Scream (R)
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Caution: potential spoilers.
This is the fifth movie in the "Scream" franchise, but it's just called "Scream", so be careful not to confuse it with the first movie. In the context of the plot, it kind of makes sense that they didn't include a number in the title. Within the movies, there is a fictional series of movies called "Stab" which started with a movie based on the events of the original "Scream". The "Stab" franchise is up to 8 movies now, as of the fifth "Scream", and one of them (I'm not sure if it was the eighth or an earlier film) was said not to have a number in its title, because it's a "requel", which is sort of a mix of sequel and reboot, which is also what this movie is. Following me so far? Now, I'm going to get spoilery for a minute and tell you right up front that there are two killers in this movie, just like in the first movie. And they are obsessive fans of the original "Stab", who feel like that franchise has gone off the rails, which is why they wanted to go back to the basics of the first killing spree that inspired "Stab", i.e. the events of the original "Scream".
Like the first movie, it opens with a girl who is home alone getting a creepy phone call. Her name is Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), and of course she ends up being attacked by the new Ghostface, but unlike the first movie, she survives, and spends most of the movie in the hospital. (I like the fact that she's a fan of "elevated horror" such as The Babadook.) One of her friends calls her estranged sister, Sam, to let her know what happened. So Sam and her boyfriend, Richie, come to Woodsboro to see Tara. They get caught up in investigating the series of killings that starts, and they get Dewey involved, too. He was forced into retirement some time ago, and he's divorced from Gale, who is now a successful morning news show host living in New York. But she eventually comes back to Woodsboro, too. And later on, Sidney shows up, despite having said she would never come back to that town. She and Gale team up with the intention of killing the killer.
I'm not sure what else to say about the plot. I don't particularly feel like listing Tara's group of friends. I'm not going to spoil who dies, or who the killers are. I'm leaving out a major detail about Sam. I will say this is my least favorite "Scream" movie, but it was still decent. I like the fact that the killers are toxic fans who specifically refuse to consider themselves toxic. (Art imitates life.) And... yeah, that's all I have to say.
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