Not to get hyperbolic but the collaboration of John Hyams and Kevin Williamson here feels as consequential and as satisfying as Williamson’s work with Wes Craven.

It may be a craven (heh) COVID-centric stripped-down reskin of SCREAM but at least the guy who wrote SCREAM is doing it, you know? 

Just a pitch perfect marriage of material and director, Hyams directs the everloving fuck out of this, as any genre fan knew he would, and the COVID stuff is kind’ve a riot that gets at real feelings we all had back in 2020 and may still have now. 

I also like that you *can* be annoying and claim the whole thing is a metaphor where COVID is the killer and it still functions on that level rather cleverly. 

But, man, those stalk-and-kill sequences are so intense and thrilling and visceral. At least 1 genuinely terrific horror set piece within a movie that itself is mostly just one long horror set piece. Even the jump scares feel earned! 

A shame this is being unceremoniously dumped on Peacock next week, it’s a blast and would play great in a crowded theater. Give me a dozen more Hyams horror flicks, please