If the internet somehow survives the extinction of the human race, then we’re doomed to be forever represented by an archive of starkly ungrateful voices.
Indeed, the simple fact that a horror franchise can claim to still be at least steady after six films is nothing short of a historic feat, and even if you can’t entirely get behind every movie that Wes Craven’s Scream saga has put out so far, it nevertheless deserves a pat on the back for being as consistent as it has been.
Anyway, we’re not sure if hating on newer entries is just a symptom of the online moviegoer’s crusade against IP or reflexively being wary of fresh installments in long-running slasher brands, but r/horror has seen a bit of unrest after Scream 5 and VI, the two currently making up the era of the Carpenter sisters, were accused of being a sign of decline for the meta-horror brand.
There is, of course, valid criticisms of the two to be had; Chad’s plot armor, for instance, has been a sore point for many a fan ever since that Scream VI climax, but on the other hand, if any franchise had enough sardonic bells and whistles to be a suitable playground for such impossibilities, it’s this one.
And while the Carpenter era seems to have plenty of detractors, there seem to be just as many folk rightly commending the Scream franchise for what is has accomplished, especially with respect to some of its less-fortunate contemporaries.
On top of being consistently engaging horrors, the Scream movies have the extra challenge of keeping its meta lens and commentary fresh, which is only becoming exponentially more difficult as exhausting self-aware cynicism continues to take center stage in that particular zeitgeist.
We needn’t worry, though; the Scream franchise understands its gameplan by now, and as long as it sticks to that ethos, fiddles with its knobs enough, and allows its lampooning targets a respectable amount of space, this is one that could go unthinkable distances.
Published: Jun 19, 2023 8:45 AM UTC