Ghostface is back with a vengeance in “Scream,” the latest reboot of the meta horror franchise that debuted in 1996.

The latest installment returns to the franchise’s basics with a fun, self-aware and blood-soaked whodunit that successfully honors its past while providing a fresh spin that works as a standalone film.

“Scream” takes place 25 years after the original, with a new group of teenagers in fictional Woodsboro the target of the infamous Ghostface serial killer. When a young girl named Tara (Jenna Ortega) is attacked, her estranged sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) returns to find out who is responsible.

Sam, who has a past link to the original murders, soon deduces that the killer is targeting people with links to the past – putting Sam and Tara’s friends right in the crosshairs.

Sam and her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) enlist the help of Dewey (David Arquette) to help them find the killer. As the body count begins to mount, Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) also get involved, determined to put an end to the killings for good.

This is the first film in the franchise to not involve the late Wes Craven. The horror director passed away in 2015, leaving a huge void in the creative voice of the franchise. Fortunately, the torch has been passed to directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and screenwriter Guy Busick – the team behind the 2019 horror comedy “Ready or Not.”

They bring the same mix of thrills and laughs to this “Scream,” creating a film that feels like Craven was right there throughout the creative process. “Scream” has some really fun – and inventive – death sequences, but it also has the self-awareness that made the franchise stand out when it debuted.

These are characters who know their way around a horror movie but still manage to make new mistakes even as they try to avoid the pratfalls of the genre. “Scream” also cleverly takes aim at all of the tropes of the genre, including the rise of toxic fandom that has exploded in recent years.

The entire cast is clearly having a blast as well. Arquette, Cox and Campbell all bring a bit of nostalgia, but they also prove to be more than just glorified cameos. Barrera and Jasmin Savoy Brown, one of the teenagers who knows their way around a horror film, stands out among the new cast.

Fans of the series will really appreciate all the callbacks to the original films, while anyone in the audience seeing a “Scream” film for the first time will enjoy the whole meta aspect of the story.

As reboots go, this is one instance where the franchise is able to find new life – and perhaps pass the torch for the next generation to carry the story forward.

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language throughout and some sexual references

Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)

Grade: B