Scream 4 - Review

So if you've read my previous reviews about the Scream franchise, you've figured out that I don't care much for this series. The first was mediocre, the second sucked, and the third REALLY sucked. When I heard they were reviving this series for a fourth entry, as you can imagine my reaction wasn't very enthusiastic. One thing I've come to realize about Scream is this... the original was a big hit at the time and is generally considered an intriguing piece of 90s nostalgia. Even though the general public ate it up, the response from horror purists (like myself) was actually somewhat mixed. Not to mention, a common critique of the original I keep hearing was that it was decent for the time but doesn't hold up that well today. So how much of a demand was there really for another Scream??? I guess no more than most horror sequels, but that rarely stops them from being made. Nonetheless, lets take a look and see if Scream 4 (or Scre4m) actually accomplishes what the previous three missed...

Scream 4 takes place a decade after Scream 3. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro to promote her new book detailing how she overcame her experiences with the Ghostface killers. Gale and Dewey (David Arquette and Courtney Cox) are back and now married, albeit with a few marital hiccups. Dewey is the town sheriff and Gale is having difficulty adjusting to the small town life. Coinciding with Sidney's return, a Ghostface killer starts threatening her alongside a new group of unsuspecting teens. Only now, its a new generation along with a new set of rules.

I do have to give Scream 4 some credit for a couple of things. First off, they actually managed to rope the original cast in for this movie (the surviving characters at least). Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox are all back for another go-around (or paycheck). Plus, most of the new teen cast members actually look like teenagers this time. Like the previous movies, the performances are still pretty hit and miss, but this movie's cast is definitely better than the sequels. Arquette and Cox are still basically going through the motions, but they look slightly more interested than they did in Scream 3 at least. Campbell continues to do the whole scared victim routine she's done in the previous three, not much has changed here. Nothing special about her but nothing inherently awful either.

Hayden Panettiere actually holds her own pretty well as one of the new teens in this one. Granted she's one of the actors that doesn't totally pass as a teen, but her performance is definitely one of the better of the bunch. Emma Roberts isn't too bad either as Sidney's niece Jill. There's also Erik Knudsen as the new Jamie Kennedy-eque film geek type. His character gets a little grating at times, but he has some good moments and looked like he was having fun with the role.

Speaking of grating, there are plenty of actors here that don't fail to annoy. Marley Shelton as a Woodsboro Deputy was probably the most annoying character this time around. Alison Brie plays Sidney's publisher, whose character was so pointless and annoying that the only joy I got out of watching her was seeing her get killed. Also, like the previous three, there are a few celebrity cameos Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell appear in the movie's opening scene playing out a sort of humorous "reference within a reference." Can't really complain about their acting too much, but the scene was not nearly as creative as it could have been. I guess like the first movie, the acting is a mixed bag. Nothing great but still somewhat better than the average teen slasher.

One of my most common complaints about the Scream movies was that they got so caught up satirizing the horror genre that they neglected to deliver any real suspense. I even mentioned that if they were to up the blood and gore factor that I probably would have at least enjoyed them on a guilty pleasure level. Well, I have to admit, Scream 4 actually does improve on this front. Don't get me wrong, it's still mainly a series of teens being chased up staircases and, with one or two exceptions, most of the kills usually didn't amount to much more than generic knife impalings. Still, Craven definitely didn't skimp on the blood this time and it had a higher body count than any of the previous movies. It's not an extreme blood bath or anything like that but there should be enough to satisfy your inner blood hound.

While there was some improvement on the gore front, the other story elements are hardly any better. Despite a couple semi-clever insights into the horror genre and pop culture, Scream still isn't nearly as smart as it thinks it is. The focus of Scream 4's satire is mainly on reboots or remakes of horror franchises. To fit that scheme, Scream 4 is basically a retread of the original with a higher body count and a few new twists here and there. It pokes fun at how redundant it is by making some kind of crack at itself. Its a weak gimmick to say the least, and how the filmmakers think by just giving an occasional wink to the audience makes it even less credible. Sure, you might be in on the joke, but that doesn't justify recycling the same story. To make matters worse, the screenwriter, Kevin Williamson, is still clearly stuck in the 90s. The dialogue is basically cheesy 90s lingo with a few Facebook or twitter references. So now, not only does it sound stupid, but also dated as hell. Oh sure, the reboot concept makes sense and it occasionally throws in some midly amusing quips about the 21st century and our internet-obsessed culture. Nevertheless, most of Scream 4 is little more than weak pop culture jokes and average suspense.

Okay, I'll admit that I didn't hate Scream 4. I can't say I liked it either, but this was the only one out of all the Scream movies that I actually came close to liking. Still, I have two reasons that I can't bring myself to give this movie a recommendation. First of all, there is a far better horror film still playing in theatres right now called Insidious. I wrote a review for it a few weeks back, read up on it if you need any other incentive to see it. The second and more important reason refers to what the Scream series ultimately represents... a dead end. The series has done virtually nothing to benefit the horror genre. All they did was inspired an onslaught of weak and un-inventive teen slasher comedies to capitalize off of Scream's popularity... do we really want to see another I Know What You Did Last Summer?? Filmmakers wouldn't try anything new or creative for years to come, and the horror genre was practically void of imagination for far too long. The Scream franchise isn't necessarily the worst of the genre, but its impact on it may be the worst.

Overall, Scream 4 is better than the previous movies but my feelings for this series hasn't change one bit. If you absolutely must see Scream 4, I'd wait to rent it on DVD. Otherwise you can skip it.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5!