Where the Scary Things Are, aka 'Don't Scream' (2022) - Why all the hate?

Okay, so - to be fair - there aren't that many reviews of 'Don't Scream.' In fact, it took me a while to find it online - largely because it mainly seems to be known as 'Where the Scary Things Are.' Why the title change?  I don't know and it probably doesn't matter.  However, after watching it, I did my usual trip online to review it, only to find that it was getting one and two star ratings.  I'm not saying it's a masterpiece, but I found it enjoyably different.

I watch a lot of horror movies and the blurb talked about a group of teens meeting a supernatural force (wrapped up with something about urban legends).  That synopsis can probably describe at least half the horror films made since the late seventies.  Normally, this means 'twenty-somethings' pretending to be eighteen-year-olds.  However, immediately I noticed that these 'kids' were actually meant to be more around the age of fifteen to sixteen (played most likely by eighteen-year-olds!).  Straight away the film almost had a 'Stand by Me' vibe, albeit set in the modern world with YouTube and iphones - a refreshing change.

Now, I'd like to do more of a detailed breakdown of the story.  But that would (a) be giving too much away and (b) would probably take longer than it does to actually watch the film.  That's because the plot jumps from here to there, branching numerous characters - some who you think may be an integral part, only for them not to really feature - while others who you think will be our heroes tend to, er, not be.

I can see some people saying that this is a 'mess' and trying to accomplish too much.  It's a fair comment, but - for some reason - I was hooked.  I don't want to describe it as a 'car crash' as that sounds like it's bad.  And I certainly wouldn't describe it that way.  It's rare that a film can genuinely make me wonder where it's going.  Maybe I'm so used to all the cliches and conventions of the genre that anything even vaguely different comes across as something special.

If you're looking for relatable characters who you'll root for, you may not find too many here.  Our protagonists are an - how should I put this - interesting bunch, not really your boy (and girl) scouts with the most noble of outlooks on life.

Whether you know this film as 'Don't Scream' or 'Where the Scary Things Are' I really would say its novelty of choice of characters (and their motivations) combined with the twisting narrative which may make you wonder how it will all end, actually makes this a bit of a hidden gem.  I'd definitely watch it again.  Don't believe the one star reviews straight away; if you do decide to sit down and watch this, know that it's not your normal episode of 'Stranger Things' and that it's a little different to your average modern horror.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that