When “Scream” first premiered in 1996, it was, honestly, a scary movie. From the opening scene, which pitted Drew Barrymore against the sinister killer, Writer Kevin Williamson and Director Wes Craven had our attention. A legion of sequels in its wake violated this rule, especially parody remakes such as “Scary Movie,” making it hard to remember the movie for what it was–a highly original slasher film that rested deferentially on the laurels of its predecessors, such as 1978’s “Halloween” and 1980’s “Friday the 13th.”
The original film starred Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott–a girl whose mother had been murdered a year before, who now found herself, and her friends targeted by a serial killer who could be anywhere or anyone. This plot, and a hip cast such as Matthew Lilliard, Rose McGowan, and Skeet Ulrich captivated audiences, and, for a short amount of time, redefined the idea of the slasher film.
The subsequent two sequels, however, had little to offer in the way of plot or genuine frights. Where the first movie’s killers haddirection and true motive, sequels relied on working killers into the set of “Stab” movies — supposed ‘movies within a movie’ chronicling the story of the first movie’s victim, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). Given this fact, plus the fact that the last “Scream” sequel was released eleven years ago in 2000, it was surprising to see that Wes Craven, the mind behind such movies, as “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Last House on the Left” and Kevin Williamson had teamed up again to write “Scream 4.” However, if audiences were expecting a brand-new, refreshing look on the genre, they would be, unfortunately, disappointed by what “Scream 4” brings to the table.
The movie begins with two girls watching one of the “Stab” films, and the scene quickly degenerates into one red herring after another: we simply do not know when victims are killed, whether or not it really happened, or if it is part of this “movie within a movie” premise. Shortly thereafter, we are introduced to the main characters of the film: There is Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell, resuming her role), returned home to Woodsboro, promoting a new book on her life. There is also Deputy Dewey from the first film (David Arquette), now the town Sheriff, though just as comical a character as ever. He is married to Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox), and fans of the series will probably be glad to see these two have stuck it out since their romance in the first film.
The chain of events that follows is pretty par for the course for any “Scream” film– a slew of suspected, would-be killers are presented, presenting a “who dunnit?” mystery which audiences must try to solve before the closing credits.
Being a horror movie, the film does offer some genuine frights, such as one well-developed scene which takes place in a haystack during a ‘Stab’ party, involving the use of webcams to invoke horror, as well as the use of cell phones and caller ids to trick up audiences as to who is calling–character’s friends or the iconic ‘Ghostface.’ The film also has a slew of other horror movie tactics to hold audience’s interest, such as romantic sub-plots, homages to the preceding films, and, of course, the infamous twist at the end of the film (there are actually several, and to give away more would spoil the movie for anyone who has not seen it–rent it on DVD or Blu-ray and see for yourself).
All in all, “Scream 4” isn’t a total waste, and shouldn’t be written off as such. It has some highs, and has some lows, and more than likely has something for everyone. However, if you’re looking for original, horror-driven material, you’re better off raiding your local video store for unseen 80s cult classics, or renting the original “Scream” — long before ‘Ghostface’ became a horror icon and was actually scary.
– by Mark Ziobro
