The decision to reboot Scream: The Series was an odd, if not entirely unexpected, one. The first two seasons, which aired on MTV in 2015 and 2016, were not well-received (I was one of the few critics to give the pilot a generous review) and saw ratings decline by about 50% between them. Now, almost three years since the last episode aired (an episode that ended on an unresolved cliffhanger, no less), the series has switched networks from MTV to VH1 for its third season and has been renamed Scream: Resurrection. It features a new story, cast of characters and creative team (Queen Latifah has been brought on as an executive producer). Announced back in April 2017, Resurrection is being dumped by its new network over the next three nights. This would typically indicate that VH1 knows they have a turd on their hands and are eager to get rid of it. While the show’s first two episodes (airing tonight at 9pm EST) aren’t as bad as you’d expect, they certainly leave a lot to be desired.
Eight years after his brother is killed by a hook-handed man (Tony Todd, Candyman), Deion (RJ Cyler, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Power Rangers) is now a teenager and struggling to get over his past trauma. While at school one day, he and his crush Liv (Jessica Sula, Split) get sent to detention after Deion has an altercation with the school bully. The series then turns into a horror version of The Breakfast Club (the group is quick to name themselves “The Deadfast Club”) as Deion and Liv meet Goth-girl horror movie expert Beth (Giorgia Whigham, The Punisher), drug dealer Shane (Tyler Posey, Teen Wolf), perfect student Amir (Christopher Jordan Wallace), activist Kym (Keke Palmer, Scream Queens) and her gay best friend Manny (Giullian Yao Gioiello, Iron Fist). When Deion is attacked by someone in a Ghostface costume, the group realizes that they are being stalked by a mysterious killer who deems it necessary to expose all of them for the frauds that he/she/they believes them to be. In addition to the serial killer drama, Deion must deal with his mother (Mary J. Blige) and stepbrother Jamal (Tyga), both of whom are worried about Deion as the anniversary of his brother’s death fast approaches.
If “The Deadfast Club” made you cringe, then consider yourself warned. Scream: Resurrection’s dialogue is possibly the worst that the franchise has offered thus far (yes, even worse than the two previous seasons). Showrunner Brett Matthews wrote the premiere for Resurrection, and his dialogue is stilted at best and mind-bogglingly inane at worst. This is surprising, considering that Matthews has written a few episodes of Kevin Williamson‘s series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off Legacies. Was he not available to offer some friendly advice? There are references to Get Out and Rob Zombie‘s Halloween, but the show grinds to a halt to point out these references rather than organically fit them into the text. Williamson seems to be the only person able to write Scream‘s metatextual dialogue successfully, because every time the reins have been handed over to someone else (be it Scream 3‘s Ehren Kruger or any of the first two seasons’ screenwriters), it has fallen flat.
Add to that the fact that the characters don’t behave like real people at all. When one of them dies, it’s brushed off with a shrug. When one character actually holds Ghostface at gunpoint, he/she hesitates and lets him/her go for no discernible reason, staring blankly at Ghostface as he/she runs down the hall. Scream‘s characters have always thought they were smarter than they were, but they were never actually stupid. The decisions that Scream: Resurrection’s characters make are downright flabbergasting.
Technically, the series is competent but not impressive. The premiere is directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes, Pet Sematary), but you wouldn’t know based off of what’s on display. It could be the budgetary constraints, but there just isn’t much style here. Anyone could have directed this. The second episode, written by Leigh Dana Jackson and Kristi Korzec and directed by Tanya Hamilton, fares a bit better, but not by much. After the table-setting of the premiere, the second episode gives us a fairly fun set piece in which the kids are stalked by Ghostface after hours in the school. Unfortunately, poor writing rears its ugly head again (“We’re in a horror movie!” “No we’re not! Let’s split up!”) and you’re left rolling your eyes instead of, you know, giving a shit about the fates of these characters.
The acting ranges from decent to atrocious, but Resurrection benefits from its cast being generally more likable and engaging than those of previous seasons (though Carlson Young’s Brooke is sorely missed). Palmer, whose character seems to be inspired by Logan Browning’s character in Dear White People, is unsurprisingly the highlight, and Wigham does what she can with some truly awful dialogue. She doesn’t come out unscathed, but she does what she can with her “this is just like a horror movie” lines. Unfortunately, Deion makes for a dull protagonist, and even an accomplished actor like Cyler can’t infuse him with any sort of charm. The rest of the cast is fine (save for one or two abysmal performances), but there aren’t any standouts.
What’s even more depressing is the opportunity Scream: Resurrection misses with its primarily black cast. There is the occasional attempt to address the black community’s historical role in the horror genre, but they are few and far between (though Palmer trying to alert the authorities by screaming “White officer down!” did elicit a chuckle from this writer). Still, most of the racial commentary works, although there is a supremely awkward moment where Beth tells Kym and Deion that they are likely to be killed before the rest of them because of their skin color. Resurrection wants to be funny but it just isn’t. For a more educational (and entertaining) lesson in black horror cinema, give Horror Noire (our review) a watch.
Still, there are things to enjoy about Scream: Resurrection. As the show’s marketing has made abundantly clear: the original Ghostface mask is back and Roger Jackson returns as the voice the killer (hearing all of the characters refer to the killer as Ghostface as opposed to just “the killer” is silly, though). It’s genuinely satisfying to hear his voice again. The series has no shortage of deaths either, with the first two episodes sharing five deaths between them. Resurrection also changes Ghostface’s modus operandi by having him/her/them dispatch characters in a wide variety of ways. There won’t be any simple stabbings here! From impalements to eye trauma, this iteration of Ghostface is not messing around.
Based on the first two episodes, Scream: Resurrection isn’t a complete waste of your time, but it’s still difficult to recommend. All of the flaws from the previous two seasons are still there. The writing is pedestrian. The direction is flat. These flaws are even more glaring since we’ve gotten two exceptional seasons of Slasher since the last episode of Scream aired (seriously, that show has almost perfected the serialized slasher formula). That being said, it does feel good to see Ghostface (the real Ghostface) on screen again. Scream: Resurrection benefits from not being boring. It’s bad, but at least it’s entertaining. Its main problem is that it invites viewers to laugh at it as opposed to with it. That was something the best Scream films successfully avoided.
VH1 has embargoed the next two episodes until tomorrow, and the final two episodes until after the finale airs, so check back here on Wednesday night at 11pm EST for our final thoughts on Scream: Resurrection and its killer.
