Although it has been a box office success, Scream 2022 has a problem making sense of last decade’s rise in “elevated horror.” While the original 1996 Scream had novel criticisms of the cheap jump scares that riddled many of the day’s slasher movies, Scream 2022 has difficulty expressing its relationship to this newest evolution in popular horror movies. Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), one of the most dynamic characters in the new movie, embodies the younger generation’s love of this new horror.
In the opening scene of Scream 5, Tara tells Ghostface over the phone that her favorite horror movie is The Babadook. She emphasizes the ability of elevated horror movies to wrestle with more serious issues than the cheap jump scares and gory kills of tired, trope-ridden horror franchises like the fictional Stab series. But this invocation of elevated horror leads to very little in the rest of the movie, which instead focuses on the recent trend toward franchise reboots, sequels and “requels” while giving into these trends itself.
Prestigious elevated horror movies which tackle heavy issues, like those from filmmakers Jordan Peele and Ari Aster and production companies like A24, have captured the attention of audiences, and rightly so. This makes them the perfect target of the satire that Scream offers, but the latest entry in the series fails to make anything of this beyond passing references to elevated horror. By choosing to acknowledge but then largely ignore this new horror movement, Scream 2022 missed out on an opportunity to grow the series in a new direction.
What Is Elevated Horror?
The boom in arthouse horror in the 2010’s achieved the rare balance between audience enjoyment and critical acclaim for a new generation of horror films and filmmakers. Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us were accessible and enjoyable, but also had messages about race and class. Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar have been celebrated for being visually dynamic while also exploring the horror of family and relationship dynamics. While there is variety among these filmmakers, certain expectations have emerged for what an elevated horror film looks and feels like.
Although they have a stable of directors with varying voices, A24 have an observable house style in their horror movies. In addition to a distinct appearance, these movies often share a somber tone. While movies like Ari Aster's Hereditary were celebrated for tackling issues like generational trauma and synthesizing them with various horror influences, others like It Comes at Night have been criticized for prioritizing atmosphere over action to the point of being anticlimactic.
This many years into this boom, the strengths and weaknesses of these movies have become evident. Among these weaknesses, the concept of elevated horror furthers the divide between high and low art. While it has been encouraging to see horror movies succeed at the box office and receive positive reviews, this does not need to happen at the expense of continuing to dismiss horror movies which do not conform to this mold.
Scream 2022’s Elevated Horror Problem
Although this style of elevated horror falls outside the slasher horror purview of the first 1996 Scream, Scream 2022 missed a massive opportunity to respond to these new trends after invoking them multiple times. By invoking elevated horror in its opening scene and occasionally referencing it throughout the movie, Scream 5 created the expectation that it would explore the tropes of this new genre phenomenon alongside its critique of “requel” trends. Instead, the movie acknowledges this new form of horror but does little else with it.
Many developments have occurred in horror since the release of Scream 4 in 2011, and Scream 2022 failed to address these developments at any great length. An exploration of last decade’s fascination with elevated horror could justify more Scream sequels if the new movie spent the time updating the Scream series’ meta approach to these new tropes. Instead, only passing reference is made, leaving audiences wanting more from the usually satire-filled Scream series.
Arthouse Horror Tropes Worth Satirizing
One of the chief criticisms of the new era of prestige horror is also one of its strengths. For all their ability to tackle important topics, they are incredibly self-serious and emotionally gratuitous. The tone of unrelenting gloom which permeates movies like The Witch or The Lodge is commendable, but well worth satirizing by a franchise like Scream. Much like it is worthwhile to laugh at cheap jump scares, it is worth laughing at the emotionally manipulative tactics of these elevated horror movies.
In addition to injecting some levity and self-awareness into these grim, serious movies, bringing arthouse horror down to the level of slasher movies would help collapse the divide between critically acclaimed and reviled horror movies and show what they have in common. Scream is a franchise which makes comedic observations of horror tropes out of love for the movies they are addressing. Perhaps the strongest reason for Scream to engage more with elevated horror is because audiences love it. All Scream movies have functioned as love letters to slasher movies while also pointing out their formulas, and there is no reason that Scream could not do the same for elevated horror.
As a franchise, Scream is trapped between its past and future, and this is best exemplified in Scream 2022. While it pokes fun at formulas, it is now subject to its own formula after five movies, and must seek to overcome this when it holds new movies back from their full potential. As Scream continues without the late Wes Craven, it is important that the series does not stop developing, but continues to broaden and develop its approach as horror continues to develop around it. Hopefully any future Scream sequels can take the seed planted in Scream 2022 and explore elevated horror more fully.