Review of Scream 4 (2011) by Halfwelshman — 28 Jan 2012

I was really quite surprised at how much I liked Scream 4 - I was honestly expecting another Scream 3, or worse. The franchise is probably never going to equal the heights of the first installment again, but miraculously, it still remains a hugely enjoyable series.

Wes Craven thankfully got the three main players back again (four if you count Roger L. Jackson). Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott still makes a likeable protagonist (even if you wonder why, after all she's been through, she doesn't arm herself at all times) and David Arquette's Sherriff Dewey and Courtney Cox's Gale Weathers are still entertaining.

The cast of young newcomers including Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere and Rory Culkin all serve their purpose, either by dying horribly or as potential Ghostface suspects. So it's business as usual in Wes Craven's Scream world, and while the plot's a little too predictable, some of the self-referential winks to the audience a little smug and annoying, and the run-time a bit lengthy, the film's energy and Kevin Willaimson's sharp script keeps you entertained throughout (bucket-loads of blood and some good jokes don't hurt either).

So it's not as good as the original (something the film itself even amusingly points out at one point), but I struggle to think of many (if any) other fourth films in a franchise that are this decent, and that still have something to say.

Horror films, after all, have evolved (or devolved, depending on your perspective) over the last decade, with handheld horror mockumentaries, torture-porn and the seemingly endless procession of remakes giving Craven an Williamson ample ammunition for affectionate parody.

Scream 4 is a much more satisfying conclusion to the series than its underwhelming predecessor, but unfortunately, Hollywood being what it is, I doubt Ghostface is gone for good...