Release Date: April 15, 2011
Studio: Dimension Films
Genre: Slasher / Horror
Rated: R    1 hr 51 mins

Scream 4

April 17, 2011

Reviewer: Rottenbucher

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Who says you can’t go home?  Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro to promote her new book on the 15^th anniversary of the famed massacre that spawned several Stab films. Yep, Wes Craven and three of the original cast are back in the 4^th installment of one of the most successful slasher franchises and some 11 years after Scream 3.  Believe it or not, even with the young cast, Scream 4 may be the best since the original.

Sidney is back and beautiful while Gale (Courtney Cox) and her sheriff/husband Dewey (David Arquette) seem to be in a rough spot physically and in their relationship.  Especially since Gale’s career as an author now seems to be over and Dewey is stressed out.  But that doesn’t stop Gale and Sidney from reuniting on Sidney’s marketing stop for her new book.  Her agent, Rebecca Walters (Alison Brie, Mad Men), decided to return to Woodsboro on the anniversary to make them more moola but Sidney seems more focused on old friends and family.  Enter her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts, Unfabulous) and her slew of friends, including Charlie (Rory Culkin), Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) and Trevor (Nico Tortorella).  It seems they are being cyberstalked on social media until Ghostface reappears and blood and guts start to litter the town.

Scream 4 makes good use of the newer, younger cast as well as keeping up the ongoing tensions between the original three survivors. Campbell still plays tortured and Cox gives Gale a bit more depth with the desperation to get back in the game.  Arquette keeps Dewey dorky and loveable while Mary Shelton (Planet Terror, A Perfect Getaway) is Dewey’s dorkier foil.  Sidney’s extended family is a bit underutilized but still important to the story while the new cast is made up of even more good looking actors and actresses that the audience will love to see stabbed and stabbed again.

What makes Scream 4 so good compared to the previous installments is that the film benefits from the 11-year gap. There was no social media, texting, internet downloads or Netflix in 1996 and back then very few horror films remakes.  Now in 2011 just about every horror film released is either a remake, an adaption, umpteenth sequel in a sagging franchise or supposedly cutting edge just because it’s in 3D. Scream 4 even makes fun of itself by letting the franchise within the franchise swell to seven sequels while claiming “Saw IV sucked” due to no character development. The film also makes fun of the horror rules the original sold so well and even has Panettiere rattle off about 25 recent remakes in order to stop her friend from being slaughtered. Scream 4 easily pokes fun of itself while poking fun of the genre in general.

But there are a few rough spots. Some of the comedy isn’t that comedic or just doesn’t translate that well. Shelton’s character is a bit too dorky and the rest of the police force seems so dumb they wouldn’t be able to solve a crossword puzzle.  And again, no one knows how to shoot a gun or really defend themselves. It also is unclear if the film is meant just for the fans of the original or trying to lure in the younger horror audience who may not have even born when the original was released but know if it’s legacy from their older siblings or even… their parents. Sometimes it seems as though the younger actors were simply introduced to update the film beyond making use of and commenting on texting, social media, high school relationships and the current state of the horror genre. Then at several times it seems as though Scream 4 would be DOA without the new blood.

In all, director Wes Craven keeps the film painstakingly faithful to the original’s successful formula and seems to have much more fun with Scream 4 than he did with the overly serious second and third installments. Is there room for Scream 4 in the current horror arena full of remakes and endless sequels?  Absolutely. Scream 4 is more intelligent and fun than stuff like the new A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Friday the 13^th flicks.  It’s not in 3D and doesn’t need buckets of gore to be good, even though it is the goriest of the series. If you invested time and money in the original franchise, there is no excuse to not see Scream 4.  You’ll be entertained, pleasantly surprised and even wondering if there will be a Scream 5.  Probably before a Phantasm 5 at this point.  Recommended.

CAST:

Neve Campbell:  Sidney Prescott
David Arquette:  Dewey Riley
Courtney Cox:  Gale Riley
Emma Roberts:  Jill Roberts
Kirby Reed:  Hayden Panettiere
Charlie Walker:  Rory Culkin
Mary Shelton:  Judy Hicks
Alison Brie:  Rebecca Walters

DIRECTOR:

Wes Craven

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