Scream (2022) [Blu-ray] [Region A & B & C]

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For regular moviegoers, the picture offers good entertainment, full of mystery and standard cheap thrills. Scream benefits from some very (ahem) sharp writing by Williamson, a man who obviously loves the horror genre without sacrificing a clearheaded and often hilarious analysis of the genre's own hyperbolic excesses. Wes Craven's 'Scream' is a well constructed and cleverly entertaining feature which revitalized the slasher movie, as well as the career of the legendary director. Showing plenty of pride in their work together, they also share their thoughts on the film and how each impacted the script during production.

Scream - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review | High Def Digest Scream - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review | High Def Digest

Sadly, the Blu-ray from Lionsgate arrives with a disappointing video presentation that's ruined by noticeable edge enhancement. When 'Scream' hit theaters, it didn't exactly reinvent the wheel, and it was far from ground-breaking or original, but it offered a fresh and innovative approach by celebrating the formula which made the genre popular, relishing in its own self-awareness.The 90s horror classic takes a stab at Ultra HD with an excellent 4K video, the same highly satisfying DTS-HD MA track and a decent collection of bonus material. Twenty-five years later, Wes Craven's Scream remains a cleverly entertaining, postmodern exercise of the horror genre that simultaneously revitalized the slasher movie, filled with humor, thrills and suspense. That grain that was previous scrubbed and left a digitally messy and noisy background to most scenes, is now back, fine and looking even and organic throughout. Motion looked great and with no instances of any compression issues such as frozen grain, this looks like the image was transferred to disc really quite well.

Scream (2022) - Blu-ray Scream (2022) - Blu-ray

I've mentioned in other reviews of far lesser horror films how closely linked fear and laughter are in the human consciousness, and how standard it is to hear tittering giggles from audience members at even the scariest moments in horror films. NEW A Bloody Legacy: Scream 25 years later (HD, 8 min) features recent interviews with the original cast and some fresh young faces sharing their love for the movie and the director.Be it hiding in plain sight or simply subverting audience expectations based on their star power, all do exactly what is asked of them by Craven and Williamson and it works wonderfully.

Scream 2 4K Blu-ray Review | AVForums Scream 2 4K Blu-ray Review | AVForums

Now gloriously filmic and having banished all the horrible digital tinkering, this new native 4K image is gorgeous and together with its already fantastic soundtrack delivers a great A/V package for the film. In 1996, Wes Craven's 'Scream' reignited a mass, box-office interest in the slasher subgenre, both with loyal horror fanatics and the general viewing public. Gun shots, body slams, audio stings, all are presented with a lovely rich sound design and presentation. Aside from a few exceptions, the genre seemed to limp along in a daze of formulaic rubbish, and audiences (myself included) were in need of something new.Without reference back to the previous release, sharpness and fine detail may therefore initially disappoint as its not an inherently razor-sharp film – the initial transition into Sidney’s room from a slow pan up from the campus grounds at 11mins 50s is still very soft here… but even a cursory glance back to the previous disc shows huge improvements from start to finish. At 19 mins 59 secs, as our Scooby Gang are perched on the wall to discuss the previous night’s shocking events, the blues of Campbell’s outfit and the flowers to the left of the image look radiant and bursting with life, but not unnaturally so. But the heart of the franchise belongs to Courtney Cox and David Arquette, wonderfully reprising their roles and their sizzling chemistry, easy humour and their brilliantly deployed and hugely effective chalk and cheese rom-com tropes. Long familiar with the genre, director Wes Craven clearly shows he's having fun with the material and many of its self-referential aspects. How many movies have you seen which begin with the hapless, frightened female running from an unseen attacker, only to meet her demise before the opening credits roll?

Scream 4K Blu-ray Review | AVForums Scream 4K Blu-ray Review | AVForums

There’s not as much going on in the surrounds as this reviewer would have liked, but that frontal soundstage still manages to fill the room.Scream makes an appropriately bloody entry onto Blu-ray with a generally very good looking AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2. Whites dazzle with newfound brilliance and blacks delight with extraordinarily deep and pure stability. At startup, fans can enjoy a trailer for the latest installment in the franchise, along with two promos for the 'Saw' series and other Blu-ray releases from the studio. Dialogue is crystal clear at all times and the music of the soundtrack, including Nick Cave’s iconic Red Right Hand sounds wonderfully full-bodied and seamlessly immerses the viewer into the film. Look at Sarah Michelle Gellar’s crocheted top as she’s trying to talk to the police outside the sorority house at 31mins 28s, now you can see the very fine strands of wool in her top, whereas a switch back to the previous blu-ray reveals a horrible smeary mess, with no discernible detail at all.