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Without a refresher viewing, the details of Scream, the 1996 collaboration between horror-meister director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson (who also famously chronicled the ways of wayward teens without so much bloodshed as creator of the TV sensation Dawson's Creek) might be a little hazy. But even through the fog of memory, it's a pretty sure thing that texting, Facebook, live video streams on smart phones, and references to the Saw movie franchise were not major narrative devices. Even so, there is a common thread that yanks this inventive resurrection of the series back to life and ties it quite cleverly to the first, second, and third Scream installments. Summed up, that reach is captured in the word meta, which is pretty much what makes Scream 4 such a hoot as it scampers along on such a high plane of conceptual ingenuity. That several characters use the word in describing the action they're participating in makes the entirety of circular plot points, referential dialogue, and general level of self-reflexive action all the more exuberant. There are a few causes for honest screams in the action, even though the obvious raison d'être for Craven and Williamson's reteaming is to make audiences yelp with delight that trumps genuine fear pretty much every time.
Original cast members Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell have all returned for the reunion, which also introduces (and largely kills off) a new set of young but very familiar faces recruited for the festivities. The sizable ensemble cast includes Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell, Alison Brie, Hayden Panettiere, Marley Shelton, Rory Culkin, Adam Brody, Mary McDonnell, and Heather Graham, among many others who make up visitors or inhabitants of the imaginary town of Woodsboro, USA, scene of the meta-movie carnage that began 15 years ago. The excuse for this round of action is the return of original surviving victim Sidney Prescott (Campbell), who is making a hometown stop on her book tour. As the heroic survivor of the various incarnations of Ghostface, the knife-wielding killer in Scream's first trilogy, Sidney has become a celebrity and purposefully shrugged off the victim label, but still lives on as a folk hero. Turns out she's especially popular with Woodsboro's high-school population and the many horror film buffs who constantly analyze their every activity in relation to the behaviors of movie characters and the rights and wrongs of what to do when there's a killer on the loose. It therefore surprises no one that Ghostface has returned to haunt Sidney, including retired reporter Gale Weathers (Cox), her now-husband Sheriff Dewey Riley (Arquette), and the assortment of teenage dopes who saturate the entire venture with theatrical gouts of gooey, black blood. The movie-within-a-movie franchise Stab is also a major player in Scream 4. Its sequel count is now up to seven as we discover in the briskly crafted and very funny opening scenes. In fact, Scream 4 is constructed with smarter precision than any of its predecessors and would require a lot of brain power for someone who feels up to the task of trying to figure out who Ghostface is this time and why the killing has started again. But taking the story seriously pretty much defeats the purpose of the absurdly entertaining formal achievement that Craven and Williamson have created. All the stabbing and screaming and intricate (il)logic of horror movie conventions are simply part of the mysterious amusement of a concept that will not die, now delightfully retooled for a new generation. --Ted Fry
DVD Description
In Scream 4, Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill (played by Emma Roberts) and her Aunt Kate (Mary McDonnell). Unfortunately Sidney’s appearance also brings about the return of Ghost Face, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger.
The newest installment in the acclaimed franchise that ushered in a new wave of horror in the 1990s is written by series creator Kevin Williamson and directed by suspense master and director of the first trilogy, Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaffe, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Lucy Hale, Shanae Grimes, Aimee Teegarden and Brittany Robertson.
The newest installment in the acclaimed franchise that ushered in a new wave of horror in the 1990s is written by series creator Kevin Williamson and directed by suspense master and director of the first trilogy, Wes Craven. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaffe, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Lucy Hale, Shanae Grimes, Aimee Teegarden and Brittany Robertson.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
In post-ironic movies everyone can hear you...,
By Scaroth, Last of the Jagaroth (Sheffield, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Scream 4 [DVD] (DVD)
By this point the Scream franchise has all but disappeared up its own post-ironic bum. It's interesting to see that Neve Campbell, David Arquette and (an almost unrecognisably face-lifted) Courtney Cox have all returned yet again, as the movie goes back to its roots by having the ghost-faced killer replicate the murders from the original 'Scream' movie. It's not terrible, but neither is it necessary or even particularly imaginative in how the murderer 'offs' their victims. Watch this space for 'I Know What You 3 Did Last Summer' coming soon to a multiplex near you...
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing New Unfortunately,
By
This review is from: Scream 4 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
After 11 years the Scream series makes a return. It boasts "New Decade - New Rules" but I've just watched this movie and other than a handful of new teens for Ghostface to terrorise, there's not a great deal of "new" to be found here.As a fan of the first two films (the third was pretty awful) it was good to see the return of Sidney, Gale and Dewey (Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, respectively) but their already over the top characters were taken to the extreme in this one and it felt like they were actually making fun of their previous roles (much like the Stab movies are mimicking the film that they're in) which cheapened the earlier films for me. Ghostface in this one is almost a caricature - I know he's always been clumsy but in this one he is just laughable (he was more like the one in the Scary Movie series). There's a couple of cameos (as usual with the series) but the one that startled me the most was from Mary McDonnell who seemed to not even be bothered to act (especially as she plays Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica so brilliantly). In fact the acting from the whole cast felt very half-hearted, which is disappointing after such a long wait (it was greenlit in 2008). The story is ok, nothing great, certainly not new and original as advertised. It is a fairly enjoyable film but was way too predictable in every scene, it did feel just like a not so well made remake of the original really (they pretty much say this during the film too). If it wasn't such a big name I think this would have been a straight to DVD/Blu Ray movie but with the backing of the high profile cast and crew this has unfortunately gone the way of so many other horror franchises before it (Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street) where the numbers increase and the quality decreases. If you're a fan of the series it's worth a rent but don't be expecting anything special. I'll also add that there are no special features whatsoever other than a trailer on the Blu Ray, which is very disappointing coming from New Line who usually know how to pack them full. MOVIE - 2.5/5 PICTURE - 5/5 SOUND 4/5 (was a little quiet) SPECIAL FEATURES - 0/5 OVERALL - 2.5/5
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Redundant sequel - feels dated,
By Mr. Stephen Kennedy "skenn1701a" (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Scream 4 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
The surviving cast members are all back, along with an interesting cast of new faces... Hayden Pannetier, Mary McDonnell, Adam Brody and others threaten to bring fresh perspective 4th time round. Plotwise - well, more of the same, if you've seen the previous 3 you're in for no surprises, and if you haven't seen them, go watch Scream 1 instead of this one.. It does feel as if Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson between them have mis-stepped here. Or more precisely, after stumbling somewhat on Scream 3, this feels more like they've fallen on their faces. There's more of an emphasis on satisfying fans with references both within and outwith the franchise (the existence of the Saw 1-7: The Final Cut Collection [DVD] franchise and its ilk are acknowledged), and seemingly a bit less on scares, although a few moments work in an unsurprising sort of way. On the plus side, an introduction satirically shows the absurdity of ever more sequels on the same franchise, and there's a `new and updated' angle on the formula here, revolving around the social networking - youtube generation. On the down side, this just isn't enough to stop the movie from proceeding to walk through every yawn inducing cliché of the genre, in a singularly unironic way. Sadly, a franchise which was once a refreshingly new angle and breath of fresh air for horror movies, has become oddly dated and irrelevant.I don't remember hearing a clamour for this sequel.. especially 11 years after the last one. But if you are in the mood for a little nostalgia, you'll perhaps enjoy the routine slashing, and also the familiar faces (albeit with the help of a little more makeup) of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette. At the end of the day though, with the best will in the world, after years of parodying and new fads in horror coming along, this feels kind of stale straight out of the tin.
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