Scream 4 (2011 review)

4 out of 5

The weird, and interesting, part about Scream 4 is that it’s a sequel that is also a remake. It’s also remake where characters know that they’re in a remake.  Hell, even one character empathically says to not screw with the original.  It has meta-fictional wheels within wheels within meta-fictional wheels that are the franchise’s trademark.  This isn’t as good as the first movie but its best out of all the sequels.  Like the original it manages to be funny, smart, and a solid slasher thriller on its own.

Over a decade after the original Ghostface killings in the small town of Woodsboro, perpetual victim Sydney (Neve Campbell) returns to her home town and, surprise, Ghostface has resurfaced and killings resume.  Aided by her old friends, the married Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), Sydney tries to survive Ghostface’s latest round of murder.  There’re also the students currently at Woodsboro high school like film geeks Charlie (Rory Culkin), Kirby (Hayden Panettiere), Robbie (Erik Knudsen), Sydney’s younger cousin Jill (Emma Roberts), and Jill’s ex boyfriend Trevor (Nico Tortoella) who are also being stalked by Ghostface.  Or maybe they’re actually Ghostface themselves. Anyway, Ghostface calls people on the phone, taunts them, then stabs them.  Repeat these scenes with some very self-aware characters who know how horror movies and remakes work.

The script is rather obviously structured as it almost methodically bounces back and forth with one scene with the “classic” characters from the first movie and another scene with the new cast.  You can practically set your watch to it.  It’s an awkward balance of appealing to new audiences with the sexy young cast and the older fans. It shows where the filmmakers priorities lie which cast is left standing by the end credits.

The classic returning cast is decent, even though Sydney hasn’t really evolved as a character in four movies aside from being a bit more determined.  Cox and Arquette still make a fun on-screen couple, their relationship is one of the lighter things about the franchise, but it is a tad weird that their characters are going through a rough-patch in their marriage at the same time the real-life actor couple was going through a separation.  The younger cast manages to juggle the sometimes overly verbose dialogue.  The best scene comes from Panettiere where Kirby is on the phone with Ghostface.  The killer wants to know all of the remakes of classic horror movies and Panettiere speeds through over a dozen remakes in the space of about 5 seconds.  Panettiere nails the moment with horror, fear, and frustration, and the music by Marco Beltrami accelerates the tension. 

The unsung hero of the entire Scream franchise has to be Roger Jackson who provides the voice on the phone that torments various characters.  As usual, Jackson is in top form with Ghostface’s voice dripping with layers of menace every line.  As for the actor / actress (Or Both. This is a Scream movie.  They’re usually are more than one) who eventually turns out to be the killer, they get to entertainingly chew scenery.  At one moment it seems like the film is going to have an extremely ballsy ending but it settles instead for a safer climax.  

The motivation for the killer in Scream 4 is different compared to the “movies made me do it” motivation from the previous films, playing into how people are seeking exposure  As for watching Scream trying to figure out who the killer is, don’t bother. There are subtle hints and obvious red herrings throughout. As Randy yelled in the first film “Everyone’s a suspect!”   Probably one of the franchises biggest weakness is once you know who the killer is the replay value drops. Thankfully, they’re at least very well written and the stalk and chase scenes stand up, even if the mystery does not. 

Scream 4 really has some elaborate set-ups for the slasher sequences. All of the Scream films have excellent opening sequences, with this one featuring a hilariously elaborate set-up of various fake-outs.   One great bit has two cops lamenting the roles of cops in horror movies…can you guess what happens to them?  Craven is very good setting up sudden reveals and little moments of Ghostface silently toying with the victim. The Scream movies were never really about gore; the action focuses on the sudden scares of someone jumping out of the shadows. There’s one gore shot of a bloody aftermath here that actually seems quite out of place.  But these aren’t bloodfests meant to gross-out the viewer, it’s about how quickly the violence happens and getting you to jump.

Scream 4 is not important filmmaking about the human condition but it is a very well made and really smart slasher flick.  Knowledge of the first film (not so much the sequels) will enhance your enjoyment of it, but it’s not required.  With so many just lame horror movies released it’s nice to see one that has a brain in its head. Even if that brain eventually gets stabbed with a knife.