Scream
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Extreme graphic violence in TV retread of slasher series.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Scream
Community Reviews
Based on 13 parent reviews
Good
Good, but very gory!
What's the Story?
In MTV's TV version of the movie series of the same name, SCREAM, two decades after a series of murders rocked small-town Lakewood, a viral video starring local high school student Audrey Jenson (Bex Taylor-Klaus) seems to be the catalyst for a new spate of violence. Queen bee Nina (Bella Thorne) is murdered at her own home; as her classmates ruminate on the mystery, they carry on their high school dramas: Party girl Brooke (Carlson Young) is carrying on an affair with a teacher and other girls' boyfriends; Will (Connor Weil) is the doting boyfriend to studious Emma (Willa Fitzgerald); and Noah (John Karna) is the goofy nerd with the slasher-movie obsession. All these characters have secrets, and it's anyone's guess who's next on the chopping block.
Is It Any Good?
With graphic violence and the "pick 'em off one by one" plot device borrowed from the original Scream, let's just say most parents would probably prefer their grade schoolers and tweens to skip this one. That's not to say it's terrible -- actually, Scream-the-show is pretty scary and does a decent job of giving its characters some meat, essential to any horror drama. If you don't care about the characters, it's not scary, and Scream takes its time getting to know its cast. That said, many of them are tropes: the bad girl, the good girl, the jock, the nerd. We've seen these characters before, and given that the setup isn't exactly fresh, the whole enterprise may be doomed. It's particularly galling that most of the violence centers on young girls, with a male villain stalking them.
However, there's a bit of smart writing here. The advent of cell phones really messed up a lot of horror plots; now that it's tough to realistically strand your characters somewhere with no help, it's a lot harder to scare the audience. So Scream gets points for integrating smartphones and social media into its plot. Horror-movie fans may want to give this one a look, but parents will definitely want to watch first to make sure sensitive teens won't get too freaked out.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Why do most horror movies feature men killing women? What does that say about what the audience wants to see or what moviemakers want to show us? Can you think of a horror movie or show that has a different setup?
Do the actors playing teens in Scream look like 15-, 16-, and 17-year-olds to you? Would it surprise you to know most of the actors are in their twenties? Why do high school movies so rarely use high school-age actors?
Parties in big houses are a staple of teen dramas. Have you ever been to a party like this? Do they exist in real life?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 30, 2015
- Cast: Willa Fitzgerald , Bex Taylor-Klaus , Carlson Young
- Network: MTV
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: June 22, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate