Scream: Resurrection Review - Night One Packs a Killer Punch
Paul Dailly
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If there's one takeaway from Scream Season 3 Episode 1 and Scream Season 3 Episode 2, it's that this new killer is just as creative as the ones from the movie series.
Having Paris Jackson in the opening scene dressed as Florence Nightingale was a big surprise, but having her character survive to be sassy another day, that was even more surprising.
That was the first instance it became apparent that this show was rewriting the rules. Given the long wait between seasons, many thought that Scream: Resurrection was going to be awful, but it's not.
Then having Deion's brother's murder tied to the opening scene was a stroke of genius. It helped to subvert the expectation that a female would be the one murdered.
Throwing Tony Todd in there as well? That was good. He's one of the most memorable faces in the world of horror, confirming that this season was constructed from the ground up for fans of the horror genre.
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Being a murder mystery, there are going to be red herrings along the way, and one huge one has got to be Marcus surviving that fateful night. It would be too cliche for him to pop up as the killer.
Becky: Hello?
Ghost Face: Is this Nancy Gibbons?
Becky: Nope. Wrong number.
Ghost Face: Oh, sorry. Who am I speaking to?
Becky: Becky. Who's this?
Ghost Face: Are you over 18, Becky?
Becky: Barely.
Ghost Face: Good enough for me. Hey, I'm calling from your local service provider with a seasonal survey for our customers.
Becky: Oh, I'm really busy.
Ghost Face: It's just a few questions. Let's start with 'What's your favorite scary movie?'
[Becky cuts her finger as someone runs by her window.]
Becky: Look. Don't call back, okay?
It feels like a storyline that's been done to death, and given that Scream Season 3 comes from the talented mind of Brett Matthews (Legacies, The Vampire Diaries), it's hard to imagine the above storyline coming to fruition.
That being said, the police reports do seem to confirm that there was something amiss that night, but I rolled my eyes the moment Liv essentially said that Deion was lying about what happened.
Liv has not been in town long, and the slayings began shortly after she arrived, so she's an immediate suspect in my book.
Becky: What are you supposed to be?
[Ghost Face looks at her.]
I'm Florence Nightingale. Aren't you supposed to trick me, or something?
[Ghost Face waves knife and proceeds to stab her in the breast. It's a fake knife. She laughs.]
Becky: Careful, paid a lot for these bad boys.
Kid: Haha, trick or treat.
Becky: Happy Halloween, punk.
There has to be a reason why Liv and her father moved to town, and I'm betting it's not going to be simply for her father to take on the job with the police.
There has to be more!
Liv being frightened by the person wearing the Ghost Face mask at her window was not surprising either. There are so many of these masks floating around that even the killer(s) could get a fright when they least expect it.
Something about Liv doesn't feel right.
Maybe it's the way she got all awkward when she was first introduced to Deion or the way she showed up at his house and started asking questions.
She's gathering a lot of information and is poised to use it to her advantage down the line.
Whether this information will rule her the killer, I don't know, but she's one of the sketchiest individuals, for sure.
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It was typical of Shane to get killed off the moment we realized that he's doing these dodgy dealings to help his sick mother.
That came out of nowhere and made him more than just the one-dimensional loser we were led to believe he was.
Deion: Man, who is this?
Ghost Face: You don't recognize my voice? I thought we were blood.
Deion: Quit playing, we both know you ain't Marcus.
Ghost Face: The only thing we know is that you have no idea what's under my mask.
In the school, he struggled to pull the trigger on the killer.
That could have cost Kym her life, but it seemingly alluded that he was working with the person behind the mask.
Moments like that which allow the killer to make a swift getaway can wear thin pretty quickly, even on teen dramas.
Killing Shane off squashes my theory that he was in cahoots with the killer ... unless he was useful to the mastermind at one point.
Speaking of Kym, Keke Palmer is flawless in this role. Kym strives for change and is not the type of person to be silenced, which makes her one of the better characters.
There were many moments it seemed like she was about to be killed, and I'm struggling to imagine what the remaining episodes would be like without her. She brings a lot to the table.
Beth is blatantly the Noah of Scream: The Series 2.0.
She knows a little too much about the conventions of the horror genre. Would she be the perfect person to plan out all of these kills?
Absolutely, but it wouldn't be as predictable as having Deion's dead brother coming back to life and slaying everyone close to him.
Deion: I'm sorry. You good?
Kym: I'm curious. Who's wearing your jersey to the game, b-day? Other girls are asking me.
Deion is a star football player. He has a lot to lose by being put in these deadly situations, and there are a lot of reasons why someone would want him dead.
He's from a rough neighborhood, and people think he is having everything handed to him on a silver platter, so there's bound to be some jealousy thrown in there.
There was a disconnect between him and his half-brother Jamal.
On paper, Deion is the more successful of the two, so it's possible that Jamal could be messing with him for that reason.
There was no brotherly bond between them, and it must be awkward AF at family gatherings when they need to spend any time together.
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Deion may be wanting to build a bridge, but I'm getting the feeling that it might be too little, too late for that.
Jamal picked up on Liv asking everything and anything about Deion, and that could further fuel Jamal's desire to get some revenge.
Opportunities are falling at Deion's feet, so it's natural to be jealous.
God, there are so many suspects that I'm genuinely scratching my head trying to keep up.
There was very little predictable about the opening episodes which will keep me interested until the final installment.
It's only a matter of time before the finger is pointed at Deion for the crimes, and then the killer will be getting their wish.
As things stand, these opening episodes successfully set the bar for the episodes -- and kills -- to come.
What did you think of the deaths?
Who is the most likely killer, and why?
Hit the comments below.
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Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
