Where I Watched it: Paramount Plus

English Audio Description?: no

This is far from my second time watching Scream 2. I have highly regarded this sequel since I grew up with the Scream franchise in my teen years. I can’t imagine how many times I’ve seen Scream 2, but it’s a lot. And, in preparation for Scream 6 dropping on Paramount Plus, i figured I’d run back through the old films again. Sadly, now I can’t see, and now these films lack audio description.

I’m not really sure what the business model for Paramount Plus is, as I’ve tried to figure out if they’re directly trying to piss off blind and low vision users, or they simply don’t give a fuck. From merging Showtime back in September without offering any of their audio description, to having the rights to the Scream franchise, and not bothering to provide audio description for the first half of the franchise, to just awful quality description like that on Tulsa King, Paramount Plus rings more like a cautionary death note than a welcoming choir of inclusivity.

Granted, we do meet new kids in Scream 5, but they are not rebooting the whole thing. The original cast returned, complete with a cameo from Heather Matarazzo. In fact, Scream 5 pays so much tribute to the first 4 films it practically expects you to have seen it. And Scream 6? It’s basically a love letter.

yet these films are aimed at a younger audience, with it’s Jenna Ortega led cast hoping to rope in the next generation. But I guess that next gen has to be able to see, because paramount sure as hell isn’t retroactively adding audio description to the first four films. So, for a franchise that’s over 20 years old, I’m not sure how they plan on roping in that 17-21 crowd that wasn’t even born when Scream 2 was in theatres.

It’s part of a continued apathy toward the disabled, like we should be happy with the little corner of the world we’re allowed to have and not ask for any more. Fuck that. Scream is now a Paramount franchise, and they should be going back and adding audio description to help introduce an entirely new generation to this series.

Without it, this is pointless. you don’t know how people are killed, where Ghostface pops out from, or any of that insane shit Sidney experiences because she tried to pursue theatre. The stuff with the masks is lost. The complicated scene where Gale and Dewey face Ghostface makes no sense. This film is just a cluster of utter bullshit without audio description.

I suppose you know shit goes down because of the rise in the score, the intensity of the music. Without that, who knows. Then again, it does have some really creative moments that aren’t kills, and still don’t have that musical moment to help them.

So, not that Paramount Plus gives a shit, but I have to give one of my favorite horror sequels a grade of unwatchable because they are too lazy.

FINAL GRADE: unwatchable.