Scream 4 | Review
Last year, director Wes Craven (‘Scream’, ‘Red Eye’) ended his five-year film hiatus with the poorly-received ‘My Soul to Take’. There’s no doubt that Craven is the “master of suspense” (or at least, a skilled one), looking back at his multitude of slasher and suspense films. The ‘Scream’ trilogy is one of Craven’s most successful films, and the first two garnered rave reviews. With ‘Scream 4’ (stylized as ‘Scre4m’), Craven seems to have brought back what made his ‘Scream’ films a success, as well as redeemed himself for ‘My Soul to Take’.
In ‘Scream 4’, “sole survivor” Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to her hometown of Woodsboro to promote a book recounting her past encounters with the “Ghostface” killer. Also returning are ‘Scream’ veterans Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette). The two are now married, and Weathers is now an author, having written three successful books inspired by the “Ghostface” murders, leaving her newscasting days behind. Gale’s new books have inspired the ‘Stab’ films (there are seven installments), based upon the Woodsboro “Ghostface” murders.
The ‘Stab’ films featured in ‘Scream 4’ are an obvious stab (pun intended) at the ‘Scream’ series itself, and it’s great! What makes the ‘Scream’ trilogy work are its self-references, witty humor, and the self-awareness of its characters. The characters of ‘Scream’ have all seen scary films, so they know what to do and what not to do’ they know the “rules” of the genre. This self-awareness is what sets the ‘Scream’ series apart from other films of its genre, and it’s also what makes the ‘Scream’ series more enjoyable.
With ‘Scream 4’ comes a new generation of teenagers from Woodsboro, connected through a cousin of Sidney’s, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts). Jill and her friends become the new main characters with their own unique outlook on the murders and scary films in general. Jill’s group of friends feature the likes of Hayden Panettiere (‘Heroes’) and Rory Culkin (‘Mean Creek‘), and they all add fun and humor to the film. It’s great seeing the new generation of teens working with veterans Sidney, Dewey, and Gale.
‘Scream 4’ is one of the most enjoyable slasher films I’ve ever seen, and experiencing it with a full audience made it that much better. I loved the witty dialogue and the self-referential/meta humor. Mixing a new batch of characters with ‘Scream’ veterans was a great idea, and it’s enjoyable to watch. The film features a brilliant opener and a just-as-brilliant twist ending, even if it does take away the film’s “re-watchability” factor. ‘Scream 4’ is a whole lot of pure fun, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for future installments if this one is truly the start of a new trilogy.