The latest installment of the Scream franchise finished tops at the box office this weekend and beats out Spider-Man: No Way Home. A big reason for the love for the film may stem from some of the new and old rules that the new Scream movie mixes for Ghostface to follow—as any good “requel” (the combination of a reboot and sequel) should have, according to one new character.
The new Scream movie takes place in the familiar setting of Woodsboro, but Sydney (Neve Campbell) and Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) are long-gone and Dewey (David Arquette) is living in a trailer in the outskirts, no longer involved with the sheriff’s department. Still, all three play a pivotal role in the plot. So did Sheriff Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton), who played the deputy in the last Scream film in 2012.
Stop here if you don’t want the film spoiled.
The original trio are joined by a new group of teenagers, many of which have a connection to characters from previous Scream films, such as Randy’s twin nephew and niece, and the illegitimate daughter of original killer, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich).
Screenrant.com listed some of the rules that were followed in the movie as set forth by Randy’s niece when describing the perfect “requel.”
For starters, the kills must somehow be connected to the original—which in the film is the meta version of the Stab franchise. That’s why the first attack is eerily similar to the original Scream opener, which saw Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker tormented on the phone by the killer.
Another vital rule is that legacy characters must appear. We already mentioned that the three surviving members from Scream are back, and mentions and possible surprises.
Then, the story must be a classic whodunit, with no obvious suspects. While the films have been updated for the times in terms of technology, the heart of each movie is centered around trying to figure out who the killer is.
And of course, the killer is almost always part of the friend group, or at least somehow connected. The new Scream movie introduces plenty of could-be murderers.
The two final rules—which are pointed out by Dewey in the new Scream movie—are that there are always two killers and you should never trust the love interest. Scream wouldn’t be Scream if at least one of these two weren’t true, so be prepared for some shocks and surprises when the killer (or killers) are finally revealed.
The top box-office weekend earner is now playing in theaters.
