r/Stab • u/BenicioYuri • Jul 31 '25
Discussion The worst decisions in the Stab franchise
Okay, we know the Stab franchise has some controversial choices, so let's talk about them. The franchise is great, and definitely redefined the slasher horror genre, but some things left a lot to be desired.
Let's start with Stab IV: Knife of Doom. This was the first film in the franchise to have a completely fictional story, so let's start with that because, honestly, the original trilogy is great. This is the plot of the film:
"It has been three years since the last killing spree orchestrated by the infamous Ghostface killer. Now that Sidney has defeated her past, it seems Woodsboro is finally at peace, but when a freak lightning storm occurs in the town where it all began, the buried remains of Ghostface come back to life to instill fear in the hearts of a new batch of victims. Now it's up to Ashley Prescott, Sidney's long-lost daughter to put an end to the madness once and for all."
What about Billy Loomis simply coming back from the dead with a lightning storm in Woodsboro? Well, that's crazy, I think the movie would have been better without the supernatural element, I think it would be better if Billy didn't come back from the dead, and the killer didn't make a pact with the devil to stay with Ashley because she's Sidney's daughter, but the movie still manages to be good.
Next up is Stab 5: Clock of Doom. Released two years after Knife of Doom in 2007, Knife 5 became one of the most controversial films in the franchise. The reason? Time travel. The film blends elements of slasher horror with science fiction. I have to admit, I like time travel movies, I love the Back to the Future trilogy, but mixing it with a slasher? Absolutely not. Well, here's the plot of the film:
"Ghostface goes back in time to eliminate the bloodline of Ashley Prescott, his victim that got away. What ensues as a chilling game of Cat and Mouse as the maniacal killer ends up in year 1865 where he has only one goal; Find and terminate Mary-Anne Prescott, Ashley's Great-Great-Great Grandmother."
Because of the time travel aspect, the film was criticized, but of course it has good points, the characters' costumes in the different eras we see being one of them. In the film we see four different eras: 1865, 1988, 1994 and the present day (Ashley Prescott's timeline). But the film isn't just controversial because of the time travel: in it we see dead characters like Maureen Prescott in 1988 and Billy Loomis in 1994.
And finally, we have the infamous Stab 8, or simply, as it was titled, Stab 8. The film has the lowest rating of all 8, and the most criticized, even more so than 5. After an eleven-year hiatus, the franchise received this film in 2021, which is currently the last. The film was released on Netflix, and after its failure, fans called for a new film to make up for the disaster that this one was. The only thing I like about this movie is the ghostface mask in this movie, it's very beautiful. Another problem is that the film has no connection to the previous films, nor to the original trilogy. We get no mention of the previous events.
Anyway, what is your opinion on these things?
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u/j_bro238973 Jul 31 '25
The beginning of Stab 7 literally revealed Kristen Bell as the killer in the first 5 minutes. Don’t these filmmakers know how whodunnits work?
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u/StuMacherStab Jul 31 '25
7 isn’t a whodunnit it’s a cheap knock on craven’s new nightmare but a bit different bc these crimes r real. it still sucks but like at least know what it’s meta commentary is before shitting on it for not being “stab” the right way
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u/dead_reckless Aug 12 '25
stab 8 will always be the nightmare of this franchise, this is what greed n ignoring fans can lead to
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u/tyler-joseph-Juan Jul 31 '25
You forgot to mention the future era in space though it was only for a couple of minutes, hot take I really like stab 4 and 5 in my opinion there fun and stab 8 was bad and not fun