Wes Craven lives up to his reputation within the first five minutes of Scream 4, capitalizing on the expectations and annoying cliché plot points present, not only in his movies, but the genre in general. Cravens creates a satirical remake combining elements and plot lines from the original, semi-cult classic, Scream into a remake that will question and astound.
The movie opens with one of the best scenes that I have seen in a while. It portrays a movie in a movie, while making light of the movie remake and the current state of the mass media and genre prevalent in films today. After this, there is finally the first scene where the true killer emerges. I must admit, as soon as I saw this scene, I was worried that Scream 4 would be a poor remake of the original. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the changes that made the opening a homage to Scream 1. After this, the scene opens on a brand new sunny and happy day where we meet the new batch of characters and a few old friends. The new girls get a phone call asking “What’s your favorite scary movie?” leading them to think that this is just another prank for the anniversary of the Woodsboro Murders. However, much to their shock it is not a prank and the girls whose phones were used in the “prank” are found dead. This leads to the creation of connections with the old faithful characters of Gail, Dewy and Sidney when one of the phones is found in Sidney’s car along with a bloody knife.
Of course, Sidney is told to come to the station by Sheriff Dewy for questioning, with Gail close on her heels. While there, Sidney reunites with her cousin Jill Roberts who was one of the girls called by the killer. After a few more scenes where there is almost a déjà-vu to the original movie, the scariness and killing begin again. Lo and behold, the Ghostface is after Sidney once more. And once again the plot points continue to nearly mirror the first Scream movie, while being completely unique for Scream 4.
I won’t go into all of the plot points or give a major synopsis, because part of the enjoyment I got from watching Scream 4 was from the unique methods that connected popular culture and Scream 1 to the many nuances of this film. For example, Wes Craven makes interesting use of blogs, viral videos and of course Facebook to help elongate the story. Also, there was a sense of using the characters to mirror the actors real life situations. The major example of this was the conflicts between Dewy and Gail. It is very similar to the real world conflicts and separation that are going into the couple’s relationship. This included a new love interest for Sheriff Dewy, vying for his attention.
One of the major flaws with this movie made me enjoy it the most. As I have stated multiple times before, my favorite aspect of Scream 4 was the homage and connection to the original cult classic that I fell in love with. It is well known that I enjoy a good slasher, so of course Scream makes it on to my top ten movies and villains. I like it because, as it says in the opening scenes of this movie, “this could really happen”. I respect the care and connection that this remake takes when using the major plot points of the original. While I noticed major sections of the plot that were almost mirror image of the original, Wes Craven always changes some aspect of the scene in Scream 4 to stand alone and be different enough to be taken not only as the homage, but also as a brand new slasher scene in a horror movie. When watching Scream 4 I never felt as if I was watching the usual carbon copy rip-offs, as many of the remakes today are. However, I will say one thing, the ending of Scream 4 was a hilarious parody of many horror movie plots, while being an amazing wrap up to the entire story.
Like in any horror movie slasher worth its salt, Scream 4 was bloody and full of action. The special effects were over the top and quite eye catching. As one would expect, the majority of this movie was shot at night, to enhance the shock and scare factor, yet the scenes were crisp and the cinematography was everything expected from a top billeted movie. Also, as far as I could tell, the special effects were mainly old school horror techniques. By this I mean that there was very little computer generated images, or CGI, done. The majority of the kills looked like corn syrup and sleight of hand. Another shock in this movie was the use of blood. In many horrors the director thinks that the characters should be “swimming” in blood from something as basic as a shoulder wound, but in Scream 4 the wounds looked to be more realistic.
As one might imagine, Scream 4 is packed with an amazing cast of characters. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette repeat their roles as Sidney, Gail and Dewy respectively. If you have ever seen the first three Scream movies, then you will know what to expect from their acting in a blockbuster horror. However, if you missed these movies, each person does an admirable job of playing the direct veteran of the Woodsboro Murders, leading the quest to stop the killer. They are joined by a surprising group of well known actors, some of whom make their debut in the horror scene.
Firstly, Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell have cameos in the opening sequences of Scream 4 where they lead into a twist that the Scream series is known for. Along with these two, there are a number of well known faces that play supporting roles in Scream 4. The first such duo are Adam Brody and Anthony Anderson, who play two deputy sheriffs and act as a bit of comic relief. They are able to not only add seriousness to the movie, but also a sense of levity as well. In addition to these two well known faces comes Rory Culkin, playing the role of the new horror geek. He is not as over the top, or as vital to the story as the original Jamie Kennedy, but he still plays his role believingly and with finesse. Along with these known characters comes a relatively unknown actress, Emma Roberts. She is mostly known for younger aged movies, but does admirably when faced with the challenges and dark portrayal needed in Scream 4. She is not a “Scream Queen” as the shriekers who die are known, but rather a pivotal character who is necessary to the story. The final actress of note is Hayden Panettiere. She plays the loyal friend, and horror junkie similar to Drew Barrymore’s role; except she lives longer. As one may expect, Hayden played the tough girl with great vigor. However, she was still able to play the scared sensitive woman when she needed to.
I won’t lie, like many people I was skeptical when I heard about a Scream remake. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Scream 4. Not only does it hold true and pay homage to the original movie; it also adds new twists turns and “rules” that bring an entirely new and shocking feeling to watching the movie. As stated above, I enjoy watching the original Scream trilogy, so Scream 4 was a pleasant addition to the series. However, if someone was not a fan of the first three then they will not enjoy Scream 4. Another factor is the new generation of horror lovers. I believe that Scream 4 is a decent movie when standing alone, but the true genius of Wes Craven comes out only when watching it after the original Scream. Watching Scream 1 is not a necessity for enjoying the movie, but it will help the movie to make a lot more sense.