What’s your favorite scary movie? If your answer is any of the Scream movies you might love this… or hate it. Starting with Scream (1996), Craven’s Scream franchise was built off of meta writing, thrilling chase scenes, and satire on the slasher genre.

 The films were meant as a trilogy, ending with Scream 3 (2000) but were eventually capped off with Scream 4 in 2011. Now, everyone’s favorite knife-wielding villain Ghostface makes his return in Scream (2022). Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the newest addition to the Scream movies takes aspects from all the previous films and is dedicated to legendary director Wes Craven, despite his departure from the series.

The Scream films are the favorites of many horror fans and because of this, the new film may have conflicting reviews. In an attempt to mark a fresh take on the series, Scream (2022) goes against some of the basic tropes the franchise has always relied on. Someone who hasn’t seen any of the previous Scream films may greatly appreciate the references and meta jokes. And long fans of the series might see it as a breath of fresh air. Although I’m more cynical in my movie reviews, I can appreciate the art and meta of this film and the absolutely breathtaking performance of Jenna Ortega. This is a good movie and definitely worth watching no matter if you’ve loved the Scream movies for years or if you’re a new fan. Watch it in the theater if you can and form your own opinion; it’s sure to be a fun time.