Twenty-five years after the original series of murders in Woodsboro, a new Ghostface emerges, and Sidney Prescott must return to uncover the truth.
The original “Scream” rejuvenated the horror genre when it was released in 1996, and ever since, it has become one of the most copied and parodied movies ever. The original working title was “Scary Movie,” but the film’s producers changed it to “Scream” because they were inspired by a new Michael Jackson song of the same name. The Wayans brothers would eventually take the title of “Scary Movie” for their two parodies of “Scream,” which, ironically enough, was produced by the same production company, Dimension Films.
Since the original movie, there have been three sequels and a TV series and now we have the fourth, and hopefully last big-screen iteration, simply titled “Scream.” I went into the press screening with meager expectations as I did not like “Scream 4” and was hesitant about a fifth entry in the series. Still, it was more enjoyable than I thought it would be, and I hope the producers end the franchise with this entry as there is nowhere left to go, at least based on the movie’s finale. But then again, this is Hollywood we’re talking about, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if “Scream 6” was announced in the coming weeks.
Just like the original, the new “Scream” opens up in the small town of Woodsboro with a young girl, Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), being terrorized on the phone by an unknown caller who proceeds to threaten her if she does not play some movie trivia but when she is savagely attacked, she is not killed, like her predecessors, instead, she is brutally injured and then rushed to the hospital. When her estranged older sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) receives a call from one of Tara’s friends informing her of the situation, she and her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) travel to Woodsboro to be with her.
Once there, however, more people begin dying at the hands of a mysterious assailant dressed up in a black cape wearing a Ghostface mask. When Sam reveals troubling information about her past and why their father abandoned them when they were just kids, Tara realizes the gravity of their situation. It quickly becomes apparent that the new deaths are tied directly to Sam’s past and the original Woodsboro killers, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard). Sam and Richie reach out to Dewey Riley (David Arquette), the former sheriff of Woodsboro who is now retired, and ask for help. Initially, he refuses, stating that he wants to enjoy his retirement, but when more people are killed, Sidney (Neve Campbell) snd Gale (Courteney Cox) arrive in town, and at their behest, he straps on his gun one more time as the trio team up with Sam to stop the killings, and put an end to Ghostface, once and for all.
While the poster for the new “Scream” squarely places Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette above the rest of the actors, it is very misleading because the younger cast members are the real stars here and take center stage. The original trio return as a way to (hopefully) wrap up the series, and Neve Campbell doesn’t appear until at least halfway through the film. With this being Part 5, it is time to lower the curtain finally; it’s had a successful run and made a lot of money, and helped a lot of relatively unknown actors mature into A-list celebrities, but I feel should the sixth movie appear on the horizon, the franchise will become a caricature of its former popular self, akin to the later chapters of “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Halloween,” and “Hellraiser,” where each new addition to the respective franchise was mocked and ridiculed for their sheer absurdity and illogicalness.
One other horror franchise I enjoyed was Final Destination, and like Scream, when it reached the fifth installment, the filmmakers managed to successfully bring the entire story arc full circle and wrapped everything up nice and neatly. I feel like they have achieved the same level of culmination here and hope they will sign off once “Scream” fades from memory, but I know as long as they continue to make money, they will proceed to churn out new sequels until they have wrung every possible scenario and narrative out of the series. The new story follows in the footsteps of the original, sometimes a little too close for comfort, and while the big reveal at the end of the first film was utterly unanticipated, blindsiding audiences, we have now come to expect it with every new entry and while the initial unmasking of Ghostface is always surprising, listening to the reasoning as to why they donned the mask in the first place is becoming antiquated.
The original twist was surprising and worked exceedingly well within the confines of that particular story, but with every new “Scream” movie, the filmmakers try to outmaneuver that ending, but they will never have the same impact that “Scream” had when it was first shown in theaters in 1996. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette inhabit their roles with charisma and magnetism and make for a welcome distraction when the younger generation gets caught up in themselves. The acting by all is solid, and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett step into the role made famous by Wes Craven and do a commendable job all around. If you are a die-hard fan of the series or even a casual viewer, you will have fun trying to solve the various mysteries and the age-old question: who is Ghostface this time?
Now available on Digital HD, and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD April 5th
