Dylan Olive
“Scream” is the fifth installment of the “Scream” franchise: released on Jan. 14 in theaters worldwide.
Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back on the big screen being terrorized by Ghostface once again. It has been 25 years since the original 1996 “Scream” was released, and a decade since “Scream 4” was released. Other characters returning who were also in the original “Scream” are Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette).
In the original “Scream,” Director Wes Craven reinvented the horror genre with this classic modern-day slasher film.
In the 1996 movie, Sidney Prescott is targeted a year after her mother’s death by a killer in a white mask and black robe that likes to call his victims to scare them, give them horror movie trivia, and tease them while breaking into their homes before brutally stabbing them to death. Many of Sidney’s friends were suspects, with the main suspect being her boyfriend Billy Loomis. News reporter Gale Weathers and Woodsbroro’s deputy Dewey Riley investigate and try to figure out who the killer is.
Since Prescott is the final girl, she survives, and spoiler: she also survives the next three films with a new Ghostface every movie going after her, each with a different motive for wanting Prescott dead, but Sidney always comes out alive.
The fifth movie follows a new final girl: Sam Carpenter, whose little sister, Tara Carpenter, was attacked by the killer at the beginning of the movie. Tara’s friends are also targeted by the killer, so Sam and her boyfriend, Richie, seek out retired Deputy Dewey Riley for help since Ghostface is back again. Eventually, Weathers and Prescott return to try and stop the killer once and for all in an epic “act three” of the film.
What makes the 2022 “Scream” stand out from the rest of the franchise is this movie’s concept of how horror movies have evolved over the last decade and the recent trend of reboots on horror movies. So, throughout the film, there are more surprises and shocking moments unlike the previous films.
“I think it was the perfect time for a reboot because it has been ten years, and the ’90s are back in style,” freshman Zack Reece said.
The new movie is not a sequel, but it is also not a reboot: it is a “requal,” as described by new horror-obsessed character Mindy Meeks-Martin. This means that it is not a reboot of the original but it is not a direct sequel either, it is bringing back original characters, introducing new characters and rewriting the rules of the original movie. It still pays respect to the original and its legacy, but it is reinventing it and making up new rules, which means no one is safe.
“I think the movie was very well put together, it was funny while still being exciting and scary,” freshman Nathan Little said.“I’m definitely gonna watch the previous movies because I want to know the whole story.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, a popular entertainment review site, “Scream” is certified fresh with a 75 percent Tomatometer, and an 83 percent audience score.
“It absolutely lived up to the hype,” Reece said. “I was a little worried because sometimes sequels don’t live up to the original, but I think they did a really great job.”
Despite being released during the pandemic, “Scream,” was number one at the box office in its opening weekend. It grossed $30 million, the third-highest opening weekend for the franchise, behind “Scream 3:” $34 million, and “Scream 2:” $32 million.
