It never ends… the “Scream” universe continues to expand into 2022 with the first segment airing in 1996. This latest, “Scream 5” was another classic “who done it” slasher film with a new cast of promising young actors to continue the “Scream” legacy. It was released to theaters Jan. 14 earning $120.3 million in box offices and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 78 percent. The directors of this film were Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, both known for their co-directing of the horror/ action film “Ready or Not.” 

This latest film featured a new cast of younger actors, likely to continue the expansion of the franchise in later movies. Amongst these actors were Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minette, Mikey Madison, Jasmin Savoy, Mason Gooding, Melissa Barrera and Jack Quaid. Fans of the original Scream will be excited to see the familiar faces of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Marley Shelton, as well as original “Scream” antagonist Skeet Ulrich. 

Although all of the previous Scream movies centered around the leading lady, Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, in this new installment we see new leading ladies, Sam Carpenter and her sister Tara Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. The film is focused around these two sisters and those who were involved in the original murders in “Scream 1.”

The movie is heavily tied to “Scream 1” with all of the new main cast having relation to the previous stars. For example, Dylan Minnette plays Wes Hicks, son of Judy Hicks, a prominent police officer in Scream 1 through 4 who is now the new Sheriff. Another tie to the original cast were twins Mindy Meeks-Martin and Chad Meeks-Martin whose uncle was Randy Meeks, the character who was obsessed with horror movies and taught everyone the rules of horror in “Scream 1.”

Although the “Scream” universe has received heat in the past for being “cliche” and “predictable,” the entirety of “Scream” is meant to be a satire of horror with horror elements. To simplify this, yes the ending is basically the same in every movie, and yes, it is not scary, but that is the point. In the first “Scream” Randy Meeks tells all the party goers the “Rules of Horror,” in the iconic party scene.

“There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. Number one: you can never have sex. Big no no! Sex equals death, okay? Number two: you can never drink or do drugs. The sin factor! It’s a sin. It’s an extension of number one. And number three: Never, ever, ever under any circumstances say, ‘I’ll be right back’ Because you won’t be back,” Randy Meeks said. 

The purpose of the Scream movies is to make fun of horror movies and how they all follow a cookie cutter pattern. 

The movies also have an interesting habit of slightly breaking the 4th wall, meaning they directly refer to or speak to the viewer. However, in “Scream” they do this by referencing a fake movie franchise called “Stab” whose plot is a true story-based horror about the Scream final girl Sidney Prescott. 

Although this new movie was similar to the past ones in terms of ending and the killer’s motive, one of the killers in this movie shocked me. I was not expecting this particular person to be in on the killings. Something I noticed not only in this new movie but in all “Scream” movies is how when the killer is revealed, it is a shock, but at the same time not really. It’s a “What! Oh okay.” moment where yes, it’s surprising, but you can see how it fits and how the writers knew who the killer was from the beginning and wrote the script and scenes around that fact. This makes for some clever film making. 

The Scream movies have had a huge impact on the horror genre and have become a cult classic, standing the test of

time proving that the franchise will more than likely continue its ironic legacy. This new movie introduced enough characters who are in their teens who can continue the expansion into their characters’ adulthood much like the past Scream stars. This can be a never-ending cycle with the only buffer being audience engagement and looking at the profit at box offices as well as TikTok and Instagram that is full of edits of the movie, the fandom is only growing with new generations of horror obsessed teens. 

While some might think remakes are unoriginal and show a lack of creativity, I hope it continues. Being able to sit down to watch a movie from a franchise that my mom watched when she was my age when it first came out is a surreal feeling that I hope future generations get to experience with their kids.