HOLLYWOOD—Look, when “Scream” first came to the airwaves, I was torn about it. I really wanted to see “Scream 5” at the multiplex because when Kevin Williamson announced “Scream 4” was to be the first part of a new trilogy. I guess we will never have that answer because there is no buzz about a sequel hitting the multiplex anytime soon. However, the first season of “Scream” the TV series, I enjoyed even though you could peg the killer like after 1-2 episodes. The second season was interesting as well, and ended things with such a big cliffhanger, if it returned with the players in play, it would have been something amazing.
However, that is not happening here. We have a complete reboot of the series, with an all new cast and on VH1, not MTV. To be honest, I’m not fully in on the third season. The interesting niche for this new installment is the diversity in casting. Our central character, Deion (RJ Cyler) is a notable running back that is grappling with a major secret from his past. So what at first seems like an interesting premise soon falls into the typical troupe of the horror genre.
I thought the opening was going to be unique considering Paris Jackson opened things up with the perception that she would see a violent end. Not the case America, but that led to our introduction of Deion and Marcus, twin brothers who were trick-or-treating. Deion ventured and encouraged his brother to enter a property that has a massive past. In the end, his brother was killed and Deion fled the scene.
Cue the present. Deion is in high school and finds himself being stalked by a sinister figure. Its starts small with notes in candy bars, but soon becomes a full-fledged attack. We have our core teens and prototypes of the typical horror genre. There is Kim (Keke Palmer), the political activist, Beth (Giorgia Whigham), the Goth girl and the character who seems to know the rules of the horror genre. There is Olivia (Jessica Sula), who is the love interest for Deion and appears to be the heroine, but something is off on the character people. We have Amir (C.J. Wallace), the nerdy guy who has been warned by his parents to stay away from girls and all things bad and there is Manny (Giullian Yao Gioiello), the gay guy whose intelligence is far and beyond anyone else, and happens to be besties with Kim.
Another nice addition to the cast is Tyler Posey as Shane, a high school dropout and drug dealer. There were also appearances by rapper Tyga as Deion’s half-brother Jamal and Mary J. Blige as his mother. Here is the biggest issue with “Scream: Resurrection:” it doesn’t push the boundaries enough to change the genre in my opinion. The narrative feels a bit too lose for my liking. Am I coming around to the characters, yes, but they are not fully developed where I care if they live or die. We do have some standouts, I love Palmer’s character, but her breakout makes me wonder rather she will survive or not. Our star player is just not memorable in my opinion, and I’m not buying what is being sold to the audience. Some of the characters are just plain stupid; it’s like you know what NOT to do, yet you still do it anyway. The one thing I could argue about previous installments in the TV series is the characters didn’t place themselves in harm’s way. I mean watching the movie “Halloween” knowing that a killer is stalking you just doesn’t seem smart. Is it a great nod to the genre and the character Michael Myers who is iconic in the genre?
It was a thrill to see Roger L. Jackson voicing the Ghostface character. This is the same guy who portrayed the voice of the iconic character in all four “Scream” movies. His voice is menacing and shows the audience and our characters he or she is not messing around. If you were to ask me who the killer is, I have NO IDEA. We got potential hints that Marcus, Deion’s presumed dead brother, might actually be alive courtesy of Olivia who did some digging of her own. However, that seems way too easy if you ask me, but we know more is indeed transpiring America.
The violence is huge; it’s bloody, brutal and vicious. Some characters deserved what they got; others just fell right into the killer’s hands by doing stupid stuff. You don’t go investigate a strange sound by yourself or venture into a place where you KNOW something is not right. Avery (Patrick Johnson), a football star, who was not a fan of Deion, met a grisly demise at a Ghostface themed party. Another main character biting the dust was Shane, who met his end during the second hour of the premiere episode.
Yes, it’s a three-night event, where Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for 2 hours each day. I will admit night two was Way BETTER than night one. I mean the development of the characters, the twist in the narrative; I was glued to the TV screen. Why? Two more core characters bit the dust, not to mention learning some secrets about what really happened to Marcus on that Halloween night all those years ago. On top of that the finger pointing on who the killer or killers could be was running rampant. Do I know who the killer is? No, but that Liv character is absolutely off and she knows something major and I mean major.
In terms of characters we lost, Manny and Amir both feel victim to Ghostface and his tactics. These deaths hurt because these characters become more fleshed out in episodes 3 and 4 and to see them die actually fighting to survive hurts. “Scream: Resurrection” concludes on Wednesday during the 2-hour finale on VH1. I will admit I am eager to see who will meet their maker and who is hiding behind the mask.