25 years after the brutal murders in Woodsboro, Ghostface is back making phone calls and terrifying teens in Scream – the fifth installment in the Scream franchise.  

After a young woman named Tara (Jenna Ortega) survives an attack from Ghostface, her older sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) is lured back to Woodsboro along with her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid). Before Sam can even settle in, she finds herself in Ghostface’s crosshairs as the new Sydney Prescott. In true Sydney Prescott fashion, Ghostface is also targeting Sam’s friends and people connected to the original killings in Woodsboro.  

In desperate need of help, Sam contacts Dewey (David Arquette), a man that knows all about taking down different variations of the Woodsboro killer. Dewey’s involvement brings Gale (Courtney Cox) and Sydney (Neve Campbell) back to Woodsboro. The old gang is back together, and they team up with the new kids to kill Ghostface one last time.  

The return to Woodsboro is as dangerous and bloody as fans remember. Scream is a “requel”, as Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) calls it, that does a fantastic job connecting 1996’s Scream to a newer generation of horror fans. It’s not all nostalgia, Ghostface has some new tricks that leads to some of the most imaginative and gruesome kills in the franchise.  

Like the original, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett do an incredible job pacing the film and creating tension with creepy phone calls and jump scares. They do a great making every phone call anxiety inducing and making you fear every time a character is alone. It’s everything that made the original Scream an iconic horror film.

Most of the comedy and meta conversations come from the new cast of characters like Wes (Dylan Minnette), Mindy, Chad (Mason Gooding), Amber (Mikey Freeman), and Liv (Sonia Ammar). The meta conversations they have are hilarious. From discussions about “elevated horror” to the hilarious callbacks to the original, the film does a great job mocking itself and the genre. 

Scream is a great throwback slasher film. It has familiar formulas infused with new ideas and high kill count that delivers amazing kills. Melissa Barrera is a great scream queen that gives hope for a new generation of horror actors.

Grade: B+