SCREAM 4 – The Review

Wes Craven really outdid himself with this one! For all of you that have doubted Mr. Craven in the past couple of years (I will refrain from calling you names for “hatin”!), let it be known… Wes Craven still has it!

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has returned to her hometown of Westboro to promote her new self help book, but trouble rears its ugly head during her first public appearance. See, her stop happens to be around the anniversary of the Woodsboro Massacre, and the anniversaries of the multiple murders committed by the many faces behind the Ghostface mask. Of course, the teens of the town, who aren’t old enough to remember all of the trauma and fear choose to embrace their murky heritage by decorating the town in Ghostface garb and props, and hosting a Stab-a-thon, where they showcase all 7 of the Stab movies back to back. The Stab films are based off of the book series written  by Gale Weathers-Riley (Courtney Cox) about her, Sidney, and her husband Sherriff Dewey Rileys (David Arquette) experiences with Ghostface. The Woodboro High School film club seem to think that they have the new Ghostface figured out based on the new rules of horror films, and all of the new horror remakes. Too bad they don’t listen to their own advice or take the murders seriously. Now Ghostface is back on the streets and ready to make his message heard, by scrawling it in guts and blood.

This film had me drawn in right from the start. The opening set up, especially the scene with Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell had me excited and, quite frankly, pumped to see the film. Campbell stepped right back into the role of Sidney Prescott with ease. Not only did she look fantastic, but her character has developed into a stronger individual that absolutely refuses to be a victim for the rest of her life. Still, you can see the same old Sidney when you looked into her eyes. Campell really shines. Courtney Cox deserves a high five for her portrayal of Gale Weathers-Riley! Not only does she bring the snarky persona of Gale back, but there is an even stronger sex appeal. I don’t remember the character of Gale being THIS feisty, but man, did I enjoy it. Sure, she was always feisty and bitchy (The character, not Courtney Cox)… but man, I wanted to high five her after some of her lines in this! Cox did an amazing job! Heck, she AND Gale get a high five.

David Arquette as Dewey Riley is not as doofy as his character has been in the past. His character has had time to grow up during the films, which gave him (his character) time to mature and get use to being the man in charge, but he still has his kind of awkward moments. In this day and age, I am glad they allowed his character to mature a bit.

Newcomers to the franchise Emma Roberts (Jill Roberts, Sidney’s cousin), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), and Rory Culkin (Charlie Walker) are all fantastic additions. Roberts gives a wonderful performance that shows versatility, and it is nice to see her in yet another role different than the ones that she has previously played. With films like IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY and LYMELIFE (With Rory Culkin) under her belt, it’s refreshing to see her continue to chose different types of roles and genres. Panettiere brings Kirby to life, giving her a sassy, slightly over-dramatic, yet like-able personality. The character of Kirby actually reminds me of my pack of she-wolves… minus the love for horror films… that one is ALL ME! Still, Panettiere shines in her debut to the horror film screen.  As for Rory Culkin, he is scary goodl! I have always been a fan of the Culkin family, ever since Macauley Culkin first rocked my childhood world in HOME ALONE and MY GIRL, and this band of brothers never ceases to amaze me on screen. (Sidenote: The first Saturday Night Live that I ever stayed up all the way through was when Macauley Culkin hosted.) Back to Rory… Rory is supurb as the misfit teenager obsessed with horror films. He plays the part so well, that he reminded me of my high school days in art club. (We were all horror film weirdos!) His growth on screen leads me to believe that he will continue to impress and amaze us with his role choices. He is extremely talented and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next!

Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson really kept this film fresh and interesting. I honestly cannot remember when a scary movie made me jump. Heck, I cannot remember the last time that a horror film made me anxious (in a good way). I could actually feel the tension building up in my chest at times. I also really enjoyed the mockery of remakes and reboots in this day and age. With the butchering of the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake, which Craven had no part of, I was glad to see him poke fun at the idea of filmmakers remaking or rebooting older films rather than coming up with their own, new projects. They also point out how technology has changed the game of horror films and serial killing… and without giving anything away, they incorporate todays obsession with social media into the concept of horror films. Most films fail at this tie in, making it seem cheesy or silly, but they tie it in brilliantly. I do NOT want to spoil anything so I will leave it at that!

I cannot honestly say anything negative about this film. I went into it hoping that it was as good as the first three, and came out with the feeling that it might actually be better! Thank you Wes Craven!

OVERALL RATING: 4.75 out of 5 stars… or screams!