'Scream' (2022) 4K Blu-ray is a Worthy Addition to the Franchise and Any Movie Collection
Some franchises just never stay dead, but with Scream that seems to be a good thing. The fifth entry into the franchise is now available on digital and physical media.
The new entry into the now 25 year-long franchise was unleashed upon audiences in January with raised stakes, razor-sharp meta commentary, and humour, and the bloodiest kills we’ve ever seen from the franchise. But, despite welcoming hardcore fans and newcomers into cinemas, how does the latest Ghostface outing hold up on home media?
Scream (2022) picks up eleven years after the events of Scream 4, and once more there is a new killer donning the Ghostface mask who is attempting to resurrect secrets from Woodsboro’s past, and so they begin to target a brand-new group of teenagers, who are all connected to the original killing spree of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher.
Like the best movies in the franchise before it, the 5th Scream follows the ‘whodunit’ structure blending with slasher tropes to delivers a self-aware, subversive murder-mystery. a fun two hours of escapism.
Scream proves itself a brilliant transfer to 4K Ultra-HD. The HDR is incredibly crisp with clarity and detail; Ghostface’s cloak and black hood standing out with nearly palpable textures, while the mask offers crisp white output as well. It represents proper visual accuracy.
More to the point of colour: the blood from the oozes gruesome but admirable colour and contrast with the black levels aggressively deep and true, showcases prominently during the night-time exteriors and shadowy interiors. A key element in a movie such as this is natural skin tones; so often looked over in many transfers; they’re more balanced flesh tones, livelier and punchier which overall showcases finessed colour rendition throughout. With no real source or encode blemishes to report, this is as flawless a home-media transfer as one can get, it represents the peak for home-media imagery.
This is all thanks to the absolutely fantastic Dolby Vision image which definitely stands, generating the necessary intimacy necessary for a film such as this. The audio is also impressively immersive. The DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio mix is stellar with all the dialogue being very clear while the soundscape and score is loud, robust, and even takes over the film in the necessary scenes, particularly the ones where some killing is going down.
There is a wide range of special features range too, some more impressive than others, but long-time franchise fans will for sure not want to miss In the Shadow of the Master: A set of interviews with cast and crew celebrating not the franchise but the man that brought it to life, the late-great Wes Craven. This included onset footage from all previous films and it’s heart-warming to see the passion that was ever present for 4 movies and almost 20 years. The biggest issue with this behind-the-scenes look, and most of the special features honestly, is that they feel rather short for what they are, where a tribute to Wes Craven and the franchise’s legacy just feel cut short at 8 minutes long.
Bloodlines sees cast and crew talking about how the previous entries share the story of the latest instalment and New Blood has cast and crew talking about the original film and how it is to return 25 years later. Both these featurettes feature interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, clips, but they feel, once again, cut short from their ultimate potential. It’s fun nonetheless to have these peaks at the making of the film, just very standard.
There is a trio of deleted scenes, all featuring David Arquette’s Dewey, but they add nothing to the tory, which very much explains the decision to cut them out of the film originally.
By far the best special feature one will find is the Audio commentary: featuring both directors and writers. It’s not only insightful to hear their creative process, and listen to some onset anecdotes, but this is the same creative team that brought us the excellent Ready or Not so they deliver an update, energetic and lively commentary track on top of the film itself.
All in all, Scream (2022) is a tremendous transfer to home entertainment as it features a pulse-pounding audio track and a gorgeous Dolby Vision 2160p image. It impresses across the board, a film that should be highly regarded for its depth and definition that properly represents the format's innate strengths.
SCREAM is available now to Download and Keep and is out on 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ SteelBook®, 4K UHD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD.
Scream (2022) Steelbook
PRESS RELEASE
Certified Fresh® on Rotten Tomatoes®, the new SCREAM reunites Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette who come together to help a group of fresh victims…and uncover a host of new suspects. The Digital, 4K Ultra HD, and Blu-ray releases are gushing with to-die-for bonus content, including deleted scenes, interviews with the new and returning cast, plus a look at the legacy of horror legend Wes Craven:
Filmmaker Commentary—The directors, writers and filmmakers reveal the unwritten rules for surviving this genre-busting horror movie.
Bloodlines—Catch up with Scream stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette for a deep dive into their characters and why they came back for a fresh stab at their favourite horror franchise.
New Blood—Meet the new generation of Woodsboro victims and potential killers!
In the Shadow of the Master—The cast honour movie maestro Wes Craven and look back on his incredible legacy as the director who redefined horror.
Deleted Scenes—Look out! They're back from the dead: see the scenes slashed from the movie.
The SCREAM DVD includes the feature film in standard definition.
SCREAM Synopsis
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a terrifying new killer resurrects the Ghostface mask. As the deaths mount, Woodsboro's new targets must seek help from the survivors of the original Ghostface attacks. Now, only Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), former sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) can find a way to stop the killer when everyone is a suspect. The film also stars Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, and Marley Shelton.
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PARAMOUNT PICTURES and SPYGLASS MEDIA GROUP Present
A PROJECT X ENTERTAINMENT Production A RADIO SILENCE Film
“SCREAM” MELISSA BARRERA MASON GOODING JENNA ORTEGA JACK QUAID MARLEY SHELTON
with COURTENEY COX DAVID ARQUETTE and NEVE CAMPBELL
Casting by RICH DELIA, CSA Music by BRIAN TYLER Costume Designer EMILY GUNSHOR
Edited by MICHEL ALLER, ACE Production Designer CHAD KEITH
Director of Photography BRETT JUTKIEWICZ Executive Producers KEVIN WILLIAMSON CHAD VILLELLA
GARY BARBER PETER OILLATAGUERRE RON LYNCH CATHY KONRAD MARIANNE MADDALENA
Produced by WILLIAM SHERAK, p.g.a. JAMES VANDERBILT, p.g.a. PAUL NEINSTEIN, p.g.a.
Based on Characters Created by KEVIN WILLIAMSON Written by JAMES VANDERBILT & GUY BUSICK
Directed by MATT BETTINELLI-OLPIN & TYLER GILLETT
About Paramount Global
Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic studios, networks and streaming services, its portfolio of consumer brands includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others. The company delivers the largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the industry’s most important and extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, Paramount Global provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution and advertising solutions.
U.S. Rating:
R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some sexual references