Scream 5--And Yeah That's What It Is--3/5 stars

Disclaimer!!! Beware of Spoilers

I'm going to be totally honest. I was one of the few people who did not have any interest in them making a fifth installment to the Scream franchise. This is by far my favorite horror movie franchise and Sydney Prescott reigns supreme as my Scream Queen. No matter what, she remains (if I'm not mistaken) the only horror movie final girl to survive every installment she's been in. Even the great Laurie Strode can't beat that. Sydney Prescott maintains the survivor title and has successfully defended it against all--psychos and wannabees alike (suck it Jill!) #Queen #sydneyprescott #finalgirl

It's because of my love for these movies that I never wanted them to be tainted by what way too many in Hollywood do with popular franchises...milk that shit until the utters are screaming.

You've seen it with franchises like Nightmare on Elm street, Child's Play, Friday the 13th, Halloween is one of the most egregious offenders. For some reason TPTB in Hollywood don't seem to grasp the concept of less is more and I have always been terrified of them doing that to my beloved Scream movies. They are still not in the woods yet of being milked dry but I don't trust Hollywood to not pay more attention to the dollar signs than the quality of the films. If they don't quit while they're ahead, our worst nightmare may come true and some idiot will decide that the legacy of Scream should go on to the end of time. No damn it! That's not what these films are about and if you ever try, I WILL haunt YOU to the end of time.

Phew! I just had to get that out there. Now that my mama-bear style bellowing has been gotten out of the way, let's talk about Scream 5 (and it is Scream 5. No matter what douche says otherwise, it's scream 5)

Unlike the previous four films, this is the first Scream to not focus heavily on Sydney Prescott...I just thought I'd pause for the jaws that inevitably dropped and the hearts that undoubtedly skipped a beat for anyone to seek medical attention real quick. No? We all good? Okay.

It seems that true to the scream franchise's core themes, they are ACTUALLY aware that will all great legacies, the torch does have to be passed on eventually. Sydney is forty-something now. Even survivors deserve retirement with a picket fence, dog, hot husband and annoying little kids. And hell, after all she's been through, Sydney deserves five retirements (one for attempted and landed knife wound).

They surprisingly set the stage for her ultimate final girl successor rather intriguingly with the character of Samantha "Sam" Carpenter, played fantastically by Melissa Barrera.

Melissa Barerra as Sam Carpenter

Introduced as a recovering bad girl on the run from her past, Sam returns to Woodsboro after her sister Tara (played by Jenny Ortega) is attacked by (and surprisingly survives) Ghostface--who might I add, doesn't lose a beat with a gory and chilling entrance with the opening scene. Seriously Roger L Jackson doesn't get nearly enough praise for his voice role. I have truly missed the way that voice sends chills up ones spine.

As the movie goes on, Sam is haunted by ghostly visions of dead #zaddy and OG Ghostface Billy Loomis (played iconically by Skeet Ulrich)--the one who started it all (sort of. Yeah yeah I saw Scream 3 too Roman! I know the backstory!) Once I saw that first vision of Billy, I knew immediately where the movie was headed from there and why Sam was chosen as the main protagonist in place of Sydney this time. She reveals that she is the biological daughter of Billy Loomis, product a non-canon tryst with an unknown, unseen groupie (probably one of those movie store hoochies seen in the first film).

Now this was one of the things that I think the film truly has going for itself. They were clearly inspired by Jamie Lloyd and Clarice Sterling with the whole dark cloud of a psycho relative and seeing-visions-of-my-dead-daddy thing that highlighted the arc of those heroines as a way of giving the fans a new heroine who is both fresh, but also tied to the legacy of the Scream franchise. Sure, her conception is (and as she hilariously points out in the film) very fan-fiction-y and this concept isn't exactly original, but the idea of Sam as the new final girl for the Scream films was a way to keep both the past and the modern tied together so the franchise still maintains its heart in the end. If Neve Campbell decides not to do another Scream film moving on (and Hollywood does decide to unadvisedly move forward with more films) I actually like Sam and what they can eventually do with this character. Plus, when she has her final showdown with the killer, the way she went at him (I said spoiler alert danggit!) was so beautifully unhinged that I wondered...does the legacy of Billy Loomis truly live on?

Now that we went over the possible new final girl, let's talk about the OG's role in this film...or lack thereof. They could have done a much better job of making Syd feel relevant to the story. In every film so far, the killers were in some way tied to Sydney.

Billy and Stu (her boyfriend and her best friends boyfriend). Check.

Mickey and Mrs Loomis (her friend and her dead boyfriends mother). Check.

Roman (her brother). Check.

Jill (her cousin). Check.

The only killer who wasn't directly tied to Sydney was Charlie, but he was more so Jill's pasty so does he actually count?

But what connection does she have to the plot this time? She's never met (ONCE AGAIN SPOILERS) Richie or Amber. They're just some dumbs wacko fans who took those damn Stab movies way too seriously. The movie didn't truly need Sydney, and yet the marketing of the film beefed her up as the all or nothing character, when this was truly Sam's story. They did that similarly with Halloween 2. The trailers made it seem as though it would be round 2 of Laurie v. Michael when all she did was remain in a hospital bed for most of the movie while everyone else did something.

Quit lying to us Hollywood so we'll give your our money for your tickets and ridiculously overpriced theater snacks!

In Scream 5, Sydney was more so supporting cast and I refuse accept that. If Sydney is ready to retire her final girl crown and pass the torch to Sam, more power to her. She earned the break. But she didnt have to do that by being relegated to the third act of the film to remind the viewers that she's one of the original trio. This whole damn thing wouldn't exist without Sydney you sons of bitches!

She could be the mentor to Sam as she navigates what it means to be a survivor in this world where psychos put on a ghost mask and go ape-shit, all while respecting the fact that Sam is a product of the legacy that SYDNEY paved the way for. Uncle Iroh was a mentor to Zuko and I can't imagine anyone calling him supporting. He was given as much attention as the other kids and Sydney should be given no less respect.

Speaking of legacy, let's talk about it because it's pretty much the crux of why the neighborhood psychos go off in the first place.

Not only are we introduced to a new teen scene--comprised mostly of relatives of the old guard--(Stu Macher's nephew and Randy Meek's niece and nephew) we are also re-introduced to legacy duo Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley, who are now sadly divorced.

While Gale is living it up in New York, Dewey has become a hermit, dragged out of retirement to solve yet another of the Ghostface killing sprees. The pair have since split after realizing that one was a big fish in a little pond and the other was always meant meant to be the guard the hellmouth.

Out of the three legacy characters, Dewey is really the only one who actually makes a difference to the plot, which I guess is pretty damn poignant since its also his last rodeo. #RIPDEWEY

I saw something on twitter saying the films would likely have to kill of the main three at some point. I thought it would be too obvious to be Dewey since he always gets stabbed, but then when then second blade ripped his spine apart as he's gutted with the other blade all at once, I thought to myself:

OF COURSE THEY WENT FOR DEWEY DUMBASS! THESE MOVIES ARE META HORROR COMMENTARY!

Dewey's death was super hard to watch and while it was happening I couldn't believe it. I kept hoping for a last minute reprieve. But when Ghostface uttered those chilling trailer words: "It's an honor". I knew our boy had finally met his end. But in a way, Dewey's death was both respectful to his character and to the core of the genre and the franchise. He was a protector and he went out doing nothing less than that.

Now to end this thing, we gotta talk about those killers--Amber and Richie. Amber is the new resident of Stu Macher's old house and Richie is Sam's boyfriend of six months. Together they are a product of (and this term is brought up in the movie as well) toxic fandom. They are also a product of what happens when you try to make a franchise last longer than recommended. They are by far the weakest killers to don the Ghostface mask to date. Give me that shit posers! You don't deserve those voice modulaters!

Not only were their motive super weak but the acting was not there either. I agree with those who say they were trying to be crazy rather than being crazy. Are Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard a joke to you people?! Some actors just don't have the charisma to be menacing. Jack Quaid (Richie) and Mikey Madison (Amber) come off as comical rather than terrifying and unhinged.

Overall, my love for these movies automatically earned the films that second star (the first one is just courtesy), and my genuine like and interest in newcomers like the Meeks twins (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding) and Sam, got it the third, along with the dialogue, themes, and most of the acting. However, the killers and the fact that the film didn't give Gale and Sydney enough to do in respect for their roles as legacies to the franchise cost it some stars.

The Scream franchise will always be dear to my heart, and if they do decide to continue with more movies, they have something going for them with Sam as the new main character, but they have to tread very very VERY lightly. As Mindy Meeks points out, fans will not stand for straight up remakes and reboots. We always remember where it all started, and will continue to remember as we continue to move forward.

So, what's your favorite scary movie?