There’s a new Scream movie and the gang’s back together. The fifth one in the Scream franchise, the horror-slasher flick features time-appropriate references — gen Zs and smart homes — but brings back the cast that made the first movie amazing. David Arquette, Courtney Cox, and Neve Campbell reprise their roles in the latest installment in the Scream movies, the first not to be directed by Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, who made a name for himself for V/H/S, and Tyler Gillett, Scream has newfound energy that’s sure to frighten younger audiences. One of the most highly-rated Scream movies, with a 77 percent certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences seem to agree that Scream 5 rejuvenated the franchise. A review from The Age praised the direction, writing: “To an impressive extent, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and their team succeed in squaring this circle, a trick they accomplish partly by turning their film into a symposium on what a new Scream ought to look like.” If you are on the lookout for other movies similar to Scream 5, here are a few recommendations.
Scream
Perhaps what matches the latest installment of Scream 5 in terms of quality is the original Scream, which premiered in 1996. Starring David Arquette, Neve Campbell, and Courtney Cox at the height of her Friends fame, with Drew Barrymore involved in the movie’s most infamous scene, Scream is a must-watch for anyone who enjoyed the latest franchise offering. One of Wes Craven’s best works, critics went crazy for Scream during its premiere. A writer for Newsweek wrote: “No one will ever consider Wes Craven’s Scream Oscar fodder, but this funny and scary little experiment in terror from the man who invented “Nightmare on Elm Street” puts some fun back into a very tired genre. Craven and his clever screenwriter, Kevin Williamson, knowingly play with all the cliches of the teen horror movie by making all the characters horror-movie junkies themselves. These kids have seen and relished every grisly move Craven perpetrates on them, but it doesn’t save their skins. Christmas treats can come from all sorts of unexpected places: this is one sleeper that will keep you wide awake.”
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
There have been plenty of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, some brilliantly directed and others critically panned. For this list, we’re choosing to recommend the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which premiered in 1974. It’s a movie that started an entire franchise featuring the menace that is Leatherface, the chainsaw-wielding, skin-mask-wearing killer. Rotten Tomatoes writes the movie’s plot as follows: “When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather’s grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.” A review of the movie for The Guardian wrote: “Morally retrograde it may be, but then so are nightmares. The point is that this one, though often crude and raw, really leads the imagination. What also works in its favour is that it doesn’t pretend to do anything more than scare the pants off you.” A true slasher classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a must-watch for anyone who thoroughly enjoyed the fifth installment of Scream.
Halloween
Another movie that started an entire franchise, Halloween, which premiered in 1978, a few years after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, is yet another movie you must watch if you’re looking for something similar to Scream 5. Considered one of the most influential horror movies of all time, Halloween spawned 11 films that completely fleshed out the story of its primary antagonist, Michael Myers. Jamie Lee Curtis starred in Halloween, a movie that would make her into one of Hollywood’s greatest A-listers. It also starred Donald Pleasence, P.J. Soles, and Nancy Kyes. A review of the movie for The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “Carpenter obviously knows the genre well and he builds a properly terrifying atmosphere through his well-paced direction. It’s an effective entry for its intended market.” The latest movie on the franchise is Halloween Ends, which yet again sees Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role.
Sleepy Hollow
To take a break from the franchise films, we’re also recommending Sleepy Hollow, a 1999 movie starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. Plenty of other A-listers also appears in the movie, including Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Casper Van Dien, Christopher Lee, and Christopher Walken. A period horror film, it tells the story of a police constable named Ichabod Crane, played by Depp, sent to a remote town to investigate particularly gruesome murders. Favorably reviewed by critics, Sleepy Hollow is another must-watch for anyone still unrecovered from their Scream 5 hangover. The podcast Latinx Lens spoke of the movie: “Its aesthetic, haunting atmosphere and narrative are signature Tim Burton that perfectly blend together. Lubeski’s cinematography is top tier.”
The Maid
It’s also fair to add a non-Hollywood flick to this list. Last on this list of recommendations is The Maid, a Thai movie starring Savika Chaiyadej and Teerapat Sajakul. The plot of the movie is as follows: “Joy is the new maid of a royal house, whose previous maid disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and is now haunting and terrorizing the family. Joy works to uncover the reason behind the former maid’s disappearance.” Scary and eerie, the movie has been particularly praised by The Guardian, who expressed satisfaction with filmmaker Lee Thongkham’s directing of the movie. “Thai writer-director Lee Thongkham’s horror feature is a giddy, gory little treat. Unfortunately, it’s hard to explain exactly what’s so fab about it without spoilers, so just take our word for it as long as you have the stomach for lots of fake blood and jump scares. Suffice to say that Thongkham is nimble when it comes to wrongfooting the viewer, and there’s some pleasingly pointed satire here as well, sticking it to rich, snobby people who think domestic workers are as disposable as empty washing up bottles.”Scream
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