A Jenna Ortega Slasher Is Dominating Streaming Charts
The 2022 Scream starring Jenna Ortega is the #2 most streamed movie on Paramount+.
Scream 6 is now playing in theaters around the globe, and despite suffering the worst possible leak in the form of a video revealing the film’s killer just a few weeks before the movie’s release, the sequel is on track to set an opening record for the long-running horror franchise. To gear up for the latest gut-wrenching battle between The Carpenter sisters (played by Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera) and Ghostface, fans are revisiting the previous five installments in the popular horror series, which are all streaming on Paramount+. According to Flix Patrol, last year’s Scream is currently the #2 movie on the streaming service.
The fifth installment marks the first film in the series not to be directed by Wes Craven, following his death in 2015. This time, Ready or Not filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are at the helm, directing from a script by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. While the sequel brings back most of the surviving characters from previous Scream entries, including Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), Dewey Riles (David Arquette), and Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton), the ‘requel’ introduces audiences to a slew of new faces as well, such as Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), Chad Meeks (Mason Gooding), and Mindy Meeks (Jasmin Savoy Brown).
Every franchise entry to date features a memorable opening, and 2022’s Scream is no exception. Initially, the film’s first 15 minutes look to be a rehash of the original 1996 movie, with Jenna Ortega’s Tara being taunted on the phone before she’s attacked by an unknown assailant. Of course, Vanderbilt and Busick completely subvert audience expectations by allowing her to survive, which is a first for the slasher series.
Once Tara’s estranged sister Sam (Barrera) hears of the frightening ordeal, she travels to Woodsboro with her boyfriend Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) to make sure she’s okay. After arriving at the hospital, Sam is reunited with Tara’s friend group: Wes Hicks (Dylan Minnette), Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison), Chad Meeks (Gooding), Mindy Meeks (Brown), and Liv McKenzie (Sonia Ammar). Additionally, the film’s writers find a plausible way to bring legacy characters like Sidney, Gale, and Dewey into the mix.
In typical Scream fashion, the characters attempt to utilize their knowledge of horror movies to not only identify the killer’s identity, but also to avoid being the next unfortunate victims of Ghostface. Of course, nobody knows scary movies better than genre expert Mindy, who lays out all of the rules of a ‘requel’ to ensure her friends make it to the film’s end credits. It’s a fun-filled entry in the meta film series that delivers a blistering indictment of fandom culture.
Released on January 16, 2022, Scream opened to solid reviews from both critics and audiences alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the horror sequel has a certified fresh score of 76 percent from professional critics and a score of 82 percent from everyday viewers. Jenna Ortega received heaps of praise for her performance as Tara in the film, with many critics hailing her as 2022’s ultimate scream queen.
Following her role in Scream, the 22-year-old actress has appeared in several genre pictures, including Studio 666, Ti West’s X, and American Carnage. Jenna Ortega also recently captivated audiences with her turn as the titular character in Netflix’s astonishingly successful Addams Family spinoff Wednesday. Now, with her return as Tara Carpenter in Scream 6, the actress has undoubtedly earned the title of the next generation’s scream queen.
In the latest Scream installment, the survivors of 2022’s Ghostface killing leave Woodsboro behind, hoping to start a fresh chapter in New York City. Unfortunately, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting them. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the film stars Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Skeet Ulrich, Hayden Panettiere, Courtney Cox, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra, Tony Revolori, Devyn Nekoda, and Samara Weaving.
