“Wes Craven Would Be Proud” – ‘Scream’ Getting Rave Reviews With First Social Media Reactions!

John Squires

A handful of critics, including Bloody Disgusting’s Meagan Navarro, got the chance to see this year’s Scream last night, the brand new legacy sequel that brings Wes Craven’s franchise back to the big screen for the first time in over ten years. We’ll of course be publishing Meagan’s full review when we’re able, but for now, we can at least share some social media reactions.

The Scream embargo lifted last night on social media and I’m not sure I personally came across a single negative mini-review for the film. Critics are absolutely loving Ghostface’s big screen return thus far, with Meagan calling Scream 2022 a “Welcome return to Woodsboro.”

Meagan’s tweet continues, “A razor sharp, bloody introspection on the genre and Wes Craven’s legacy. All the feels and one hell of a genre start to 2022. My horror heart is so full.”

The Daily Dead’s Heather Wixson raves, “As someone who has been in love with this franchise for a little over 25 years now, I totally and completely loved Scream. Brutal kills, fun mystery & both the Legacy cast & newbies were great. Wes would be proud.”

Fandango’s Erik Davis says the film may very well be the franchise’s best sequel to date: “The new Scream is a BLAST & my favorite since the original. There’s some sharp writing here – a nice balance of well-crafted scares & amusing commentary on modern horror. It also pokes a lot of fun at itself, too, while remaining a bloody whodunnit & a damn good time.”

“If this franchise means something to you — and it means so damn much to me — you will leave satisfied, moved, and wanting more,” Joel Meares tweeted last night.

You may be wondering what current tropes or trends in the horror genre the franchise set out to poke fun at this time around, and we now have a better idea of what to expect there.

Collider’s Steven Weintraub tweets, “The new Scream is the real deal. Such a well written script that keeps you guessing and wades into the treacherous waters of fandom in 2022.”

Erik Anderson notes, “It pokes fun at itself, ‘elevated horror,’ and has a lot to say about movie fandom. It leans deep into legacy in the right ways and uses the ‘Scream’ family to great, and surprising, effect. New crew is excellent too, especially Jenna Ortega.

As for the kills, well, it sounds like Ghostface’s knife is sharper than ever before.

“Scream is a bloody good time & serves as a touching homage/continuation to Wes Craven’s iconic franchise and features some of the gruesomest, most original killings of the series,” Nate Adams tweets.

“And I’ll say that this has one of my favorite franchise kills. Wes Craven would be damn proud of this new film,” Paul McGuire Grimes similarly praises the film’s gory brutality.

All in all, Kevin McCarthy’s tweet seems to sum up the general sentiment about the film. Kevin tweets, “The 5th SCREAM film is the closest I’ve felt to the brilliance, excitement & horror of Wes Craven’s 1996 masterpiece. Hands down, the best SCREAM since the original. Beautifully honors the legacy of the first film while bringing a fresh yet brutal new tone to the franchise.”

Check out some of the tweets below and experience Scream for yourself next weekend!