Scream Season 1 Episodes 1-5 Reviews: Everyone Is Fair Game (Season Premiere)

"Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. Everyone is fair game. Until no one is left." Thus begins MTV's "Scream: The TV Series" (which based on the movies by the same name). Season 2 is currently airing so I'm playing catch up.

"Scream 1" premiered in 1996 and encouraged viewers to think about the horror genre formula. There are "murder rules" regarding who lives and who dies. The characters are aware and even discuss them. Unfortunately this doesnt help them get any smarter. The rules include:

Never Have Sex- Sex equals death. Virgins are (usually) safe but if you have sex you're a goner. Thus, if a female character wants to make it to "final girl status" she better keep her pants on.
Never Drink Or Do Drugs- You want to keep your wits about when running from a deranged serial killer.
Never Under Any Circumstances Say "I'll Be Right Back"- It's just karma man.
Anyone Can Die At Any Time- We learned this when Drew Barrymore (thought to be the main character in the original "Scream" movie) was offed during the opening scene.
Never Wander Off By Yourself- That's just asking for trouble.
The Past Will Come Back To Bite You In The Ass- Didnt know the main character was the secret love child of the killer? Don't underestimate the lengths relatives will go to right some perceived injustice (including mothers, brothers and third cousins). The killer could also be someone who was mentioned once in passing. Everyone is guilty until proven innocent.
There May Be More Than One Killer- Before "Scream" the culprit was typically a single psycho guy. No more. There may be a team of men/women planning to do you in.
NEVER Assume The Killer Is Dead- I wouldnt believe it unless I saw them run through a wood chipper.

In the movies Sidney Prescott (final girl) tries desperately to survive Ghostface and eventually moved out of Woodboro. Now the action has moved to the fictitious town of Lakewood.

The main characters in the TV series are Emma (who I assume is "final girl"), Audrey (previously Emma's BFF), Noah (suspiciously knows a lot about serial killers), and Brooke (is having an affair with high school teacher Mr Branson). There's also Will (Emma's ex) and Jake (Brooke's ex). Kieran is the new kid in town. His father Clark Hudson is the sheriff. Kieran's mother and stepfather mysteriously died several weeks ago. Is that a clue?

First up to be killed is hot rich girl Nina. She dons a swimsuit and gets stabbed in the back. Her boyfriend Tyler is MIA but we see his head lobbed into the pool before Nina's demise. Tyler is off the table as a suspect unless he grew a new head (or is faking us out).

Next up to die is Rachel (the girlfriend of Audrey). Both were outed on YouTube by the now dead Nina and Tyler. Emma also knew what Nina was up to but didnt try to stop her. Then Riley (Noah's new girlfriend) is killed on the roof of the police station. I was hoping she's stay around a while longer. She was a cool girl.

We learn that Emma's mom Maggie/Daisy has a secret past with Brandon James. He was seriously deformed and was beaten by the other teenagers. This causes him to kill several of his tormentors. Daisy lured Brandon to a dock and the police (after promising not the harm him) fill him full of holes. He falls into the lake and is presumed dead.

Other adults on the show include Sherrif Hudson (Kieran's father) and Kevin (Emma's father). Brooke's father (Quinn Maddox) is the mayor. A blogger named Piper Shaw also arrives in town.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). I must say I was skeptical when I heard "Scream" was being revamped for the MTV crowd. I typically have no reason to visit that channel. I was definitely wrong about the show. The story has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. The cast does a good job. Trying to theorize who the killer/killers are is great fun. I'll definitely be coming back for more.