It is hard to believe it has been 25 years since Wes Craven brought us the first Scream movie. It brought new life into the slasher genre, which had become stale due to an abundance of direct to DVD and cable releases, combined with many uninspired and stale theatrical films.

The movie was a massive success and launched a very successful trilogy and made the Ghostface killer and many moments from the series Pop Culture mainstays.

After a hiatus, Scream 4 arrived and continued the series and in 2022, Scream has arrived to continue the story, to the eager anticipation of fans.

When a young girl named Tara (Jenna Ortega); is brutally attacked in a fashion very similar to the Ghostface Killer, her sister Sam (Melissa Barrera); returns to Woodsboro to be by her side while Tara recuperates. Sam is joined by her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid), who has no idea about the history of Woodsboro nor the popular Stab film series based on the events of the murders that have plagued the town.

Sam’s past troubles makes her return difficult and when Ghostface strikes again. She and Richie seek the help of Dewey (David Arquette), who has fallen on hard times and has split from Gayle (Courtney Cox). Despite his reluctance, Dewey gets involved and tells Sam the “rules” which would indicate the killer might be someone she knows and soon everyone in her and Tara’s circle becomes suspect even as the deaths start to increase.

This allows for some of the best moments of the film as the characters make references to several other modern and past horror franchises and discuss things from online trolls, rabid fans, to other pop culture references. This provides some tongue in cheek humor, and establishes the world of Scream as one where people are well-versed in horror films old and new.

As tensions and body count mounts, Gayle, Dewey, and Sidney (Neve Campbell) must face their fears to stop Ghostface before it is too late.

While the final act of the film is sometimes absurdly over the top, it does provide plenty of the elements that fans expect from the series. I was able to accurately predict almost all of the twists very early in the film, so there weren’t many surprises as the story progressed. Despite this, I think many will still find enough enjoyment watching the tale unfold.

While it does not break much in the way of new ground, the film does deliver what fans have come to expect. I did find it more enjoyable than Scream 3, and there was more than enough to keep me entertained. There have been rumors that a sixth film has already been planned and if so, I will be more than ready.

3.5 stars out of 5

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