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[TV Review] ‘Scream’ Season 2 Finale: “When a Stranger Calls”

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Scream 2.12 Review

“Hello Kieran. Who told you you could wear my mask?”

– Brandon James

After all that, it was Kieran. He was Piper’s accomplice in the first season and he was the sole killer this season. About 90% of you in the comments were right. I chose not to believe it because it seemed too obvious (especially when MTV releases images like this one ahead of the finale’s release), but I was wrong. While the end result may have been a bit predictable, the episode as a whole was much better than most of the episodes in the latter half of the season and was on par with last year’s finale.

It would be easy to say that Kieran’s reveal was disappointing, but the truth is that Scream made it so that any character could have reasonably been the killer (with the exception of maybe Brooke and/or Noah). Because of this, the reveal was bound to be disappointing no matter what. Think about it: had Gustavo, Eli, Emma, Audrey, Aunt Tina, Ms. Lang, Acosta, or even Maggie been the killer, would anyone be saying “I didn’t see that coming.”? Okay maybe Maggie would have been a surprise, but the point is that even though Kieran’s reveal could be seen as predictable it would have been equally as predictable had it been any other character. That is the problem inherent to the whodunit sub-genre though. When you think about it, it actually is sort of clever because it almost makes you want to go back and watch Amadeus Serrafini’s scenes from the first season to see how he behaves around all of the other characters (especially his dad). Maybe that’s why Kieran has always been so dull and lifeless for the past two seasons. He was trying to stay under the radar. As bland as Serrafini has been for these two seasons, he did a commendable job channeling his inner Skeet Ulrich for his unmasking.

Whether or not the explanation holds up is up to the viewer. We are meant to believe that Kieran and Piper dating before he came to town and that Eli (RIP) knew he was crazy the whole time (maybe not a killer, but certainly crazy). There are plenty of questions one may have about it. For example, why didn’t Eli ever tell Emma about all of the shit that Kieran pulled back home? We he worried that she wouldn’t believe him? At the very least it would have planted the seed in her head that would force her to start looking into him, but that’s neither here nor there at this point.

The most exciting prospect of Kieran being the killer isn’t what takes place in “When a Stranger Calls”, but rather what it means for the show going forward (if it goes forward). Having Emma spare his life and send him to prison is one of the boldest (and smartest) moves the series has ever done. First, it adds an extra dimension that Kieran that the character so desperately needed. Since he’s still alive, Serrafini will finally get the opportunity to show off the acting chops that Scream‘s writers have prevented him from showing in the past.  Second, it actually makes you root for Emma. Sidney Prescott killed (or had a hand in killing) every single Ghost Face that came after her. She never spared one. It’s not that she should have, but having Scream: The Series’s final girl make a different decision with her Ghost Face is the most compelling thing Emma has ever done. Her journey has been a rocky one this season and her sparing Kieran was her way of showing she was moving on.

There was so much that happened before the reveal though, as we got a major set piece in the middle of the episode The entire sequence inside the movie theater was Scream at its best. We saw its five main characters working together, barricading themselves in the theater in order to catch the killer, not realizing it was one of their own. Of course, it would have helped matters if they didn’t keep splitting up like the Scooby Gang (Seriously, have they never seen a horror movie? Noah should know better.), but it was a great scene nonetheless full of suspense and (here’s the key here) fun. Too often Scream takes itself so seriously that it’s a breath of fresh air when it just has fun with its premise. Scream‘s main weakness is that it falls too often on the melodramatic side of the dramatic spectrum, but it takes itself far too seriously for that to work. If it were a better show this would be alright, but the fact of the matter is that Scream is a teen soap opera. It doesn’t need to be brooding. It needs to be entertaining. This entire sequence was golden. It even nailed the suspense and shock of the situation. I can’t be the only one who gasped out loud when Brooke got stabbed, right?

We also got some actual emotion from Santiago Segura’s Gustavo. ‘Stavo (yes, I’ll finally start calling him that), has been nothing more than a red herring all season. It was painfully obvious that he was never going to be the killer because there were too many signs saying that he was the killer. Watching him break down while Brooke was in surgery was something that needed to happen to his character, especially if he is going to be sticking around next season, especially since it looks like Acosta adopted Brooke.

“When a Stranger Calls” is not a perfect episode of television. No one would accuse any episode of Scream of being perfect, but it is Scream at its best so far. The initial reveal of Kieran may be disappointing at first, and that is understandable. I took a few days to let it sit with me before I wrote this review. I watched the episode again to let it sink in. If anything, this episode shows such promise for where the writers could take Season 3 (if we get one) with the return of Brandon James. Let’s just hope they don’t botch that plot development liked the botched Audrey’s this season. Bring on Season 3! #RenewMTVScream

Random Notes

  • My interview with Amadeus Serafini (Kieran) will be posted tomorrow morning. Be sure to check back for it!
  • Tons of references to the Scream films tonight. A few of my favorites:
    • Kieran being the killer is an homage to Billy being the killer in Scream (Kieran’s hair even looked like Billy’s hair).
    • “Piper taught me that killing people is way more fun than therapy” is mighty similar to this line from Bitch # 1 in Scream.
    • The car crash in the beginning featured a shot of the cop car scraping a barrier just like the cop car in Scream 2 scraped another car.
    • Kieran’s line “He was obsessed with that girl and now he’s obsessed with you!” is highly reminiscent of this Parker Posey line in Scream 3.
    • The entire bit with Brooke not letting Gustavo into the theater mirrored the scene where Kirby wouldn’t let Charlie in the house in Scream 4. It even borrowed some dialogue and blocking from that scene.
  • I may be one or two off, but I believe the body count this season was 7 (Jake, Eddie the hotel clerk, Branson, Zoe, Mayor Maddox, the cop driving Audrey and Emma, and Eli).
  • If that cop would have just driven straight into the killer all of their problems would have been solved. That would have been a nice twist, wouldn’t it?
  • Is it just me, or does it sound like the killer has some nasal congestion issues sometimes?
  • Ms. Lang was pretty pointless, wasn’t she? Maybe she’ll stick around next season and give us Scream’s version of Scream 2‘s post-fame Gale Weathers. We did see her writing her book, after all.
  • Noah is a boxers guy. Who knew?
  • “Mmmmm if it isn’t daddy’s little girl.”
  • “You know half of those are fake, right?” “Yeah, well, the other half are real.”
  • “Hey, I heard Brooke’s hurt. She okay?” – SOUND MORE DISTRESSED WHEN YOU ASK SOMETHING LIKE THAT STAVO.
  • Emma is a terrible shot. Kieran’s body practically took up the entire stairway and she didn’t hit him once.
  • Plenty of plot holes in the Kieran reveal, but I want to know why he didn’t just shoot Audrey. He had multiple opportunities to after his cover was blown.
  • Here is a summary of all of my episode grades for Season 2 of Scream. Perhaps I was too forgiving of all of its flaws (and there are many), but at the end of the day I do enjoy the series for what it is. It averages out to a 3.25/5, so I’ll round it up to a 3.5.

Scream

  • That’s it for Season 2 of Scream everyone! It’s been a rocky road, but I’ve had a lot of fun with this season. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my reviews as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Books

‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans

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In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.

Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.

Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.

For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.

Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.

One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.

At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.

You can order your copy now.

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