When it comes to murder, the killer is always someone you know, or at least it is in the notorious Scream horror movies.
The Scream movie franchise is back in the headlines following the release of their newest movie, “Scream 5,” on Friday, Jan. 14.
The story is set 25 years after the last string of murders terrorized the town of Woodsboro, California.
A group of teenagers hunted by a copycat killer who wears the infamous Ghostface mask. The objective of the killer is to bring back secrets from the town’s past.
The movie brought back some returning actors and actresses like Neve Campbell playing Sidney Prescott, David Arquette playing Dwight “Dewey” Riley and Courteney Cox playing Gale Weathers.
The movie also features some faces that are new to the franchise but familiar to the screenplay world like Jenna Ortega and Dylan Minnette.
Returners also worked on the technical side of this project. Writer and executive producer Kevin Williamson, who also worked on “Scream,” “Scream 2,” “Scream 3,” “Scream 4,” as well as the Scream T.V. series, played his part in this movie too.
The opening scene set the stage with a parallel to the original movie but with modern updates to fit the time change.
The balance between scary and funny, as the Scream movies are known for, is established pretty early in the movie, with the funny weighing a little heavier than the scary.
Although there is no shortage of jump-scares, most of them are predictable which may turn a few horror fanatics away. There was no gasp from the audience or loud scream, which did make it a little disappointing.
The scares may be lacking, but the gore was not.
The movie did not shy away from the brutality of the murders, and at some point it made me wonder if there was anyone else left to be attacked or killed.
As for those who were targeted by the person behind Ghostface, the details of the killing were shown from beginning to end with lots of blood and graphic attacks.
One of my favorite parts of the movie was the way there wasn’t an absence of action.
There was constant forward movement in the progression of the story, but it was never overwhelming. They also did a nice job with showing the different perspectives and side storylines as well.
Another of my favorites had to do with the connection the writers made between this movie and the original. The so-called “bad guy” ending up being the hero was fresh, and it also led to a powerful ending which stuck with me the most.
The movie reminded me of “It Chapter Two” in the way that the old original characters returned to their hometown to take down the evil who had haunted them in the past.
However, unlike the “It” movie, the original characters were more of a side storyline and not the main focus.
That being said, the end of the movie gave closure to the older characters and let them play a large role in the epic showdown with Ghostface at the end.
On the post-production side of the movie, I liked how the music helped guide the plot. It helped build up the tension and aids in placing the viewers into the scenes.
Another comment I had was on the attention to detail.
In one particular hospital scene, the character’s heart rate would speed up or jump when they heard a noise outside. It’s one of those things that you don’t really notice but increases the anxiety that viewers feel watching the scene.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie, and I had no real complaints about it. It was not a hardcore horror movie, which makes it more friendly for people who are just getting into scary movies, or people who don’t enjoy super scary movies.
It was also a fun movie for those who really enjoy the Scream franchise while being semi-easy to follow if you had never seen any of them before. I would recommend watching the original movie before the newest release for the best experience.
The movie is currently out exclusively in theaters and would be a fun watch for anyone interested.