The film opens with upbeat, trendy music that instantly sets a Scream VI vibe-never a good sign if you're hoping for originality. From the start, it's clear this isn't going to break new ground. We follow a group of American "teens": conventionally attractive girls paired with alpha-male archetypes, with Jonah Hauer-King oddly miscast and feeling out of place.
The premise hasn't evolved since the 1997 original: a group of friends covers up a death, only to be stalked one year later by the iconic fisherman in his rain slicker. He picks them off one by one, sometimes extending his vengeance to their loved ones. That's it. There's little substance beyond this familiar formula. Legacy characters from the original film return, but rather than adding emotional depth or clever twists, their presence feels like a shallow callback. Freddie Prinze Jr., in particular, gives a performance that weirdly channels Dermot Mulroney from Scream VI; not exactly flattering.
Several sequences simply don't make sense. In one, Teddy tries to fix the sliding doors on his boat, even though we can clearly see someone lurking at the end of the corridor. His behavior makes it seem as if he's conspiring with the killer rather than in danger. When he eventually fights the fisherman, the scene plays more like roughhousing with a buddy than a desperate struggle for survival. Later, Teddy's father mourns his son while heavy footsteps of the killer are blatantly audible in the background. Yet the father never reacts. It's sloppy staging, and moments like these kill any suspense.
Acting quality is inconsistent at best. Characters flip from panic to casual nonchalance within minutes, destroying any sense of tension. For a slasher from 1997, some of these choices might have slid by unnoticed, but for a 2025 release they feel outdated and careless.
Ultimately, this revival offers nothing fresh: no new angle, no genuine scares, and no compelling performances. It's a reheated version of a story that was already thin, relying on nostalgia rather than creativity.
