Scream is a horror franchise that consists of five movies and a television series. The fifth movie was released earlier this year, and here’s what you need to know. Going into the theater, I hadn’t seen any of the other Scream movies, and this was surely a mistake. Unlike other movie series such as The Conjuring, the Scream franchise creates movies that are continuations of the preceding films. I strongly recommend watching the other movies in order to prevent any confusion, as there are many references to what happened in the first few movies. While I still understood what was going on, my experience would have been better if I didn’t have to make so many assumptions. Aside from this, the movie was enjoyable, but if you are not a fan of slasher films then I would not recommend it; The Scream franchise bases its elements of fear on violence and murder, whereas many other horror films contrast greatly by being psychological horror films, comedic horror films, or Lovecraftian horror. If you prefer these genres of horror, Scream may not be for you. However, if you are in search of a dramatic slasher then the fifth Scream movie, or any of the Scream movies for that matter, may be what you are looking for.

     The Netflix series is very similar to the movie, but there is no necessary backstory; You can dive right into the series without having watched any other shows or movies, making the show much easier to follow. It is also convenient to watch the Scream series because it is on Netflix, meaning it can be viewed from practically any location where there is an electronic device. At the moment, the movie is only being shown in theaters, which may enhance the experience; however, going to the theaters is a more expensive option. Personally, I preferred the series for a variety of reasons, but I specifically liked the actors in the show more than the ones in the movie. Even though the cast in the movie includes famous actors such as Jenna Ortega, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox, I felt as though the actors and actresses in the series had better chemistry with one another. I recommend both products of the Scream franchise, but it’s a good idea to consider watching the previous Scream movies before seeing the fifth one.

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