Give Kevin Williamson Credit: Screenwriter behind the Scream a series He’s not afraid to recycle his greatest hits. Its new addition to the slasher-film canon opens with a young man named Tyler (Joel Courtney) wandering the aisles of a squeaky-clean supermarket. It’s April 3, 2020. Corona virus disease– 19 cases are on the rise. Most of the country is in complete lockdown. Everyone is masked. No need to find toilet paper.
While looking for some protective essentials at the venue, Tyler receives a text: “Wanna party?” He has no idea who to ask. Later, while he was reviewing, he sent the same person again (“nice ass”), along with a pic. The text is coming from inside the building, But good luck trying to spot a would-be murderous maniac behind a sea of masked faces. When Tyler gets home, he’s still getting scary messages while moving around his apartment… until he notices, on his TV, a figure dressed in black wielding a hunting knife. conflict. Chase. Escaped. A temporary feeling of being out of danger. sudden stab. dead.
Yes this Do you It looks familiar, though viewers keen, casual, and/or incredibly stoned will notice a few key differences from the iconic intro that opened Williamson’s 1996 meta-horror magnum opus. First, the celebrity victim is a man, though a lover The kissing booth movies, his early exit would be just as painful as Drew Barrymore’s bloody send-up. Second, he’s mainly receiving texts instead of constant phone calls, because technology. And third: There’s a headline-grabbing issue thrown into the mix. Illness It has the distinction of being one of the first, if not one the First, the hilarious clicks to take full advantage of our collective 2020 experience of watching “normal” go out the window – to incorporate the vulnerability we all felt in those early days of pandemic With the predatory fears of a killer on the loose. It may not be tress wink-nudge, except the vibe is still: what if Scream But covid?
That’s the big distinguishing factor for this spooky movie, which begins streaming on Peacock on January 13th — which is already a Friday — and if you’re willing to sit through teen stock and horror at a chestnut lake house in the name of Covidsploitation curiosity, you have it. Our heroes are Parker (blockersGideon Adlon) and Mary (Bethlehem Million), both college students quarantining together in a luxurious remote cabin owned by the father of their ex. The unexpected arrival of Parker’s on-again/off-again boyfriend DJ (Dylan Sprayberry) complicates things a bit, especially as he’s outraged by an Instagram post detailing her hooking up at a recent party with another man. Meanwhile, she receives some mysterious and aggressive texts from an unknown person. And wait a minute, isn’t that black-masked killer we saw earlier, just now lurking around the lake house….
Until we get to a third juncture (more on that, without spoiler, in a second), director John Hyams, Williamson, and co-writer Caitlin Crabbe give us a perfectly functional, if predictable, horror script. . In other words, the cat with the knife and the sharps goes after the collective mice; The mice rush away, but the cat still has tricks up its sleeve. Rinse, repeat. Adlon and Million make a strong double act for the girl(s). Never doubt the potent power of slit-throat, creative impalement, or how a quiet rural environment can suddenly turn ominous and terrifying after sunset. Really, who doesn’t love a good table or three fake ones?
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You may almost forget it Illness It takes place during the beginning of the epidemic, until the film reveals its end — at which point you either book an emergency ophthalmologist appointment because of an eyesore or a slow clap. Remember Williamson & Co. The fear most people felt when the virus seemed to be moving through the population at an alarmingly fast rate, and how every outing made you wonder if you were taking your life into your own hands. They also remember the outrage of those who felt our fellow citizens displayed a laissez-faire attitude to public health guidelines. Whether the ideas they’re toying with here offer a relatable augmented take on the modern slasher story is frankly debatable. What we can say is: Congratulations on being the first out of the gate And Footnote to immediate subtype.