Scream
Rent/Purchase
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.
What critics thought
The fifth Scream earned a moderately warm but divided reception: many critics appreciated its self-aware juggling act and praised Neve Campbell's return, while others found the meta-commentary exhausting and the scares nearly absent. The core tension in reviews is whether clever franchise commentary can substitute for genuine dread — and a meaningful number of critics concluded it cannot.
“Wearyingly repetitive and entirely fright-free, Scream teaches us mainly that planting Easter eggs is no substitute for seeding ideas.”
Jeannette Catsoulis·The New York Times
“Scream 5 is certainly funny and irreverent, but where it falls over is that it's rarely scary.”
Wenlei Ma·News.com.au
“If we were to make a franchise-reboot comparison: Scream lands about halfway between the pretty-good 2018 Halloween and the turgid follow-up Halloween Kills.”
Michael Phillips·Chicago Tribune
“it's a pleasure to see Campbell again in fine form as Sidney, striding back into Woodsboro to take care of unfinished business”
The Hollywood Reporter
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorTyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
StarringMelissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jack Quaid
ComposerBrian Tyler
Scream
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.
What critics thought
The fifth Scream earned a moderately warm but divided reception: many critics appreciated its self-aware juggling act and praised Neve Campbell's return, while others found the meta-commentary exhausting and the scares nearly absent. The core tension in reviews is whether clever franchise commentary can substitute for genuine dread — and a meaningful number of critics concluded it cannot.
“Wearyingly repetitive and entirely fright-free, Scream teaches us mainly that planting Easter eggs is no substitute for seeding ideas.”
Jeannette Catsoulis·The New York Times
“Scream 5 is certainly funny and irreverent, but where it falls over is that it's rarely scary.”
Wenlei Ma·News.com.au
“If we were to make a franchise-reboot comparison: Scream lands about halfway between the pretty-good 2018 Halloween and the turgid follow-up Halloween Kills.”
Michael Phillips·Chicago Tribune
“it's a pleasure to see Campbell again in fine form as Sidney, striding back into Woodsboro to take care of unfinished business”
The Hollywood Reporter
Genres
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorTyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
StarringMelissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Jack Quaid
ComposerBrian Tyler
Rent/Purchase