Written by: Ryan Dailey
Set roughly 22 years after the events of Scream 3, Scream: Legacy is a very well written, directed and acted fan film based on the characters created by Kevin Williamson. This Zenhouse Studio production, while obviously not associated with the actual franchise, is a very welcome one hour and five minute addition to the lore.
Scream: Legacy ignores everything that happened after the events of the original three films and focuses on the daughter of Sidney Prescott, the “final girl” and eventual heroine of the mainstream films. Writer/director Zach Salazar has raised the bar on fan made films with this addition to his portfolio. Scream:Legacy exudes the same vibe the very first film had in 1996.The way Scream was a lovingly crafted homage to slashers, Scream:Legacy is a brilliant homage to the homage.
Sidney’s daughter, (Jackie Luke) returns to Woodsboro to check in on her ailing Grandfather and catch up with old friends.Her visit soon turns into a nightmare as, one by one, death returns to the small town. Ghostface is back in Woodsboro and the killer is leaving blood and death in its wake.
The film, while well-crafted, is not completely without flaws, although they are minor. The cast turns in superb performances for the most part. Although at a few points in the film, the acting seemed a bit stunted or unnatural. This is mostly on the part of the actors playing law enforcement, as their delivery seemed hackneyed at times.This may stem from some of the dialog in the film being awkward or the scene trying to shoehorn in references to the first trilogy, to cement its place in the timeline.
The film quality and direction, as mentioned before, takes the fan made film to a whole new level. Salazar is very well versed in camera movement and shot set up, making his film seem so much more professional than most fan films one might stumble across on the world wide web.
The love for the material is on the screen for every bit of the runtime, making this a must see for any fan of the franchise or the genre in general.
Scream:Legacy is streaming free on Youtube as of March 25th, with a commentary companion video alongside. The film is available on blu-ray as well, contact the filmmakers via the Scream:Legacy Facebook page for details.