arguably one of the most popular and culturally relevant horror franchises, so there's a lot of pressure to make each new film that comes out as good as it predecessors and not have them feel like they're just a cheap way for the producers to make a bit more coin. and this film, like the 5th instalment in my opinion, does the franchise justice. it's a great reflection of part of the "film-watching" community, and does a great job at dissecting more modern slasher films whilst also uniquely adding to the genre. the move to new york makes sense with the story, but i don't think it leans into the new york atmosphere as much as it could have. the most "new york" part of it was the subway scene, which was an intense, tension-packed, creepy scene and was probably my favourite sequence of the film, and seemed to go on forever but in an entertaining way. the cast are great together, with jenna ortega for sure being my standout. even though you were lead down several potential killer routes, the final reveal was a bit of a let down, and predictable from pretty early on. and it does baffle me how some of these characters survive their attacks and just stand up after being stabbed 245 times or by having an entire round of bullets unloaded into their chest..
i enjoy these films and hope they continue to make them with the same level of tension and love for the genre, but i hope they know when to wrap it all up because it would be a shame for this franchise to end with a flop.