Scream 4 (2011): Review

Yell! Magazine review:

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

Scream 4 might not rank very high on most people’s priority list of must-see films (if you’re seeing this movie, you’re either looking for some nostalgia because you were the target audience for the first one, or you’re the target audience now, or you’re a genre fan, or you’re boyfriend dragged you to it), but it might be worth the cash to see it in the theater. Here’s why: it’s fun, audience participation/reaction is tops, and it’s Wes Craven (replete with plugs to his other films and even some John Carpenter ones as well).

It’s surprising that Scream 4 got a PG-13 rating, as there were plenty of F-bombs and a satisfying amount of gore, even going so far as to show entrails. But, I guess if The Walking Dead is getting away with what they’re showing on AMC, this isn’t too shocking.

No, it’s not original and it’s not a huge departure from the other films, and the whole “the rules have changed” thing wasn’t really executed very well, but Scream 4 will have you jumping out of your seat from time to time and it most definitely will have you laughing (and the nostalgia-seekers in the audience will love seeing where the lives of key characters in the original trilogy ended up). So yes, the first 30 minutes or so were interesting, but after that the film seemed to drag a bit and my partner in crime, King Hazard, mentioned that he felt like he was watching Scary Movie. Once the kill rate accelerated it made for an excellent finale that moved quickly without feeling like it was rushed to come in under a certain time.

SPOILER ALERT
Speaking of the finale, I suspected who one of the Ghostfaces turned out to be, but I didn’t find that it was developed well throughout the movie. The other Ghostface seemed to come out of left field and when his motivation was revealed it felt like he had just jumped onboard and there were a lot of factors he couldn’t have possibly predicted would happen in order for him to deliver his “big line.” And how are we to believe that either of these Ghostfaces could overpower someone, especially Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) with her MMA fighting abilities.

So, set 10 years after the events in the last Scream, Sydney has finally pulled herself together and published a self-help book based on her survival story, Dewy (David Arquette) is still Dewy, but he’s been promoted and married Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), who has retired from being a bitchy reporter (although she does go rogue), and that’s about it for original cast members. The rest of the cast reads like a who’s who in popular culture: Shenae Grimes, Anna Paquin, Kristen Bell, Aimee Teegarden, Alison Brie, Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts. Sydney is on a book tour and her last stop is her hometown of Woodsboro. Shortly after her arrival, however, killings begin (actually, on the anniversary of that fateful day) and Ghostface reappears. Ah, poor Sydney has to fight to survive yet again, and she has to be tutored by high schoolers yet again to learn the new rules of horror.

All in all, Scream 4 is a fun movie and a perfect date movie, especially when you consider the girlie cast. Get ready to be duped a few times.

Rock Hard!