's pretty fantastic. And all of the actors and actresses bring their all to this film. The four big standouts being Julian Richings (Henry), Shelia McCarthy (Audrey), Konstantina Mantelos (Shannon), and Josh Cruddas (Ian). All of their performances are incredible and multi-layered. And definitely huge tip of the hat to Josh Cruddas, even if he does remind me of a YouTuber that goes by the name Brandon Farris. 

    Moving onto the horror elements of the movie, oh boy. There are some pretty heavy elements. I mean we kind of get it all. We get body horror, ghosts, and hints of possession to just say a few. Every single element works extremely well together. There were quite a few moments where the hairs on the back of my neck would stand up. The biggest one involving teeth, as someone that underwent dental surgery it caused me to cringe. 

    Honestly, the only element of Anything for Jackson that I don't know if it worked for me was the ending. It's presented in a very let the audience make up their mind on it. It's a bit of a bold move. But safe to say, it's not a happy ending. It's a bit of a bleak ending and that's okay. If there were some things that would have been tightened up a little bit, perhaps it would have worked better for me. With a second watch, it could very well work better. Time will tell.

    Overall though, I was very impressed with Anything for Jackson. It is a powerhouse of a film while also being small and intimate. It definitely doesn't hold many things back. But the beauty of it is seeing the interactions between the characters. I wasn't disappointed with taking the time to watch it either unlike The Call. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. 

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Book Review - Its Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited

    Hello everyone, I have returned with another book review. These days it's amazing seeing all of the wonderful books detailing horror franchises like Crystal Lake Memories, Taking Shape, Phantasm Exhumed and Slash of the Titans. I mean these books are even better than any of the special features that we used to get. The depths of where they are able to go is astounding. 

Well, today I have the pleasure of talking about It's Me Billy: Black Christmas Revisited. Inside these pages, you get to hear the story of how Black Christmas came to be. It's something that I had never heard before. I don't have the Shout! Factory release of Black Christmas so I cannot tell you if that's something that was covered here. But it was interesting to hear the lengths it had to go. I also had no idea that Black Christmas came out at a time when Ted Bundy was beginning to be more known. For me, I had just started hearing about that within the last year. So never put two and two together. 

   

    But the depths that Paul Downey and David Hastings have went to for this franchise, it's absolutely incredible. There are quite a few stories that probably have never been told till this point. It just leaves me flabbergasted thinking about how much love and passion has to go in to craft something like this. I tip my hat to those that are able to do that because I know that I don't have the opportunity nor the tools at my disposal to do so. 

    But they don't just give the spotlight to the original, it would be incredibly easy to just do that. They took the time to discuss the 2006 retelling of Black Christmas. By now, we all know that Black Christmas '06 was an interesting take on the material. It expanded on Billy's backstory and brought some elements that were a little more subdued in the original to the forefront. As a fan of this incarnation as well, it was nice getting a more in-depth look at the behind the scenes of it. I enjoy the original DVD that was released for it and was a bit disappointed at the brief amount of Behind the Scenes for it. I am happy to say that this does it justice as well. 

    And oh no, they went even further. By this point, I was smiling ear to ear. All of the stories of the making of for the previous two incarnations had been fantastic. I was super excited to just see where they went with 2019's Black Christmas. Now, I know this incarnation gets so much hate. It's kind of the runt of the franchise. However there were quite a few that enjoyed it, so getting more information regarding it is good. It's just astounding the wealth of information packed into this tome. Just when I thought that it was done, it kept giving more. And honestly, everything I have mentioned is only a fraction of what is covered in this astounding book. 

    Honestly, I would have to say that this entire book is amazing. It manages to cover so much and helped me find a better appreciation for this franchise. I have a massive understanding now of what Black Christmas means to people and why it matters. Paul and David were able to preserve Black Christmas for future generations as they go through their film history. This is probably my favorite out of all of the ones I have read so far. And I cannot recommend it enough. If you are a fan of this series, this is for you. If you appreciate film and its history, get it. 

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Streaming Originals: The Platform (2019)

 

   Hello everyone, Streaming Originals has returned. Last time, we took a look at Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight II. That was a fun film that was very fresh and original. 

    Today, I took a look at a film that I had been hearing a bit about lately. Quite a few people had been recommending it. It's been streaming on Netflix. It is The Platform, a Spanish film that was released in 2019. 

The Platform is a extremely intriguing film as it presents a challenge not for the characters within it, but for the audience as well. The Platform is a mysterious place, an indescribable prison, a deep hole. An unknown number of levels. Two inmates living on each level. A descending platform containing food for all of them. An inhuman fight for survival, but also an opportunity for solidarity. 

This film was an incredibly interesting experience. In the very beginning, I wasn't sure if I could handle the film. While it isn't straight up horror, this is more of a slow burn thriller. At first, it throws you into the shoes of Goreng as he is discovering what the rules of this place are. During a small flashback and talking with his cell mate, he mentions that he entered this place willing. It was a way of earning a degree if he could last six months within its walls. Now for me, I wouldn't do it. There is absolutely no way that I could have handled being stuck in this situation. It's not worth it. Goreng thinks very easily that its something that he could handle and it wouldn't be so bad. It would give him a chance to read through Don Quixote. What kind of rational mind believes that this is something that would necessarily be not that bad? 

Over the course of the film, Goreng learns more about himself than I believe he ever could have wanted. In a way, it did allow him the option to get a degree in who he is as a person. But the film is definitely layered. As the layers begin to peel away, we get to see just how humanity truly can be. In this place, it's a ticket to seeing truly evil things. However, there is always that chance for change. It just takes one person to help bring solidarity that could shape the way this prison is. 

I truly appreciate the way the story unfolds and is told. It gives us a very close connection to Goreng. He is our eyes and ears. His experience is our experience. That is something that I haven't seen in a film in a while. It also presents the idea of how people with opportunities look down to those who do not in society. That is extremely evident as this platform of food is brought down level by level to each of the different 'prisoners'. It immediately pits the different levels against one another in chaos. 

This film is a film where I strongly believe that one person's watch of it will be a different experience from another person's. It's a tightly packed and very well executed story. Trying to just unpack it all in one view, I don't know if that's possible. It allows there to be a lot to sit and think on as well as a strong re-watchability. 

The only time I think the film may not necessarily be everyone's cup of tea is in its ending. It is definitely a strong ending, but an open ended one. It allows the audience to take the time to process it and come up with their own view of it. 

Overall, The Platform is a special experience. There's honestly a bit more that I could go into with it. But that would be doing the film such a disservice. It's one of those that you have to take the plunge and give it a shot. If you are able to stick it out, you will find a story that will make you think a lot about people and society. Personally, that is what I was able to take away from the film. It's definitely one that I don't think will go away any time soon. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Honorable Mention: Now typically, I haven't given any honorable mentions for this series. But if you enjoyed The Platform and Squid Game, there is a series on Netflix as well called 3%. It's also a Spanish series. But in the first series, the way the story unfolds is extremely strong as well as its characters. By the time it ended, I was quite shocked and a bit eager to see where it could go. Definitely recommend it. 

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New Decade New Edit: Scream 4: Final Cut (Fanedit Review)

    Hello everyone, what a time to be a Scream fan right? I mean we have had the 4K remaster of the original film finally released. We have had plenty of coverage left and right of the new film. The new film finally saw its release. Hopefully soon, it'll receive a VOD release for those that were not able to or strongly against going back out to the theater. There's a bit of rumors that it'll see release come March or April on Blu Ray. I cannot wait for that and hope that there's some solid features on that release. If it has audio commentary, I will be absolutely through the roof. Paramount and Radio Silence can we please have commentary. 

    Well, I provided my coverage of the entirety of the Scream franchise so far. But much to my chagrin, it turns out I wasn't done yet. I had to go back to Scream 4. Now, I really have come to enjoy Scream 4 a lot. It's whole message and themes on remakes was very ahead of the time. It just had a bit more humor interjected into the film. Which hey, aren't remakes supposed to be different for difference sake? Kind of fits in with everything. But I was wondering if there were a few too many studio interjections on that cut of the film. Apparently, I was not the only one.

    Over the years since its release, Scream 4 has received quite a few different fanedits. The whole goal of it was trying to either extend it or to present different audio - the PayPerView cut of Scream 4 actually had some different audio bits compared to the original theatrical release. I have viewed a few different versions and to an extent it works. 

    Well, I was searching on YouTube and trying to find a video for Red Right Hand. (I can't get the song out of my head. That whole sequence in the new film where it makes its return to the franchise, it still is such a standout for me.) I found a teaser trailer for Scream 4: Final Cut from PLBoucher. I clicked the trailer and immediately went to the description to discover that Final Cut was PLBoucher's fanedit of Scream 4. 

    At first, I was a little hesitant if I wanted to scroll through the edit list or just view the edit itself. First off, I would like to make it known that in order to have the fanedit - you must possess a copy of the original film. Good, now that I've gotten that out of the way - I jumped into the edit withoout looking at the edit list. 

    This fanedit is definitely my preferred version of Scream 4 now. Final Cut feels a bit like I imagine Kevin's original script for Scream 4 was. There is still a bit of humor. But for the most part, the more over the top points are gone. No 'Fuck Bruce Willis'. Removing these moments, it helps bring the tone back to the original film. Also something that really helped the pacing is the restoration of a few deleted scenes, they have been edited but they work beautifully. Restoring these moments helps with the characterization so much. Dewey is now a bit more of a competent sheriff. The other cops have a bit more personality to them. Trevor is no longer just a red herring of a shell. He actually has a moment here and there that makes him come across a little more likeable. The opening and ending of the film also works so much more in this version. The whole last few minutes fight in the hospital is still there, but it's more of an after credits sequence now. 

    I cannot recommend this version more than enough. It is the version that when I revisit 4 again, I'll be going to Final Cut. This edit can be found over at https://plboucherdesign.com/.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5. 

    Now, I could leave this as just a review of the fanedit and have it be that. However, I decided that maybe it would be interesting to reach out and chat with PLBoucher about his fanedit and the Scream franchise. Check out the interview below.

What was your introduction to the genre?

My first introduction was probably through kid-friendly horror shows like Are You Afraid of the Dark (and Goosebumps to a lesser extent, although I was a big fan of the books). My mother has always been a fan of horror too and one day she came home with Halloween on VHS, which is her favorite. I watched it in the middle of the afternoon and I was still terrified. From then on, I caught a lot of horror movies on TV. I taped a double-feature of Halloween H20 and Scream 2, which got a lot of play and solidified my love for both franchises. 

What is it about the Scream franchise that you love?
Scream was one of the first horror series I stumbled upon, and seemed perfect for a kid who was definitely not old enough to watch movies like that. Because although they were violent and scary, they also had comedy as well as fun, relatable characters.  I also still think to this day that Scream has one of the best horror screenplays ever made. It moves fast while juggling many characters that aren't treated like canon fodder, and has genuine surprises as far as the whoddunit aspect goes. It's easy to forget how ingenious the twist of having two killers was.

What were your initial thoughts on Scream 4?
There had been a lot of build-up in the horror community for months before the release of Scream 4. I probably made 6 fan posters and even won a contest to go to the premiere (being in Montreal, I sadly could not attend...) I had mixed feelings about the movie but I still had a blast since it was the first time I was old enough to see a Scream film in theaters. I thought a lot of the problems from the 3rd film were still around: not enough suspense, too many jokes that fall flat, muddled meta commentary. The pacing and the cinematography were also a bit off. But Sid, Dewey and Gale were still well-written and faithful to their portrayals and a few set-pieces were effective. I saw it on opening night Friday and went back on Sunday!

When did you decide to create a fanedit of 4? What led to that decision?

I knew there were moments of comedy that I wanted gone as soon as I came out of the theater. Many of these ruined the suspense and pulled me out of the movie, the best example being "Fuck Bruce Willis". I believe the comedy in Scream should never undercut the horror, which this one did often. It would be like if Randy said his famous line "I never thought I'd be happy to be a virgin!" RIGHT AFTER he gets shot by Billy. It would deflate the tension immediately!

Once I saw the deleted material on the Blu-ray, I knew there was potential to add some scenes back in, in order to slow down the middle of the film, which seemed in a rush to get to the next kill. But since I saw that a lot of fan editors had already created their own "extended" version of the movie, I put this project aside until 2019 where I picked it back up.

What was the reasoning behind the cuts or additions you have made to the film?
Humor is subjective, so I removed what I personally thought didn't work. For instance, I loved the fake Stab opening, but felt the second one was a bit too forced for its own good so I removed it, even though some fans loved it. Character-wise, I wanted Alison Brie's character to be less over-the-top unlikeable, Dewey to be smarter and more useful, the cops less goofy and Jill's mother more sympathetic. Basically take everyone down to a more serious level worthy of the first 2 movies. The biggest changes were the opening and ending. The ending was made to emulate the original way Kevin Williamson wanted the movie to end: on a cliffhanger, before the producers put the kibosh on that idea. 

I was very disappointed by the opening when I saw the film in theaters. For a series with such strong openings, this one felt lackluster (not surprising since most of the Jenny chase was a reshoot). The alternate one on the Blu-ray was better in concept but didn't fare much better in execution. Instead of picking one or the other, I stitched both together, which requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief but in the end makes a stronger beginning.

How has the feedback been for the edit? 

The feedback has been great! Going as far as many people saying it was now their go-to version of Scream 4, which is always the highest compliment you can give to a fan editor.

Why should people check out Scream 4: The Final Cut?

Basically, there's just enough that is changed that the movie now feels more like the first 2 installments, but not too much that it's unrecognizable if you're already a fan. It's a fun, new perspective on a flawed entry in the series and, if you stay until the end credits, still stays canon for the 2022 movie!

Have you seen the new film? If so, what were your thoughts on it?

Tragically, the movie theaters in Quebec closed back up near the end of December so I can't see the new film yet!! Right now, I'm not living in fear of Ghostface, just of spoilers. 

Thank you PLBoucher for taking the time to answer my questions!

Check out PLBoucher over at plboucherdesign.com

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ITS BEEN AN HONOR: The Ranking of the Scream Franchise

   

    

    Hello everyone, I hope everyone's been having a solid week. If you've been to the movies, did you go see Scream '22? Did you like it? What did you think of it? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I would absolutely love to hear people's thoughts on the film. 

     Now over the past few weeks, I got to share what I thought about each of the films. But I was waiting till I had seen Scream '22 to come up with a ranking. I have been seeing lots of different rankings online and that's pretty cool. So I want to preface this, this ranking is coming from a more recent watch of the films. 

THE RANKING

    1: Scream (1996)

    It's safe to say that everyone would know that the original would be on the top of the list. I mean how could it not? The Scream franchise wouldn't be a thing without Scream '96. Wes and Kevin were able to craft such a fun film that helped to jumpstart the horror genre once again. For me, it's impossible to imagine how things would have gone if Scream hadn't been a massive hit or been made at all. This literally helped change Pop Culture for the next decade as well. I mean look at how many tv shows had an episode that was a play on Scream at some point (Boy Meets World and Dawson's Creek being most notable). 

2: Scream (2022)

    When I had first heard that Radio Silence was going to be brought in to handle the next Scream movie, I was a little confused. Ready or Not is a great film and honestly that gave me a lot of confidence. I was also happy to hear that the franchise had found a new home with Paramount. It left me really intrigued as to what was going to happen next. 

After seeing the film, I happy to place this in my second spot. Scream '22 is a brilliant love letter, not only to this franchise, but to Wes and Kevin. Somehow the studio, Radio Silence, and James Vanderbilt were able to inject the DNA of their involvement into every ounce of this film. It could have easily been the film that stands by itself and felt apart from the series. However, this isn't the case. This film feels so much in line to everything that has come before. 

The way the film works still has me a bit baffled while happy and content. I'm still trying to figure out how they were able to do it, but am excited to see where it could go. The story possibilities that could happen after this film is absolutely endless. It also serves as a beautiful passing of the torch. That was something I wasn't sure how that would work as the story has felt very much revolved around the Legacy Cast to this point. But this film manages to break new ground and introduce new characters that are interesting and likeable. It was able to bring back a bit of the feel from Scream '96 into it. And that's awesome. 

Seeing the way Ghost Face is treated in this film is also spectacular. They are treated with such care and appreciation. Ghost Face also isn't one to back down in this installment as they are quick to act. There were moments where I was caught off guard because the film moves like a rollercoaster. And there's a send off that while I was at first upset with, I have come to appreciate it very much. 

 Thank you Radio Silence and Paramount.

3: Scream 4 (2011)

Scream 4 was very much ahead of its time. It was a film that many managed to not take as seriously. This was due to the fact that Scream 3 wasn't necessarily as put together as one would have hoped. But you have to remember for Scream 3, it's a product of its time. That honestly is true with each of these films and didn't change with Scream 4. Wes and Kevin were able to revive the franchise after an 11 year absence. That's pretty damn commendable. 

When I first saw the film, it was at a midnight showing. I had just binged the previous three installments earlier that day. Honestly, I wish I hadn't gone to that midnight showing. It left me sitting in a dark theater a bit tired. I wasn't in the right mindset to see the film. But I love the franchise so much, I couldn't pass it up as I had seen the second and third films in the theater. I didn't want to miss out on a chance to see 4 on the big screen as well. 

It wasn't until this viewing that it finally clicked for me. I was always treating the film as if it was a regular sequel a la The Dream Master or The Final Chapter. I didn't realize fully how special it is. Wes and Kevin weren't necessarily treating this as a fourth chapter in the traditional sense. This installment was playing up everything on the 'remake' angle. That is something that never clicked at first. But through the cinematography, the music, the more brutal kills (well, I would say Olivia's being the most brutal), the reveal of the killers, even the newer characters (Deputy Judy, you the new Dewey and Sidney's assistant is the new Gale) - those are all elements of how it would be if it was a remake. Everything stands out as being different. I mean look at other remakes and you notice the trends and trajectories that Kevin and Wes were playing with. 

Before I mostly saw Scream 4 as a parody of itself, now I get what it is. And it's pretty fantastic and lands the third spot. 

4: Scream 3 (2000)

    Scream 3 landed in 2000 to not as much success as everyone was hoping for. It has been a bit of an outlier as it's Scream, but at the same time not. It is very much a product of its time. The nation was reeling from Columbine and Hollywood was working overtime on making films and tv shows more light fare at the time. This resulted in the studio not having faith in Kevin's original treatment at the time, but something I'm a little hopeful for its use in a future installment. I believe if I recall they were very close to shooting when they tossed that out the window. 

This resulted in them quickly trying to figure out exactly how to deliver a film with not much of a script. They couldn't turn to Kevin Williamson as he was busy with Dawson's Creek at the time. Ehren Krueger was brought in to pen the script. This resulted in a tone that wasn't exactly what everyone was hoping for. It felt very off compared to the previous 2 installments at the time. But hey, it's Hollywood and have to deliver a film right? 

They were able to cleverly play on the idea of making 'Stab 3' and its troubled production that would bring Sidney, Dewey, and Gale back into the fold. That's a pretty bold idea. The corrupt Hollywood system being highlighted? Check and would prove to be extremely relevant so many years later with Those-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. And no, I'm not talking about Voldemort. More backstory with Sidney's mom? That was something that felt interesting. 

Honestly after the massive success of Scream and Scream 2, everyone was facing an uphill battle when it came to this third installment. It feels like its the best they did with what they could do at the time. The revelation of Roman being Sidney's half-brother. That didn't feel too forced. It felt a little off. But hey, when you have lemons make lemonade right? If they had been able to know going into production that Roman was going to be the killer, I'm sure it would have fared better. Instead it was a decision made halfway through to an off kilter effect. But hey, Scott Foley did a pretty decent job with what he had to do. 

5: Scream 2 (1997)

    Now this will be something that is a bit controversial potentially. I enjoy Scream 2. It was my first theatrical horror film. I had just been coming off of seeing Scream for the first time. So I was happy to see more Scream. That's my problem with Scream 2. It's just more Scream. It's Scream on a college campus. It wasn't necessarily trying to rewrite the script. I mean yeah, they had to deal with leaks and whatnot. But they didn't try to challenge themselves it feels like. 

It just feels more Scream that continues the adventures of Sidney Prescott and Randy Meeks with Gale and Dewey jumping in. Yeah, we have our new cast of characters that populate the campus. But it doesn't feel like any of the other sequels where the world feels lived in. It feels like a stale college campus for the most part. The pacing of the film feels a bit overstuffed. 

While I appreciate the reveal of Mickey being the killer, the idea of trying to first have Jerry O' Connell being a red herring. It's too on the nose. With Mrs. Loomis, she comes out of nowhere. I get what they were going for with it. It's very much a beautiful tip of the hat to Mrs. Voorhees in a way. 

But there's a bit of not able to connect with the new characters. We don't necessarily have time to know who they are outside of their relationship to Sidney. The flip side is looking at Scream '96. Each of the characters were a bit defined and you knew who they were. Not just outside of their relationship to Sidney. And Scream 3, 4, and 5 all have individual identities outside of the final girl or guy. 

Honorable Mention: SCREAM: The First Scream audio experience available on YouTube. It's well put together audio that serves as a nice prequel to the first Scream. 

Scream: The Series. Yeah, it gets lot of flack. But it's still part of the franchise. 

Thank you all for tuning in for my ranking. Let me know what your thoughts are - if you want to share your ranking, leave a comment. 

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It's Always Someone You Know: Scream (2022) BEWARE: SPOILERS INSIDE

 

      Hello everyone, let's take a little walk to the edge of town and go across the tracks to talk about this year's first big horror film, Scream (2022). Over the weekend, I stayed away from any and all spoilers. I could see all the buzz that was going on. Scream was hitting for a lot of people it seems. I mean it pulled in $54+ million in the box office. That's a pretty large chunk of money today with everything going on. All that left me feeling a little excited for the film. 

    Over here, I faced an uphill battle with frozen pipes and such. Joys of being a houseowner. Yesterday I finally made headway and was able to thaw things out. Thankfully nothing bad happened and it was just a matter of time before the water came fully back. I took that as my sign to go see Scream. Now, everyone that's been following this blog has an idea of what this franchise means to me. I have said it before multiple times that there were those that grew up on Elm Street, Halloween, and Friday. I had the pleasure of growing up with those, but Scream was the one that I was able to go to the theater (minus the original) and see on the big screen. I'm pretty sure that I had the Scream Trilogy DVD boxset before I had the Elm Street Collection. And I had the old McFarlane movie figure and the 12" doll they released with the 'voice changer' built in. So safe to say, Scream is my franchise. 

    When I first left the theater, I refilled my pop and popcorn. I asked the people working what was going to happen to the movie poster when it ended its run. Safe to say, my name is on the list for claiming that poster. I can definitely say if that happens, that'll be absolutely fantastic. I got to my truck and sat there for a minute. I was numb in a sense. I had just seen Scream (2022), literally my most anticipated movie this year. And I was just flabbergasted. I wasn't sure how to feel about it. So I let it sit overnight to just settle. 

    I love the first Scream. It is a fantastic horror film that reinvigorated the genre. It's a testament to the writing for it. The films that followed it were good. But honestly all of them felt a bit like they were trying to play things a little safe. Well maybe not Scream 4. By that point, it seems like Wes was all guns forward on doing something different and not a rehash. So instead he gave a film that was ahead of its time and came to predict how social media and everything would be today in the shell of a film that twisted the knife on remakes. That's why there's that terrible lighting in the film - it's all part of the plan. 

    Scream (2022) is a bold film. It's a film that is not afraid of playing it safe. It's a film that honestly broke new ground, in my opinion. It's a film that feels so much like it has Wes's fingerprints all over it. Radio Silence (Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin) delivered a fantastic tribute to Wes. I honestly think he would have been very proud of the film. 

    Is the film perfect? No, it's not perfect. It was never going to be perfect. And there is no way it could be perfect. That's setting up a level of high expectations that it doesn't deserve. This is a film that is best going in blind. I know there were a few trailers and a lot of publicity for it. I watched one trailer and then that was it. Part of me would have bene happy if I hadn't watch the trailer. Scream is a film that is one that doesn't need any of that. It's a film that can be sold on its own. Well, I mean there are those amazing posters from CreepyDuckArt. That's definitely someone I'm sure that we will be seeing more of. But they were able to bring back the feel of those old VHS covers and that's awesome. 

    The opening of this film, for me, was just as strong as the original was. It didn't rush into things. It allowed there to be some breathing room as Jenna Ortega's Tara receives a phone call on the landline. It's a familiar set up and a nice homage to the original. Roger L. Jackson delivers such an amazing performance in this opening. I may even say that I would rank it above the original. The way he just talks in such a normal tone is so interesting and then the turn into the dark 'voice' that we know so well. It's all handled with such great care. The way the scene plays out has a very different feel than what we normally know. It's more bold and brutal. This is especially evident in the way that Ghost Face handles his approach towards Tara. At one point, there are police lights shining through the windows into the house and Ghost Face is in the middle of it. It was fantastic. 

    After that, we are introduced to Jack Quaid's Richie and Melissa Barrera's Sam. They work at a local bowling alley in Modesto. Who says people can't get away from Woodsboro? Quickly, they are brought back as they receive a call from Dylan Minnette's Wes Hicks. It's a bit of a decent way of bringing Richie and Sam into Woodsboro. From there, we are introduced to our new generation: Mikey Madison, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ben Ammar. All of this cast deliver pretty solid performances. I know there are a lot of people that will give them a bit of grief. But I mean it's Scream, the casting always has an uphill battle when it comes to things. You have to have a likeable cast, but have to make it believable for the reveal in the third act. The returning cast of David Arquette as Dewey, Neve Campbell as Sidney, Courtney Cox as Gale, and Marley Shelton as Sheriff Judy. The appearances from the OG cast is really well done here as well. I would probably say that their usage in this film is a little better than in Scream 4. 

    The way the story plays out is pretty well done. It does a really good job of in a way that parallels the original movie. Now, I enjoyed Halloween '18 and the way that film was. I would say that Scream honestly does the requel approach better than Halloween. For the most part once the characters are quickly set up, the story starts going in directions I wasn't expecting. One of the biggest revelations was not the reveal of Ghost Face in the third act. That typically would be the big revelation of the film. No, Scream (2022) manages to deliver its biggest revelation a bit early on - Skeet Ulrich as Billy Loomis. The way that they were able to tie the new cast with the character of Sam being Billy's daughter. That's something I never expected in a million years. It was introduced and I thought it was something that would be shaken fairly early on. No, it's not. We have moments where we get to see Sam's perspective of being haunted by what she imagines her father to be. The best moment is when she's driving in the car and looking in the rear view mirror to see Billy. It's such a bold new addition that definitely has lots of story opportunities later on in a sequel possibly. It's also interesting seeing the return of Martha, Randy's sister, and establishing her as Mark and Mindy's parents. It definitely helps establish more of this present day Woodsboro. 

    The best part is seeing all of the references to the old and establishing more ties to the legacy characters. We get to hear references to Stu as well with Vince being Stu's nephew. And then there's the small/minor mention of Kirby surviving Scream 4 and a YouTube video questioning if Stu survived. It establishes that this is a living breathing world. And watching this alongside Scream 4 makes for an interesting experience. 

    The way this film handles Ghost Face is pretty fantastic. Typically, we expect him to be utilized during night and sticking to the shadows. No, this film has a very good balance of having Ghost Face in the day time as well as the night time. Ghost Face was terrifying. The way they appear in the opening, it's just so epic. It's quick and unexpected. The first few appearances were all in moments that I wasn't expecting. It is very much like how Wes would handle things. You would think they'd strike one moment, but then it'd go on for a few more seconds. And then you'd sit back in your seat and wham! This Ghost Face felt more closer to how they were in the original film than in Scream 2, 3, or even 4. 

    The kills in this film are all pretty solid. There are six in total, which parallels the number of kills in the original. I would say that I do have a top three kills for this film. The film does not hold back whatsoever when it comes to the kills. For the most part, Dewey was one that was not expected. It did serve a solid point in the film. It showed that the legacy characters weren't safe. It completely unhinged the film in such an interesting way for me. Besides the fact that Dewey is one of my favorite characters, I sat there shocked at what happened and then seeing the moment with Gale. Yeah, there's not much of a moment for Gale to fully mourn. But there's a small moment. I was right there with her and will admit that it brought a few tears. Then there was the Vince sequence, it happened pretty early. It was something that was hinted at in the trailer, but the way it is in the film is even better than I could have expected. I would have liked a little more with Kyle Gallner's Vince. But the way that it uses Red Right Hand is so beautiful. And then there was the moment with Sam in the final act, it just made me smile as I was unsure of where things would go next. 

    I honestly could go on longer about Scream. This was only a tip of the iceberg in a way. There's so much more that I could go into. The way the film introduces new aspects into the franchise it allows so many possibilities for where it could go. Personally, I have a strong thought on where it could go if there was a sequel. It would brilliantly tie into this film and add a strong layer to some moments. 

    Overall, Scream (2022) is a bit of a powerhouse of a film. It left me unsure of at first. But the more time I spend thinking on it, the more I'm seeing of the different layers in the film. I haven't thought this much about a Scream film since the original. Yeah, there could have been a bit more depth to the newer characters. But overall, it did a solid job with what was going on. If you liked the first Scream, go check this one out.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. 

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Inside the Scream Franchise: A Look at the TV Series

     Welcome back. Happy Scream Day. It feels like it's a bit like Christmas in the horror community as Scream (2022) is seeing its release. I'm pretty excited for it. I have made sure to successfully stay away from any of the articles that are out there. For me, that's a pretty heavy accomplishment as there have been films in the past where I immediately jumped to those - the Star Wars sequel trilogy being the best example. The plan is to hopefully go this weekend. Originally, I did have a plan to do my ranking of the films but am holding off till seeing the newest installment. So stay tuned for that and for my review on that. 

    Yesterday, I strongly felt like it was fitting to share my article on the impact that Wes Craven had on my life. The Legacy of Ghostface was another fun article where I got to explore each of the different killers in the franchise. It led me to thinking bout the outliers in the franchise: Dead by Daylight and the TV Series. Both are their own thing and can stand apart from the films, but they are a part of this franchise. 

    When MTV first announced they were going to be bringing Scream to the small screen, I was confused. I immediately raised my eyebrow and questioned it. Why? Why is this something that needs to happen? We were 4 years out from Scream 4 at that point. Why couldn't we receive a sequel? But then I immediately laughed to myself, Scream 4 was a solid entry but it kind of made it difficult to do another film. It was a fitting coda to the trilogy of films. Okay, so bring on the TV Series. 

    At that point, I had seen Teen Wolf. I enjoyed Teen Wolf quite a bit. Stiles is an amazing character. But that's a whole other thing entirely. The thing that Teen Wolf had managed to do though, it gave me a small bit of hope. It made me believe that MTV could do something different with this series. I mean Wes Craven had signed off and wanted to help as Executive Producer with it. That's a pretty big sign of faith in it. Unfortunately, we ended up losing Wes too soon. I decided that I'd give the show a chance and go in with an open mind. 

    Now, I'm sure there are a lot of people that don't want anything to do with this and that's okay. This wasn't entirely everyone's thing. It seems like a lot of people didn't like it because it wasn't like the films. For me, I think this is why I appreciate the series. It's not specifically trying to be a carbon copy of the films. Yeah, it's trying to do things a bit differently. 

    Gone are any connections to the films and that includes Ghostface. That's honestly a bit okay. What we have is a little interesting with the story of Brandon James. It built up an idea of who he was and why he could be the one responsible for the murders. It also gave us a new mask. That was one of the biggest things I remember hearing bout when the show was releasing: "It's not Ghostface. It's a whole other mask entirely.". But honestly, at least they gave us a good in-world reason for why the mask is the way it is. They could have easily just chosen to ignore it entirely. But instead, it was used as a post-operational mask to keep Brandon's face in place and to protect from infections. That's a very solid reason to me. 

    Outside of Brandon and the mask, the show was a bit shallow. I will give it that. It was heavy on the teenage drama. But come on, it's an MTV show. There were some of the characters that did hit (Audrey and Noah) and some that were annoying as hell. The main character of Emma was a bit of a wish-wash. There were times where she was a bit strongly written. But for the most part, it felt like maybe they missed the casting as she is a bit of a bar of soap. 

    There were even times where it would go in a certain direction that felt out of place completely. I chalk up those random tangents to a high episode count. Honestly with the first season, it felt okay at ten episodes. Could it have been trimmed down to maybe eight? I'm sure there probably could have been a way to do that somehow. But it didn't feel completely like it was overstaying its welcome. It was the second season where they decided to give us 13 episodes - 12 episodes and a Halloween Special. That's where my issues with the random tangents and plot contrivances were starting to come to the forefront. It didn't help at the time that MTV was in a bit of flux with releasing the episodes consistently. Overall, I stayed with the show to see it through. I was very curious as to where they were going to take a season 2 and figure who was responsible. Not a surprise, the reveal in Season 2 was a bit lackluster. However, the ending of Season 2 set up a very intriguing idea as it was signaling a return of the Brandon James character. 

    Season 1 was a bit solid. But Season 2 missed the mark due to network issues and trying to capitalize so hard on the success of Season 1. Season 2 should have been a bit bolder. It felt like they were trying to much to play things safe. This is especially felt with characters surviving for so long. It felt like you had a basic feel of who was safe. There were risks. So all suspense there could be was a bit nonexistent. 

    There were some solid kills in the show. They were not afraid to let the blood fly at times. The biggest example is in the second half of season 1. It may have felt a little like something out of a SAW film with its trap feel. But it worked really well and then it showered the screen with red. There were times where it felt like they were thinking a little more outside the box of just having all the kills be typical stabby stab. 

    After MTV released Season 2 and saw the response, they realized that they had messed up. They had betrayed the fans of Season 1 with a bit of an inferior product. Quickly, they chose to rework things with Resurrection. Resurrection left behind everything that had been shown in the first 2 seasons. We were thrown out of Lakewood and dropped into Atlanta. Then on top of that upheaval, Resurrection would be dropped by MTV and picked up by VH1. 

    It had now become an anthology series, akin to trying to capitalize on the American Horror Story love at the time. Something everyone thought would lure fans back in was the return of the Ghostface mask. For the cast of Resurrection, I appreciate RJ Cyler. He delivered a super solid performance. We also saw Tony Todd make an appearance. The story was a bit generic overall. I don't mind it to an extent. It's different to the previous 2 seasons. But one could say that it was a knee-jerk reaction of trying to right the ship. If the first 2 seasons were on one side, this would on the other end of it. It was a season that was emulating the films a bit too much at times. 

    There has been mention of another season. I'm not going to say that it's an absolute thing. But there is a small possibility of returning to the world of Lakewood and finishing the that was set up in Season 2's cliffhanger. If that happens, okay. I will check it out. Maybe there's a way of finishing it out. It could be nice for those who enjoyed the series. Just don't let it overstay its welcome - keep episode count down. It'll allow them to focus the story instead of the filler and plot contrivances that effected Season 2. 

    In the end, Scream the TV Series was an interesting experiment. It did prove that it could come to the small screen. Could elements of it be seen as a cash grab from Those-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named Hollywood Brothers? Sure. Is it a part of the franchise? Yeah. I honestly will say that it's not that bad of a remake. 

For some people, they may give it a shot and like it. For one man's trash could be another's treasure. 

Happy Scream Day. Enjoy the new movie and here's a special note.

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Book Review: Screams for a New Millennium

    Hello everyone, Matthew here with another new entry for our Book Reviews. Adrian Roe is someone that isn't new to the horror genre. They have had a series of books that have chronicled the decades of the Horror Genre - The Final Scream (70s), First Scream To The Last (80s), and Second Scream (90s). These books are jam packed with discussions on the movies of those times as well as interviews with some of the people involved with them. Each of these books were something that I was quick to add to my Kindle backlog. I'm sure there's some hidden gems in there that I may have never seen before. 

    Then I had heard over on Twitter from Adrian that there was a new book coming out, Screams For A New Millennium. This book was going to be chronicling the movies of the 00s. For me, that's pretty great. Honestly, things have been pretty awesome in terms of getting books for the Horror Genre. I mean let's look at what we have so far - Crystal Lake Memories, Never Sleep Again, Slashing Titans, the Taking Shape series, the Phantasm Exhumed books, and another coming that will chronicle the Black Christmas franchise. If I would have told younger me that was a huge fan of hearing the Behind the Scenes stories regarding films that this was going to happen, he would have laughed. Then he probably would have went back to watching a behind the scenes extra from Scream or something. 

    So I went on the interwebs and Twitter, I reached out to Adrian . I was honestly pretty nervous. At this point, it's been a bit of a roller coaster in terms of me reaching out and getting a response. I mean there's been two interviews that kind of fell to the wayside due to different circumstances. Surprisingly enough to me, Adrian responded back and was so awesome. They were 100 percent on board and willing to work with me. And funny enough by that point, I hadn't put two and two together that this was the same author of those fantastic books I mentioned earlier. 

    Screams for a New Millennium is fantastic. It is a book that is a bit in-depth in terms of covering the 00s. There were some movies that were mentioned that I had honestly forgotten all about (Hollow Man, yeah I forgot about this one) and some that I hadn't heard of yet (Session 9, Long Time Dead, and Deathwatch are a few examples). There are some fantastic interviews in this collection as well. Jamie Blanks talks about his work on Urban Legend and Valentine. Joe Lynch discusses his time working on Wrong Turn 2. Jonathan Craven discusses his time working with his father, Wes, on the script for The Hills Have Eyes 2. This was something I had never heard of before and is pretty awesome. Author Daniel Kraus dives into his thoughts on Romero's back half of his Living Dead films (Land/Diary/Survival). Honestly, it added a new perspective for me regarding Survival of the Dead. I'm sure that I'll give it a rewatch soon. These are just a few of the interviews in Screams for a New Millennium. Roe also managed to remind just how much the 00s really were the 'Decade of the Remakes'. 

    If you are someone that truly appreciates cinema and would like something to chronicle those years of films, this is definitely for you. It's also a pretty fantastic time capsule in a way. For me, it just took me back to where I was in life when those films were released. And honestly, it also showed how important film was to me in those days as I had leaned into them to cope with my parents' divorce. So it just hit like a comfort blanket in a way. 

    If this book managed to do that, I am so thrilled to take a look at the other entries in this series. It's also pretty evident just how much of a labor of love for Roe, these books have been. Screams for a New Millennium can be found over on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. 

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