Jenna Ortegais now ahousehold name in the horror genre,known for her roles inTi West’sX,Wednesday Addams inNetflix’sWednesday,and most recently, Astrid Deetz inBeetlejuice, Beetlejuice. It’s hard to remember that when she took on the role of Tara Carpenter in the 2022 reboot ofScream, she was relatively unknown. In fact, most of the marketing material implied she wouldn’t even survive the opening credits. However,Ortega ended up giving us the best cold open since Drew Barrymore as Casey Beckerin the 1996 original, andJada Pinkett-Smithdying in the theater at the start ofScream 2. The scene pays homage to Barrymore’s iconic opening kill that started it all but gave Tara a completely different personality that allowed the scene to feel modern and inventive. Yet, it still retains the tension and gore that proved that 2022’sScreamwould live up to the standard of the iconic franchise.
2022’s ‘Scream’ Utilized a Different Angle of Self-Awareness
The Scream franchise is known for itsmeta-humor and light-hearted critique of horror tropes. However, since the original, the horror genre has developed hugely and the cold open of the 2022 requel acknowledges this.The scene has the self-aware essence of the franchise but with a modern lens, almost self-deprecating towards the original through the conversation about the in-movie franchise “Stab.” Ortega’s sarcastic tone when describing the first “Stab” movie as “super 90s” and explaining howshe prefers elevated horrorthat is more than “wall-to-wall” jump scares is the franchise growing and offering new criticisms on how the genre has evolved. Tara even name-dropsThe Babadook,The Witch,andHereditary.
The meta-commentary also toys with the audience’s expectations when Tara explains that she dislikes how formulaic the “Stab” movies have become; you have to remember in the in-movie timeline, they are on “Stab 8!” She notes that “they always start with a kill scene,” paralleling the audience expectations and marketing indication that Ortega would die in the cold open. The reveal of her survival is a subversion ofScream’s own self-confessed tropes.
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Tara’s knowledge and appreciation for the horror genre make her feel totally different from Drew Barrymore’s Casey in the original.Ortega’s acting transcends simple terror,she shows genuine agony at the thought of her friend being hurt. Yet she doesn’t feel helpless, despite her fear she is strong-willed and talks back to the killer. It is her fierce loyalty that causes her to open the door toGhostface— she immediately shows she does not hide away. Throughout the opening sequence, her terror feels raw and palpable. Tara confronts death and is completely broken by the scene’s climax; to have her survive and carry this trauma through the movie is a refreshing and surprising angle for the reboot. Unlike Casey Becker, who was only a school acquaintance to the main characters of the originalScream,Tara’s attack feels personal for everyone— especially her sister, Sam (Melissa Barrera), the movie’s protagonist.
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The scene is also extremely brutalwith Tara having her ankle broken by Ghostface and being stabbed through the hand. It proved the newScreamwould be unforgiving and relentless. The most interesting development was the growth in technology from the iconic clunky landline from the original. Although Ghostface still rings Tara on her home phone, it is interspersed with texting and video calls. The footage of Amber (Mikey Madison) coupled with the texts coming through whilst Ghostface is talking is a subtle nod to the two killers as well as leading audiences away from Amber being a killer.It is even more of a gut punch to see Tara betrayed by the friend she was so fearlessly protecting.However, the most effective use of new technology is the hands-free remote door locks which Ghostface manages to hack into. The unlocking and locking of the doors create a real sense of hopelessness.
The original opening ofScreamis iconic for a reason, and the 2022 reboot doesn’t just attempt to simply recreate it. Instead, it is a modern reimagining; the visceral gut stab and the victim being dragged across the floor call back to 1996 alongside Tara being quizzed about “Stab.” Yet, it doesn’t feel cheap, or simply fan-service. It plays into the self-awareness ofScreamand proved that it was a worthy successor to the iconic 1996 original.
Scream(2022) is available to stream on Paramount+ in the US
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